"Spring Cleaning" 

Ann Parker  (GoLFaN585@cs.com) 

Rating: G 

Disclaimer: I do not own Harm, Mac, and the rest of
the JAG characters.  
Those are the property of Donald P. Bellisario and
CBS.  Also, in one 
part of the story I use direct quotes from the show. 
This is to add to 
the story, I don't claim those words for my own so
please don't sue me.  
Everything that appears in the story is under the
power of someone 
else; I'm simply borrowing them for entertainment
proposes.

Summery: Mac is doing a little cleaning on an April
day in the year 
2004.  While sorting though items, she remembers
events of the past year 
(technically this season/beginning of next).  All
flashbacks, excluding 
one, are completely made-up.  Also, Jingo is back
living with Mac for 
reasons that become clear at the end.

Spoilers:  I guess everything up to "All Ye Faithful"
in season 8, and 
then only including "Friendly Fire."

Feedback: I would LOVE some back please!!  Email me at
GoLFaN585@cs.com 
if you would be so kind as to comment on my story!
~~~~~~~~~~ 

"Spring Cleaning"
By Ann Parker


	The sun shone brightly through the tall windows of
the east side of 
the Georgetown apartment.  Ella Fitzgerald drifted
into each room, mixing 
with the sounds of chirping birds and cars passing by
the open windows.  
Finally the warm air had returned with the appearance
of April.  Rays 
of light hit various objects that were scattered on
the floor, coffee 
table, couch, and almost every other surface.  From
afar someone might 
wonder if a tornado had struck this room and happened
to bump the stereo 
in the process.  Heck, it appeared that way to the
owner of this DC 
apartment.
	In the corner of what used to be a cozy living room,
a pair of 
chocolate eyes studied the objects before them.  The
woman pulled back a 
stubborn piece of her auburn highlighted hair and
sighed.  At this rate, she 
was never going to get her spring-cleaning done.  She
made her way to 
the couch, pulling at her forest green tank top that
matched her plaid 
boxer shorts.  She was going to be comfortable while
cleaning.  She 
cleared a place to sit and looked at all the items
around her.
	"What a mess," Mac sighed to herself.  All around her
were a year's 
worth of old case notes, little tokens from days with
Chloe and little 
AJ, tons of photographs, and other random items of the
year.  "Well 
sitting here isn't getting me anywhere," she scolded
herself.  She reached 
for a black trash bag and a cardboard box, new homes
for the disaster 
area around her.  Either they found a home in a brown
box to be looked 
and treasured at a later date or they met their doom
in the blue dumpster 
downstairs.  She began to wander through the piles of
junk sorting 
through the paper to find anything work related. 
Since it was the most 
tedious part of the cleaning process, she elected for
it to go first.  She 
had to scan each paper to double check that it wasn't
important for 
Headquarters to have.  Most would end up in the
shredder and then the 
plastic bag at her side.  She must have gone through
two large piles before 
finding anything that caught her eye.  Old case notes
from the Ridley 
court martial.  A soft curve appeared on her face as
she thought of her 
days in front of the honorable Judge Rabb, even if
they weren't 
necessarily the most enjoyable, they were definitely
memorable.  
~~~~~ 
	Mac stood before Admiral Chegwidden with Harm,
Commander Sturgis 
Turner, and Lieutenant Bud Roberts.  He had just
handed Sturgis, Bud, and 
herself files about a Lieutenant Commander David
Ridley who dropped a 
mark 82-lazor guided bomb on a platoon of British
solders.  It left 3 dead 
and 3 wounded.  She was to prosecute the Commander
with involuntary 
manslaughter and dereliction of duty, with Bud as
co-counsel.  Sturgis was 
to defend.  She was reading over the file, silently
wondering what Harm 
was going to do when the Admiral answered her.
	"This is a high profile case," their superior
continued as he removed 
his glasses, "The media will be in the courtroom. 
Commander Rabb, 
since you'll be presiding, do you have a problem with
that?"  Mac looked up 
from her file in shock.
	"Judge Rabb?" she blurted out.
	"Well, as an aviator, I think he has a certain hands
on understanding 
of the issues."
	"As an aviator, Sir, the Commander may be bias in
favor of the pilot," 
she countered.
	"Then don't be," AJ directed to Harm.
	"Absolutely not Sir," he replied, shooting Mac a
questioning look.  AJ 
apparently ignored their interaction and addressed the
two about the 
time Mac was the judge.
	"Commander, Colonel, I'm counting on the both of you
to maintain a 
certain level of...decorum."
	"You'll have no trouble from us Sir," spoke Harm for
the both of them.  
Mac glanced at him.
	"That will be all."
	"Aye Sir."  All snapped to attention and left the
office.  She spent 
no time at all confronting him about his confidence
that there would be 
no sparks between them, knowing full well that there
probably would be.  
All she had to do was look at the case when she was
the judge.  Harm, 
plastering on his suave behavior, swore there would be
no pay back and 
she fully intended to hold him to it.

	"All rise," announced the clerk as Harm made his way
to his seat.  
Even though she was apprehensive about him staying
objective, Mac admitted 
to herself, and only to herself, that Harm looked good
behind that 
desk.
	"Please be seated," he said, snapping her out of that
train of thought 
and making her focus.  He always had that ability to
make her focus, 
and not just when he was a higher authority.  The
trial started out 
normal with Harm asking if all were ready to proceed
and commenting to Bud, 
Sturgis, and herself about the Secretary of the Navy's
presence.  Only 
when she began her opening statement did things
change.  Why he had to 
stop her in the middle of her opening, halting her
momentum, was beyond 
her.  Did he think it was funny to discredit her in
front of the 
members in first five minutes of the trial?  Not only
that but it led to her 
taking out her frustrations on Bud, who really didn't
deserve a ticked 
off Marine reprimanding him for doing nothing.
	Later in the trial was when the tension between them
could be cut with 
a knife.  Harm decided to ask questions of the witness
when Sturgis 
didn't, causing Mac to ask to approach the bench. 
"Your Honor, I object 
to your questioning the witness."
	"The court has that right, Colonel, you know that,"
Harm replied 
before looking at Sturgis.  "Do you have a problem to
my questioning the 
witness?"
	"No your Honor, but I had planned to ask the witness
the same 
questions later and I still do."  This caused Mac to
release a frustrated sigh.
	"Oh great, so the members get to hear it twice, once
with the 
inference that the judge favors the defense."
	"That was not my intent Colonel, clarity was,"
countered Harm.  She 
could sense his anger rising with hers.
	"Well the effect is prejudges to the prosecution. 
Look, if I'm going 
to lose this case, I'd like to do it without any help
from the bench."
	"What is your problem?"
	"You are, your Honor, respectively.  First you
interrupt my opening 
statement, then you let the defense counsel refer to
another friendly 
fire incident where no charges were filed, and now
your questions of 
Lieutenant Coffmen apply that the Air Ops. Center was
to blame."
	"So what do you want Colonel?"
	"Some judicial restraint, Sir."
	"You're asking my to refrain from questioning
witnesses?"
	"No your Honor, I want you to recluse yourself on the
grounds of 
bias."  Harm's face went from shock to anger to his
customary mask right 
before her.  In the back of her mind she wondered how
this would effect 
their recently renewed friendship, but right now she
needed to do what 
she thought was right.  He didn't quit the case,
however.  She decided 
from that point to let Bud handle objections and
questioning, believing 
that would help.  It worked somewhat, and she
successfully shot Sturgis' 
medication theory down.  Then Harm practically handed
her new evidence, 
the winning evidence for the defense.  She never knew
how he figured it 
out, all she knew was that she had to give it to
Sturgis and then she 
lost.
	"Lieutenant Commander David Ridley, United States
Navy, this court 
martial finds you, on all charges and specifications,
not guilty."
	"I want to thank the members and counsel for
completing their duties 
with the highest standards of professional conduct. 
But before I 
adjourn these proceedings, Commander Ridley, although
you were not found 
guilty of a crime under the UCMJ, I find that your
conduct in this matter 
raises questions as to your ability to fly in combat. 
Accordingly, I'm 
recommending to your commanding officer that a field
evaluation board 
be convened to consider your future as a naval
aviator.  This court is 
adjourned."  Harm pounded his gavel and at that moment
Mac was so proud 
of him.  She knew it bothered him whenever the fighter
pilot image was 
tainted, which it surely was in this case, but he
still took it upon 
himself to make sure justice prevailed.

	"Have a seat," the Admiral directed Harm and herself
later that 
afternoon.  As they sat he continued, "I need to find
someone to serve as a 
judge for a couple of months.  Any volunteers?"
	"Well, you can count me out Sir," replied Harm,
surprising not only AJ 
but Mac as well.
	"Oh, Commander, I thought your did a fine job," he
countered.
	"Well, I don't know.  The Colonel asked me to remove
myself from the 
case."	
	"I got over it," said Mac, making eye contact with
him in hopes that 
he would see she was serious.  He may have annoyed her
in the beginning 
but by the end she was used to his behavior and was
fine with it.
	"I'm just not cut out for it Sir.  I'm more of a
hunter," Harm 
continued after slightly nodding at Mac.
	"Hunter?" questioned AJ.
	"It's a metaphor.  The type that hit saber tooth
tigers with sticks."  
AJ and Mac both sent him questioning looks, which he
ignored.  "What 
this job requires is someone with patience and
judgment.  Someone like 
Mac, Colonel MacKenzie."  Mac stared at him, stunned.
	"Well, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever
said to me," she 
replied.  Harm simply shrugged and smiled.
	"Well, let's see what he says the next time he has to
appear before 
you, your Honor."  Mac and Harm exchanged looks and
smile.
~~~~~  
	After that she took on more judicial duties. 
Occasionally Harm and 
she would have conflicts, but nothing like they had
before.  It was 
almost as if a mutual understanding and agreement had
been silently made now 
that they both had had the taste of sitting on the
bench.  She enjoyed 
her work as a judge, even if that meant she didn't
work as often with 
Harm and she saw the stubborn, unrelenting side of him
more.  Then 
again, that was part of what made him a good lawyer in
the first place, a 
part of him that she loved along with the rest of his
better qualities.
	Her Norah Jones CD began to play as she sorted
through the papers.  
The humming of her shredder was almost blocking the
graceful melody from 
its almost constant running.  "I need to get more
organized," she 
grumbled, disgusted with the amount of paper she was
throwing away.  The 
soft sound of a piano in the fourth song began when
Mac discovered a note 
sheet with her and Sturgis' handwriting.  "The
Summers' case," she 
mumbled, not really wanting to relive that interesting
case.  And the 
interesting part had nothing to do with Petty Officer
Summers.
~~~~~
	"We're never going to wrap up this case!" Mac
exclaimed as she 
'lightly' slammed a book closed.  She stood up and
began to pace across her 
living room.  All she wanted was for this "Summer
Solstice case," as she 
dubbed it, to be over.  For not only did it involve a
Petty Officer 
Summers but the Admiral fittingly gave it to them on
the first day of 
summer.  A pair of brown eyes watched her before
speaking.
	"Yes, we will, Mac.  Harm doesn't have enough to
indict and he knows 
it.  He's only made it this far by blowing smoke.  Why
is this case 
frustrating you so much?" Sturgis asked.  Mac sighed
and turned to face 
him.
	"I'm not sure."  Sturgis studied her eyes and she
turned away, hoping 
he didn't just read her thoughts.  The truth was she
currently didn't 
know how to act around Harm.  This was the first case
she's had against 
him since...
	"It's Harm, isn't it?" Sturgis asked, interrupting
her thoughts.  Mac 
didn't answer.  "You know, you really need to tell him
how you feel, 
before it eats you up inside."  Mac bit back a smile;
if only he knew.  
They just weren't ready for everyone to know yet. 
Poor Sturgis, he had 
kept his promise to her and she couldn't even tell him
about her new 
relationship.  She got ready for her acting job.
	"Why would it be Harm and nothing is eating me up
inside, Sturgis.  I 
guess it's just the fact that this is similar to a
case I lost against 
Harm the first year I was at JAG.  Bad memories.  Now,
let's get back 
to work, shall we?" she almost ordered the last part. 
Sturgis simply 
nodded, wisely deciding not to press the issue.  Mac
made a note to talk 
to Harm about this; they couldn't keep their secret
forever.
~~~~~ 
	Mac sighed as she tossed the paper in the trash. 
Sturgis was almost 
ready to hurt her when he learned the truth but knew
that would only 
earn him a certain fighter pilot turned lawyer on his
six.  He eventually 
got over it though and was happy they had finally
found each other.
 	She reached the last pile of papers and sighed in
relief.  Almost 
done with the largest and most certainly the least fun
of them all.  
Deciding to get something to drink, she left the last
pile resting on the 
edge of the coffee table only to return from her bare
kitchen with a 
bottle of water in her hand and a mess on the floor.  
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she groaned at herself
causing Jingo to come 
appear at her side in concern.  She smiled softly at
the rust colored 
dog at her leg and rubbed his ears.  "Hey there boy,
sorry if I scared 
you.  You know how easily upset I can get," she said
to the dog.  Jingo 
wagged his tail at the attention he was receiving,
causing Mac to 
laugh.  "Hey, you weren't supposed to agree with me." 
Her hand mingled with 
the hair of Jingo's head once more before she headed
back over to the 
pile of papers.  The Norah Jones CD was almost over
but her subconscious 
didn't realize that fact, too focused on the task at
hand.  She dug 
through the paper at a madman's pace finding a few
here and there to keep 
out.  She reached the end of the pile and found the
last paper that 
deserved to be mentioned in her mind.  The last case
assigned to Harm and 
herself as partners.
~~~~~ 
	In a twisted sense of irony Mac walked around the
Marine base in 
Honolulu in the mild heat of November.  The semper fi
Jarhead that her 
partner loved to call her was currently in the
enemies' colors.  She was 
undercover as a Navy JAG for this case.  At first the
idea confused her, 
why would the men here act differently to her if she
was suddenly Navy?  
She was still investigating a murder and prodding into
their lives just 
like she would have down in her real uniform.  After
only a day it was 
all too clear why.  For some reason the Marines of
this certain unit 
believed squids to be very stupid.  They would say
things to her because 
they didn't think she would understand; things they
normally would take 
to the grave if she were in her Colonel uniform.  She
couldn't believe 
how stupid or naïve, take your pick, they were.  Just
because the Navy 
wasn't as good as the Marine Corps didn't make them
stupid; Harm and 
the others had proven that to her many times over. 
Although, if one good 
thing came from this case it would definitely be
watching her partner, 
undercover as a Marine Gunnery Sergeant, having to
bash the Navy.
	"Commander!" shouted the Gunny now, causing Mac to
turn around.  He 
stopped running, steadily marching to her before
saluting.  She smiled as 
she saluted him back.
	"At ease, Gunny," she said, careful not to blow their
cover while 
others walked by them.  Harm shifted his weight
slightly and smiled.
	"You love this just too much, Commander."  Both
smiled, remembering 
the last time he was a Gunnery Sergeant.  Posts to be
exact.  "Permission 
to speak freely, perhaps somewhere private?" he said
in a low voice.  
She nodded and he was soon at her side as they headed
to her temporary 
office.  Once safely in the room, the door locked
behind them and the 
blinds drawn, he spoke again.  "We got them, Mac.  I
just witnessed an 
argument between Lieutenant Gardner and Sergeant
Reckor.  Gardner wanted 
to confess but Reckor threatened to go to the Colonel
about his affair 
with the Colonel's wife if he spoke," Harm said
confidently, tossing 
Mac a tape recorder.  She listened to the conversation
and nodded in 
satisfaction.  She loved the sun but two weeks as Navy
was enough for her.
	"How exactly did you tape this without getting
caught?" she asked.  
Harm simply smiled.  "Gunny, don't make me force it
out of you," she 
playfully demanded earning a laugh from the other
person in the room.  He 
walked around to her side, his face only inches from
hers.  God, how she 
wanted to kiss him right there and then.
	"And how were you going to do that Commander?" he
toyed back.  Both 
smiled and laughed.  After a minute he focused on the
task at hand.  
"Simple really, I was in the room when Gardner
approached Reckor.  I 
slipped the recorder into a nearby drawer, leaving it
slightly ajar to tape 
their conversation, and then left the room.  When they
both left I 
slipped back in and whalla."  Mac raised an eyebrow.
	"So then you didn't actually witness the
conversation?"  Harm shook 
his head and shrugged.
	"We both know we aren't going to use the tape in
court.  It's just to 
get them to confess, or at least one of them.  My bet
is on Gardner."  
Mac nodded and sat down in her chair.
	"Sounds like a plan.  I'll question him tomorrow
morning.  With any 
luck he'll talk and we can get back to our normal
uniforms," she 
complained.  Harm laughed as he moved to take a seat
in one of the other 
chairs.
	"You think I'm enjoying our last assignment together
as a Gunnery 
Sergeant?  Not to mention I have to keep promising my
dad that I'll go to 
Reverend Turner when we're done and confess about all
the terrible 
things I've been forced to say about the Navy," he
shuddered.  Mac giggled 
slightly.  "At least I had a good reference for the
insults with all the 
ones you've said over the years," he smiled.  She
rolled her eyes.
	"Yeah well, most of those were directed towards you,
not the Navy and 
you earn most of them," she retorted.  Harm simply
shook his head.
	"Yes ma'am.  Look, I should probably get back and
start working on my 
request for transfer, the Gunny isn't going to be
staying here much 
longer," he said, moving to be at her side.  Quickly
he bent down and 
kissed her softly.  "Love you," he whispered before
standing up.
	"Love you too," she replied as he headed out the
door.  She sighed as 
she twirled in her chair.  For their last assignment
they were 
certainly apart quite a bit.  "Thank god for the
Admiral," she said to herself.  
AJ had promised them a week's vacation in paradise
once this case was 
wrapped up.  He knew that once they got back things
would be very 
different and hectic.  A little calm before the storm
was always a plus.
~~~~~ 
	Mac smiled at the last memory of work related items. 
Shortly after 
that conversation Gardner confessed to the murder of
Lieutenant Normand.  
The trial didn't last too long with the surprise
witnesses of Harm and 
herself and they were soon off to their week alone.  A
week neither 
would forget.  Once they returned, Harm was sent to
the Pentagon, on loan 
to Headquarters when possible.  Although it wouldn't
be the same as 
working together all the time, the change wasn't
terrible.  It certainly 
helped the two get where they were today.  Mac
finished sorting the 
papers and shredded the rest.  She had about five or
so papers of what 
seemed like millions worth saving and the rest were
now getting ready to 
meet Mr. Dumpster.  
Finishing off her drink she sat for a minute as she
decided what to do 
next.  She barely noticed the music change to a new
disk, the Avril 
Lavigne CD that Chloe left on her last visit.  "On to
trinkets," she 
ordered herself and grabbed the box, knowing most
would end up being saved.  
After finding five to keep and a few to pitch her hand
touched a 
Treasure Planet toy from McDonald's.  She had received
the little pink Morph 
when she had taken AJ out to lunch in shortly after
his fourth 
birthday.
~~~~~ 
	"Auntie Mac, I have this one, you take it, 'kay?" the
adorable blond 
boy said.  He placed the squishy toy in her hand. 
McDonald's, along 
with Disney, was having a special toy month where they
re-released 
favorite toys from the past few years.  On her third
trip with her godson 
"Treasure Planet" was the featured movie.
	"Oh, AJ, I couldn't take your toy," she countered. 
The four-year-old 
shook his head.
	"But I want you to have it!  You and Uncle Harm have
to both have 
one!"  Mac raised an eyebrow at her companion's
comment.  Harm at a fast 
food joint?
	"Harm took you to McDonald's?" she asked.  AJ looked
at her like she 
had grown a third head and she immediately knew the
answer.
	"Duh!  We always eat here!" he exclaimed.  "And the
last time I gave 
him a Morph, too," he added proudly.  Mac nodded and
smiled, making a 
mental note to tease Stick Boy later.  "So, will you
keep him?"
	"Of course, AJ.  Thank you very much," she replied as
she set the toy 
in her purse.  "Now, you ready to go have fun in the
play land?"  AJ 
nodded and ran for the slide as his godmother laughed
while following.
~~~~~ 
	Mac smiled at the memory the rubbery toy in her hand
was responsible 
for.  She had fun teasing Harm about the greasy fries
and dead animals 
that surrounded him once he stepped foot under the
golden arcs.  He 
simply shrugged and tried to defend himself by
commenting about the salads.  
She knew her godson better and there was no doubt in
her mind that 
Harm's tough exterior crumbled at the site of him.
	She noticed the third song on the CD playing in the
background and 
began to sing along to "Sk8er Boi."  The song finished
and she had 
disposed of ten more objects while only keeping a few.
 She was about to move 
to another stack of objects when a rust colored sports
cap caught her 
eye.  She dusted off the hat as she flashed back to
that momentous day 
at the football stadium with Chloe and Harm.  It was
the day she had no 
doubt in her relationship with Harm.
~~~~~ 
	"Here you go, two disgusting hot dogs," grumbled Harm
as he handed Mac 
her food.  He handed out the drinks and passed Chloe
her pretzel before 
taking his seat between them.  "You're just killing
yourself with that 
junk," he shouted over the loud Redskins' crowd, even
though it was 
only a preseason game.  Mac simply smiled and took
another bite.  They had 
had an argument earlier and as always her faith
started to falter.  She 
wasn't sure if their relationship was going to work. 
Time to test 
that.
	"Then I'll die happy," she replied, even through she
didn't believe 
her own words.  "Why do you care so much anyway?" she
asked, knowing that 
was going to strike a nerve.  Harm and Chloe's heads
both snapped to 
face her but for different reasons.  Harm was stunned
she had to ask and 
Chloe wanted to hear the answer.  She slightly nudged
him.
	"Yes, Chloe?" he managed to squeak out as he turned
to the teenager.  
She gestured for him to come closer for her to whisper
and he obeyed.  
What was said, Mac didn't know, but it made Harm
smile.  He nodded to 
Chloe before turning back to Mac, taking her hand in
his.  "I care 
because I can't live without you, Mac.  Without you I
have no reason to 
exist."  His aquamarine eyes pierced through her soul
at that moment and 
she felt water escape hers.  His free hand reached up
and wiped the tears 
away with his thumb.  She managed to smile slightly
and leaped into his 
arms.  He held her close while Chloe nodded, satisfied
with her work.  
She always knew they would stay together, something
she told Mac 
repeatedly afterwards.
	"Oh Harm," Mac whispered in his chest.  She looked up
into his eyes 
and saw the emotion in hers reflected in his and
smiled.  Slowly he 
reached down and captured her lips in his.  Cheers
erupted around them, as 
the Redskins scored a touchdown, not that they
noticed.
~~~~~ 
	Mac smiled as she hugged the hat Harm bought her
later on that August 
day.  Since that moment she was definitely a Redskins
fan.  This was a 
keeper and she put the hat into the box.  She sorted
through some more 
junk, leaving only two more piles to go.  When she
reached the first 
one she immediately spotted a book.  Her hand grazed
over it and her lips 
curved up slightly.  She picked up the lavender bound
book of poetry 
and flipped through the ivory pages until a bookmarker
of sorts stopped 
her.  She gently removed the pressed wildflower and
sighed, flashing 
back to a date with a yellow steersman and a certain
flyboy on a warm day 
in July.
~~~~~ 
	Mac's cherry red corvette pulled up to a nearly empty
airstrip.  All 
she could see was a beautiful old plane with the name
Sarah painted on 
its side.  Although she knew the name was in respect
to another Sarah, 
it still made her smile.  She parked her car on this
sunny mid-morning 
and headed over to the plane.  She immediately grinned
when a face she 
had memorized appeared near the tail.
	"I hope you check that fuel line," she smirked
slightly, the memory of 
the day was the "friendly" poachers still vivid in her
mind.  Her 
favorite smile flashed before her.
	"Four times, thank you.  You bring a book?" Harm
asked.  Mac waved a 
soft purple book in front of him and he snatched it
from her hand.  
"Good girl," he joked as he added it to his storage
compartment and latched 
the door closed.
	"You ever going to tell me what exactly we're doing?"
Mac half asked, 
half demanded.  Harm simply smiled and shrugged his
broad shoulders.
	"In due time," was his response.  Mac growled causing
a rich laughter 
to spew from her partner.  "You know, the sooner we
get airborne the 
sooner you will find out."  That was all the
motivation she needed.  
Within seconds she was in the front seat putting on a
helmet and goggles.  
Harm chuckled slightly and climbed in himself.  A few
minutes later 
they were in the sky.
	Mac closed her eyes and let the warm breeze rush over
her skin, 
releasing some of her tension from the past week and a
half with a sigh.  
Yesterday Harm and she finished a case involving a
marine major charged 
with passing top secret weapons information to North
Korea.  He claimed 
he was set up and only after the help of their
favorite spook, Clayton 
Webb, had he been able to prove it.  The case seemed
to suck a great 
deal of energy from her as the prosecution and she
knew Harm had noticed.  
No doubt whatever he had planned was related to that. 
With that 
thought she realized they had stopped.
	"Mac, are you okay?" Harm asked, causing her eyes to
fly open.  She 
smiled meekly at the face before her.
	"Yeah, just got lost in thought," she replied,
removing her headgear 
and taking his offered hand to climb out.
	"No thinking about the Roofind case, Colonel," Harm
ordered as he 
headed to the storage compartment when they had both
feet on the ground.  
He had read her mind.
	"Aye aye sir," she retorted with a smile as she
watched him pull out a 
blanket, picnic basket, and her book.  "Now will you
tell me what is 
going on?"  Harm handed her the book and placed his
now free hand in the 
small of her back, guiding her to another part of an
open field.
	"We are going to have a picnic and then I'm going to
read you some 
poetry to ease you mind.  I know this case took a lot
out of you."  Mac 
smiled to herself and leaned into the strong man
beside her.
	"It did, but this sounds like the perfect solution,"
she whispered as 
he spread out the blanket on the grass and set down
the basket.
	"I thought so," he smiled as he pulled her down to
the red flannel, 
their table/bed for the afternoon.  "Now, let's eat. 
I don't even need 
to ask if you're hungry."  Mac laughed as Harm dug
into the golden 
yellow basket.  He pulled out some sodas and a pasta
dish, laughing at Mac's 
wrinkled nose.  "Relax, that's for me," he commented
and then pulled 
out a heat cooler to keep whatever her food was hot. 
He watched her face 
as he unzipped the cooler and the smell hit her
senses.
	"You didn't," she smiled as the scent of cooked meat
and grease 
reached her.  He nodded.  "Beltway?"  Harm handed over
her burger and fries 
only to receive a happy marine in his arms.  "Oh thank
you, thank you!"  
Harm chuckled and hugged her.
	"Anything for my ninja girl," he said with a wink
when they parted.
~~~~~ 
	A tear threatened to fall as Mac remembered that
perfect day.  They 
ate their peaceful meal and read for awhile until
dozing off under the 
singing birds and in each other's arms for a few
hours.  By the time they 
woke up it was almost sunset so they took a quick
walk, which was where 
she found the flower.  After that they flew back and
Mac witnessed her 
first sunset from a plane.  That day still seemed like
a fantasy.  From 
then on, she knew she would forever enjoy the romantic
side of Harmon 
Rabb, Jr.  A side she finally got to know after all
this time.
	Sighing, she returned to her task at hand and sorted
through the last 
two piles.  As the last song played on the stereo she
found the last 
item for the box, a pamphlet from The Shell Factory in
Fort Myers, 
Florida.  She clutched to the few pieces of paper as
dancing streams of 
colored water flashed before her eyes.
~~~~~ 
	"I'm so glad this case is finally over!" Mac
exclaimed as she plopped 
down on her hotel bed, flinging off her shoes in the
process.  Harm 
shook his head as he took a seat at the corner of the
double sized 
mattress.
	"You and me both.  I'm just relieved the Admiral said
we didn't need 
to hop back on a plane immediately," he said.  He
picked up one of her 
feet and began to massage it gently.  A soft moan
meant he found the 
knot and began to kneed it, vanquishing the pain.
	"You're a miracle worker, Harm," she said with her
eyes closed.  She 
smiled slightly to herself, knowing full well that
this was just part of 
his apology.  He had doubted her judgment on every
fact of this 
investigation and only after their, well more her,
main suspect tried to skip 
town did he believe her.  Being his partner and best
friend for six 
years, she has expected a little more faith from him,
yet she knew he was 
just trying to keep their options open.  Never mind
the fact that their 
guilty party was a pilot.  That had nothing to do with
it, she 
commented in her head with a hint of sarcasm.  She
knew that until the day he 
died, Harm would always be a sucker for tomcat pilots.
 She giggled 
softly to herself, not feeling Harm's questioning eyes
as he finished, 
causing her to sit up.  "Thanks.  What do you want to
do tonight?"  Harm 
rose from the bed and pulled her into a standing
position shortly after.
	"How about you go take a relaxing shower and I'll go
down to the lobby 
and see what Fort Myers has to offer," he suggested. 
She nodded in 
agreement, knowing she'd enjoy whatever Harm picked
out.  "I'll be back in 
30."  Mac pulled him into a passionate kiss before
allowing him to 
leave.
	"Don't be late," she playfully growled as she headed
to her bathroom.
	"Believe me, I won't," he managed to get out before
leaving.  Almost a 
half-hour later, there was a knock on her door.  She
smiled, noting he 
was 13 seconds early, as she walked to the door in a
black, strapless 
dress.  The first thing she noticed was his flyboy
smile and the red 
rose in his hand.  "Wow, Mac, you look stunning."  She
blushed slightly as 
he handed her the rose.
	"Thank you, you don't look so bad yourself," she
commented admiring 
the charcoal pants and navy blue dress shirt he wore. 
They headed to 
dinner and then Harm took her to the Shell Factory. 
"Why are we here?" 
she asked with a questioning glare.  Harm simply
smiled and winked.
	"You'll see," he said, guiding her to a bench.  He
starred at his 
watch before turning towards her again.  "In 30
seconds."  She sighed and 
rested against him, his arm instinctively wrapping
around her waist.  In 
precisely 30 seconds music began to play and a voice
boomed around 
them.
	"Welcome to Shell's Waltzing Waters!  May the liquid
fireworks began!" 
the voice exclaimed and the rock music blasted.  Mac
gasped as green 
water shot out of the lake in different streams in
time with the beats of 
the music.
	"Wow, this is amazing.  You are definitely forgiven,"
she breathed. 
Harm chuckled slightly.
"What is that obvious?"  Mac nodded in response as she
watched green 
became red and orange and then the design change into
a fan pattern.  Mac 
rose from her seat and stood by the nearby railing,
the awe of the 
dancing water before her eyes.  A minute later she
felt two strong arms 
around her waist and fell back into their embrace.  
"Oh Harm, this is beautiful," she whispered, not
noticing Harm's eyes 
watching the colors dance on her skin instead of the
water.  He kissed 
her neck softly as she starred straight ahead.
	"Not as beautiful as you," he said in her ear.  She
smiled to herself, 
Harm had gotten a great deal better at expressing his
feelings since 
AJ's birthday and 'the talk' that happened shortly
there after.  She 
turned slightly in his arms to see his face.  His hand
grazed the side of 
her face as his thumb caressed her cheek before he
spoke again.  She 
could see the nerves dancing in his aquamarine eyes
and knew that he was 
about to open up again.  "Sarah, with all my heart and
soul I have never 
loved someone as much as I love you, and I never will
again, I 
promise."  Mac beamed as she bit back the tears
threatening to fall.
	"Don't make a promise you can't keep," she toyed,
causing him to 
laugh.
	"I haven't yet," he whispered as he placed a soft
kiss on her lips.
	"I love you too; I have since the first moment in the
rose garden."  
Mac smiled against his lips.  While the Waltzing
Waters flashed in their 
last blaze of color Harm's lips captured hers again. 
This time all the 
emotion they had felt over the years was poured into
one simple kiss 
and both knew they could never live without the other.
~~~~~ 
	Mac delicately skimmed over the pamphlet Harm gave
her later, the 
pamphlet he saw at the hotel.  She quickly remembered
other activities of 
the evening, hardly believing that had been nearly
eight months ago.  
Florida was their last case together before Honolulu. 
They walked around 
the Shell Factory, learning more about Przystawik's
Tunzende Fontänen, 
buying some award winning fudge (she still had some
left in her 
freezer), and spending too much money at the gift
shop.  She couldn't seem to 
get enough items to remember that night by.  A tape
about the liquid 
fireworks was near her VCR, a postcard in her office,
and a shell 
necklace in her jewelry box.  Yet none seemed to stir
up the memory of the 
first time the three magical words were exchanged like
the pamphlet he 
picked up in the hotel lobby.  She gently set in it
the cardboard box and 
focused on the remaining pile before her.  When she
finished, her ears 
noted there was no music playing.  The stereo had gone
through all 
three CDs.
	"Time for new music and photos."  She rose to her
feet and marched to 
the stereo.  Removing Avril, Norah, and Ella, she
placed Dave Matthews, 
John Mayer, and Louis Armstrong in as their
replacements.  After her 
fingers pressed the silver play button she turned back
to her task only 
to be distracted by a mass of fur on her feet.
"Jingo, what is it?" she asked her dog.  The red fur
ball stood up and 
scampered away, only to return with his red leash in
his mouth.  Mac 
sighed.  "Fine boy, we'll take a quick walk."  Mac
grabbed the leash out 
of the drool and hooked it on the matching collar. 
She paused the CD, 
grabbed a black wind jacket, and headed out the door. 

The ball of fur dragged her around the block as soon
as they were on 
the first floor.  "Jingo!  Calm down boy!" she
admonished her pet.  The 
pace slowed, allowing Mac to study the area around
her.  Cars in every 
possible parking spot sparkled under the warm sun and
the scent of 
freshly cut grass attacked her senses.  A few flowers
were beginning to 
bloom and new buds appeared on the trees.  She smiled
slightly, she wasn't 
going to witness the daises and tulips bloom in
Georgetown this year.  
"You ready for springtime in Great Falls, Jingo?" she
asked her 
companion who jumped and wagged his tail in response. 
"I'll take that as a 
yes," she laughed as they headed back.  They began to
head up the stairs 
and she grumbled, the elevator was broken...again. 
"Harm and I are 
going to have fun," she said sarcastically to herself.
 
Once back inside she wasted no time getting back to
work.  Dave's 
guitar started playing again and she grabbed her
shoebox to store pictures 
in.  She only had an hour until he came by.  "Time to
dig in."  She 
sorted through the remaining items-what seemed to be
hundreds of photos.  
Sighing, she gathered them into piles to thumb though.
 Eventually she 
would find time to put them in an album.  When she
finished organizing 
them into their specific holiday, she grabbed the
first pile and began 
to look for good ones to keep.  Giggles consumed her
shortly as she saw 
her hideous makeup job and flannel pajamas.  "Oh
Chloe," she sighed.
~~~~~ 
	"Chloe, how much eye shadow are you putting on?" Mac
inquired.  Her 
eyes were closed as she faced the teenager visiting
for New Years.  Chloe 
had convinced her to play with makeup and now she felt
a fifth layer of 
some unknown color be applied to her eyelid.  Young
laughter soon 
filled the air and Mac's eyes shot open.  "What did
you do?"  Chloe laughed 
harder but didn't respond.  Mac was about to grab a
mirror when a soft 
knock distracted her.  "Coming," she sighed,
forgetting what state she 
was in.  After she opened it however, a wide-eyed yet
smiling Harm 
reminded her.
	"Now I know I'm not a woman and I don't wear makeup,
but don't you 
think that's a little much purple for your pink pjs?"
he asked with his 
flyboy grin.  Her eyes widened in horror and she ran
to the bathroom, but 
not before Chloe snapped a picture of her.
	"Chloe!" she screamed as she studied herself in the
mirror.  Mac could 
hear Chloe and Harm both laugh as she washed off her
face.  When she 
returned, Harm and Chloe were sitting at the kitchen
table.
	"Mac!  Guess what Harm brought us?  Movies and food,
what a great 
guy!" the longhaired teen exclaimed, hugging Harm.
	"Well, I guess I know the way to your heart is
through food, too, 
Chloe," he joked, earning a glare from Mac.
	"Well that and a movie with Josh Hartnett in it," she
giggled, walking 
over to the DVD player with "Pearl Harbor."  Mac
walked over to Harm's 
side.
	"What's all this?" she asked, confused by his
motives.
	"Well, I took the guess that you girls hadn't eaten
dinner yet so I 
brought over some Chinese and then ice cream for
dessert," he answered, 
avoiding her real question, if only for a minute.
	"You know that's not what I meant.  Why are you doing
this, and before 
you get defensive, no I don't want you to leave."  She
watched the man 
before her blush slightly.
	"Well, I was on the phone with Sergei, wishing him
Happy New Year, 
when he asked me why I was all alone on a Saturday
night.  I told him you 
were spending time with Chloe so I didn't really have
anyone to hang 
out with.  Then he asked why don't I go over and hang
out with both of 
you.  Not having a good response to that led me here,"
he answered.  Mac 
smiled.
	"And the food?" she asked.  Harm laughed at that.
	"You know, for Sergei not being here long, he already
knew that a good 
tactic to talk to you was to offer you food first," he
chuckled until 
he received a playful smack in the stomach.  "Hey! 
It's not my fault 
you're a garbage disposal."  Mac rolled her eyes and
grabbed some Chinese 
and a few forks from the kitchen.
	"You wouldn't have it any other way," she teased as
she walked over to 
Chloe.  Harm soon appeared beside her.
	"No I wouldn't," he whispered in her ear.  They
smiled at each other 
before turning back to the movie.
~~~~~ 
	Grinning, Mac went back to work.  If she kept this up
she'd never 
finish before Harm arrived.  She finished that pile
and picked up a few 
photos Harriet had given her copies of.  They all were
from times with AJ 
or JAG gatherings.  After finding a few that she
didn't like she found 
a picture of her and Harm on Valentine's Day, just a
few days after she 
became 'your Honor.'  Harriet and Bud had invited
Sturgis and Bobbi and 
Harm and herself out for dinner.  All she hoped for
was that there 
weren't too many jokes about her new job.
~~~~~ 
	Mac glanced over to her left where she saw her date
for the evening 
having a discussion with the father of her godson. 
Never mind the fact 
that her date was also the godfather.  Boy, did Harm
look good tonight.  
His grey suit and burgundy shirt and tie fit him
perfectly.  Oh how she 
wished this were next year.  She could hardly wait to
go halves on a 
kid with him.
	"So, Mac, think Harm looks good tonight?" asked
Bobbi, knowing full 
well that Mac had been starring at him.  Mac smiled
slightly and looked 
down at the table.
	"Yeah, I guess so," she replied weakly, trying to
downplay her 
embarrassment.
	"Oh Mac, you don't have to be embarrassed.  I think
we've all checked 
out the Commander before," said Harriet.  Mac stared
at her friend in 
shock.
	"Harriet!  You're married!" she exclaimed.  Harriet
smiled and nodded.
	"And happily too, but that doesn't mean I don't
appreciate good eye 
candy.  Although, I know he means more than that to
you," she replied.  
Mac opened her mouth to speak and then closed it.  She
couldn't lie to 
her friends anymore.
	"Much more, but things keep getting in our way before
we can change 
our friendship," she whispered.  She didn't want Harm
to hear this 
conversation.
	"I've noticed that," said Bobbi, "but don't worry, I
think this year 
is going to change both your lives forever."
	"What makes you say that?" asked Mac.  Before either
could respond a 
hand gently touched hers and she turned to face him.
	"Care to dance, your Honor?" he asked with a wink. 
She smiled softly; 
she could always handle his light teasing.  She nodded
her acceptance 
and he led her out to the dance floor.
~~~~~ 
	While neither was looking, Harriet took the picture
of them.  Mac 
could almost see the emotion in both sets of eyes
before her.  She smiled 
and continued her trip down memory lane, stopping only
once at the 
picture of her godson and of course her co-godparent.
~~~~~ 
	"Oh thank you Auntie Mac, Uncle Harm!" exclaimed the
excited 
four-year-old.  "I love it!"  Harm and Mac smiled at
each other and then little 
AJ.
	"That was the idea silly," said Mac while Harm
roughed up AJ's blond 
hair.  "And we're glad you like it."  She bent down
and hugged the young 
boy.  She could feel Harm's eyes on her as she
embraced their godson 
and wondered why he was starring.  She parted from AJ
and he leaped into 
Harm's arms.
	"Whoa there boy," Harm chuckled and he swung the
birthday boy around.  
"Want to go outside and play now?"  AJ nodded and Harm
started towards 
the door only to be stopped by Harriet.
	"Hold it, I would like a picture of my son with his
godparents and 
their gift," she said with a smile.  Harm nodded and
headed back to Mac.  
They posed with the toy jet and Marine GI Joe for a
minute and then 
Harm and AJ were out the door.  Mac smiled to Harriet.
	"You want me to take care of cleaning up?  You really
should be 
resting in your state," she asked her very pregnant
friend.
	"That would be great, thanks," she replied before
heading back to her 
couch.  Mac silently watched Harm play on the swing
set with AJ for a 
few seconds before collecting dishes.  She was so
focused she didn't 
hear the glass door slide open.
	"Let me help you with that," Harm said from behind
her and grabbed 
some paper plates and cups.  She smiled at him as they
finished cleaning.
	"Thanks."  There was a moment of silence between the
two before Mac 
spoke again.  "Why were you staring at me when I
hugged AJ?" she asked.  
Harm smiled slightly as a soft pink hue appeared on
his cheeks.  "Did I 
just make the mighty Harmon Rabb blush?"
	"I was watching you the same way you watch me with
him," he started, 
ignoring her last comment.  "And for probably the same
reason."  Mac 
raised an eyebrow.
	"Oh really and what would that be?" she asked,
inching closer to him 
as he did the same.
	"Imagining how the other is going to act with our
child in about a 
year and nine months," he whispered.  Mac held in a
breath, how did he 
figure that so easily?  "Or, if I have my way, our
children," he finished.  
At this Mac's jaw dropped.  "You heard me," he said
with a smile and 
walked back outside, leaving her stunned.
~~~~~ 
	That day had really been the start.  Their friendship
grew even 
stronger and they began to move towards romance.  Of
course there were the 
few days that really reinforced the whole thing.  Like
the date with the 
steersman and the Redskins game.  But AJ's birthday
party was the first 
time Harm had ever verbalized his possible feelings,
something she'd 
never forget.  She continued her search through her
photos with hopes of 
finishing soon.  She really needed to stop distracting
herself.  "Keep 
focused MacKenzie," she scolded herself.  She grabbed
the next pile and 
was somewhat relived when nothing caused her to
flashback to last year.  
She smiled at fireworks photos and pictures of Bobbi
and Sturgis 
grilling side-by-side.  She sensed the wedding bells
in their future.  There 
were photos of her and baby Hannah, the latest to join
the JAG family.  
She looked just like Harriet except she had Bud's
black hair.  She 
finished that pile and was relieved to see there were
only two more left, 
Halloween and Christmas.  Memories of the Roberts'
costume party soon 
filled her head as she looked at the photos.  Boy had
Harm and she 
confused the rest.
~~~~~ 
	"Happy Halloween, Sir, Ma'am," said Bud as he opened
the door in a 
cheetah print costume and blue tie.  Their friend was
dressed as Fred 
Flintstone and Mac couldn't help but laugh.
	"Happy Halloween Fred," she giggled as they entered
the house.  
"Where's Wilma?"  Harm glanced at her, trying to scold
her but his eyes gave 
him away.
	"Right here Ma'am," replied Harriet, walking up to
Bud's side with 
Hannah as Pebbles in her arms.  Harm and Mac both
smiled.  Her white dress 
and red wig were great and Pebbles matching cheetah
costume with a 
barrette that resembled a bone in her hair were
adorable.
	"I never knew Wilma was so hot," commented Harm as he
bent down to 
kiss Harriet on her cheek and take Hannah.  "Not to
mention Pebbles," he 
tickled the baby who made a few noises.  Mac smiled at
the sight before 
her and then turned to Harriet.
	"Is AJ Bam Bam?" she asked.  As if on queue the
little boy came 
running into the room with a fake club and fur wrapped
around him.  "I'll 
take that as a yes," she answered herself as she bent
down to the boy.  
"Hey there Bam Bam," she said, roughing up his hair. 
AJ smiled and 
hugged her.
	"Hey Auntie Mac, who are you?" he asked.  Everyone
seemed to converge 
around them at that moment.
	"Yeah, what are you two supposed to be?" asked
Sturgis a.k.a. James 
Dean, wearing jeans and a leather jacket.   Bobbi, or
Marilyn Manroe, in 
her sexy white dress was at his side.  Harm and Mac
glanced at each 
other.
	"I told you nobody would get it," he said.  She
shrugged and smiled.
	"We'll just have to educate them," she said to her
"partner" before 
turning to the crowd.  "We're Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid."  
Everyone seemed to slowly nod and they studied their
costumes once more.  
Harm was in a navy blue suit with a pale yellow shirt
and a red checkered 
tie.  A matching cowboy hat rested on his head.  Mac
was wearing a navy 
jacket with a matching vest.  She shirt was white to
go with the blue 
tie.  Her pants were gray and there were holsters with
water guns 
strapped to her legs.  A gold pocket watch and gray
hat completed the outfit.
	"Nicely done," commented Meredith who was in a genie
outfit.  Her arm 
was wrapped around the Admiral's who was in his
uniform.  They had to 
be Major Nelson and Genie.  "My only question is why
did you two pick 
this?"  Harm and Mac smiled, remembering their time in
Afghanistan.
	"Let's just say that when you're all alone in the
rugged land of 
Afghanistan you tend to talk about some interesting
topics.  One of ours led 
us to Butch and Sundance," replied Harm.  Mac giggled,
knowing he 
didn't want to tell them that they were talking about
death.
	"Okay, works for me," said AJ, purposely swaying the
conversation from 
that.  Mac smiled, he probably really didn't want to
know what his two 
senior officers were doing in Afghanistan over a year
ago.
~~~~~ 
	Mac smiled, remembering how Sturgis and Harriet kept
trying to get 
more information out of her and Harm that night. 
Eventually they just got 
tired of the questions and Mac told them about the
conversation that 
led to going out in a blaze of glory and how Harm
killed the conversation 
with his cremation jokes.  The looks on their faces
were priceless and 
Harm couldn't stop from laughing.  That was definitely
not what they 
were expecting to hear.
	Finally, Mac grabbed her last pile of Christmas
photos.  Her new 
favorite holiday.  For years she almost dreaded it
because she was always 
alone.  Harm officially changed that with this
Christmas.  She dug 
through the photos until she found the photo of the
two of them under the 
mistletoe at Bud and Harriet's, where it all started.
~~~~~ 
	"Harm, Mac, freeze," ordered Bobbi.  The two both
looked at her oddly 
when she pointed up.  Both sets of eyes looked above
their heads to see 
a small bundle of green hanging over them.  Harm
chuckled softly.
	"This isn't an awkward moment anymore, is it?" he
teased, remembering 
the last time under the mistletoe.  Mac grinned and
shook her head.
	"No way," she replied, wrapping her arms around his
neck and pulling 
him in for the kiss.  They shared a brief yet
passionate kiss before 
Harm pulled away, but not before the host snatched a
photo of them.
	"Don't worry, we'll have time for more of that
later," he whispered in 
her ear causing her to blush.  He guided her into the
living room.  
After a few hours of pleasant conversation and dinner
with the rest of the 
JAG crew, Harm got ready to go to the wall.  She was
expecting Tiner to 
give her a ride home when Harm showed up with her
coat.
	"Why do you have my coat?" she asked as she put it
on.  Harm smiled.
	"I think it's about time you came and met my dad," he
replied.  She 
smiled slightly and nodded.  They bid goodbye to
everyone and were soon 
before Harmon Rabb, Sr. at the Vietnam Wall.  "Hey
Dad, I brought 
someone special with me tonight.  I'd like to
introduce you to Lt. Colonel 
Sarah MacKenzie.  She was my partner at JAG and is the
love of my life."  
Mac patted Harm on his shoulder and lightly touched
the name.
	"It's a pleasure to meet you Sir.  You have a great
son here, and I 
love him with all my heart.  I promise to take good
care of him for you, 
you know, keep his six out of trouble," she smiled at
the wall.  Harm 
slightly chuckled wrapped his arms around her.
	"Yes you will," he whispered and kissed her neck. 
"Mac, the reason I 
brought you here was twofold."  Mac turned to face her
boyfriend.  "One 
was so my father could meet you.  I thought he might
like to meet the 
woman I was about to ask an important question to. 
Which brings me to 
the other reason," Harm said.  He bent down on one
knee and pulled out a 
red velvet box.  "Sarah, you are the love of my life. 
Without you I'm 
incomplete.  You're my soul mate and I couldn't
imagine my life without 
you by my side.  Will you do me the honor of becoming
my wife?"  He 
opened to box to display a simple yet beautiful
diamond ring.  Mac gasped 
at the sight before her, stunned.
	"Yes, yes of course I'll marry you!" she exclaimed. 
Her favorite 
smile was before her as he slipped the ring on her
finger.  "I love you 
Harm," she whispered as his mouth descended upon hers.
 Small snowflakes 
fell in their hair as their mouths danced until the
need for air became 
too great.  They both pulled apart and he rested his
forehead on hers.
	"I love you too," he whispered when his breathing was
somewhat normal.  
"I don't think my dad was expecting to see his son
make out," he 
chuckled and Mac laughed.  "Merry Christmas Mac."
	"Merry Christmas Harm."
~~~~~ 
	A few tears fell from Mac's eyes as she remembered
that beautiful 
moment.  It was easily the best one of the year.  She
starred down at the 
ring on her left hand with a smile.  He told her later
that it was a 
family heirloom.  His grandfather had given it to
Grandma Sarah and his 
dad had given it to his mom.  It was only given to the
women the Rabb men 
knew beyond a doubt they wanted to spend the rest of
their lives with.  
Sometimes she still couldn't believe any of the last
year had happened.  
But when she looked down at her hand and saw the
sparkling diamond she 
knew it was real.
	A knock at her door ripped her from her thoughts. 
She wiped her eyes 
and headed to the door.  "Hey Harm," she said as she
opened the door.  
Her fiancée smiled and pulled her into a quick kiss
before he noticed 
the slight dampness on her cheeks.
	"Mac, honey, are you okay?" he asked with concern. 
She smiled and 
nodded.
	"I'm perfect, just happy tears.  I was going though
some things today 
that reminded me of the past year.  Sometimes it seems
like a dream," 
she replied, placing her arms around his neck.
	"I know what you mean.  But its no dream, baby," he
whispered before 
kissing her again.  When they pulled apart he spoke
once more.  "You all 
packed?"
	"Almost, let me finish with these photos and tape up
these boxes and 
I'm set.  Maybe you could take these trash bags to the
dumpster 
downstairs?"
	"No problem, the gang should be here with the moving
truck in a few 
minutes," he replied and grabbed the bags.  She placed
the Christmas 
photos in her shoebox and set it in the brown box with
all the other 
memories.  She smiled as she looked over the items
once more.  Paper scraps 
to books to toys to pictures were all before her, each
holding a special 
place in her heart.  She sighed and grabbed the brown
packing tape and 
secured the box shut.  She picked it up and set it
with the others by 
her wall.  Then she realized she was still in her
lounge clothes.
"I need to change!" she exclaimed and ran into her
bare bedroom.  All 
that remained was her few things of luggage with her
clothes, her 
mattress, and her empty dresser.  Quickly she changed
out of her tank top and 
boxers and pulled on a pair of jean shorts and a
Marine Corps tee 
shirt.  She tossed the rest into her bag and zipped it
up.  "That's 
everything," she said to herself as she studied her
room.  Leaving her bedroom 
she headed to her stereo and turned off Louis, placing
all the men in 
their cases and in the box at her feet.  "Let me help
you with that," 
said Harm as he walked through the door.  She nodded
and soon they had 
her stereo packed.
	"Knock, knock," said Sturgis from the door.  Both
looked up and 
smiled.
	"Hey guys," said Mac, acknowledging Bobbi, AJ, Jason,
and Harriet.  
They knew Bud had stayed with the kids.  "Thanks for
helping again," she 
continued.
	"No thanks needed Mac," said AJ.  "I couldn't be
happier moving your 
belongs under these circumstances."  Everyone laughed
slightly.  "Let's 
get to work people."  All nodded and grabbed boxes
from around the 
apartment and moved them downstairs.  Next the men
worked on the furniture 
while the girls finished the boxes.  After about an
hour everything was 
packed into the moving van or cars and ready to go to
their new home, 
just down the street from Bud and Harriet.
	"Time to say goodbye to this place Jingo," said Mac
as she sat in the 
middle of her bare floor with her dog.  A part of her
was really going 
to miss this apartment.  Of course a bigger part of
her couldn't wait 
to move all her stuff into her and Harm's new house. 
They wanted to get 
settled in before their wedding next month.  Bud and
Harriet were 
confused as to why they wanted to be married on AJ's
fifth birthday but 
didn't question them.  She told Harm they should
change it but as always he 
won.  He had a promise to keep, he said.  Mac sighed
softly as she 
stood up and took one last glance.  She may miss this
place but she 
couldn't wait to do her spring cleaning in Great Falls
next year.

The End