TITLE: "Starting Again XI-Water Color Memories" AUTHORS: Anne R. and Pat Steiner SUMMARY: The eleventh in the Starting Again series of post-Adrift stories, in which Harm and Mac, now formally engaged, travel to Australia. Rated PG for mild language and violence. DISCLAIMER: JAG belongs to Paramount, CBS, et al. No copyright is intended with this work of entertainment only. FEEDBACK: Certainly not required but loved if you would like to express your enjoyment. If our work does not appeal to you for any reason-we have no problem with that, but please, no need to share that with us. Feedback addy is SSbpMN@aol.com NOTE: All parts of this story will be available at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnniePatJAGstories. No subbing is required to read from the message archives. Also, previous chapters, as well as our other efforts, should be available at: http://thearchive.mine.nu:85/exlibris/ or the Harm-Mac shipper archive at- http://www.shipperarchive.com/fanfic “Starting Again XI-Water Color Memories” 18 Feb 02 "Harm you OK?" Mac leaned casually in his doorway watching him concentrate on his computer, something he did when he was deep in thought. "Yeah I am. Of course I am. I mean why wouldn't I be. Justice was served." "You didn't say a word the whole way back from the hearing," she reminded him gently. "Harm she's going to get help. But she also murdered Joseph Forrest." "And she might have killed you," he sighed. "Meg Austin a murderer. I never in my wildest imagination would have thought that. She was always a little flighty and unpredictable, but I just chalked it up to inexperience and youth." Mac closed the door and walked to the deskside chair. "Like I said she's getting help." "Well that may be, but she came to me for help and I sent her away." Irritably he slammed his pen down. "Mac, Forrest might still be alive if I had paid her more attention, but I was too busy protecting us--you and me, what we have." "That's not so wrong is it?" she asked gently. "Remember too I reacted badly to her appearance so I could bear my own blame there." He nodded silently, setting his eyes on his fiancée, seeing her twisting the ring absently. "I guess that the Rabb save the world complex coming out. I can't help but think I could have helped her." "Harm you heard the testimony," she went on, reaching for his hand. "And the diagnosis. She's in a locked ward where she can't hurt any one else or herself. Let it go." "Yeah I need to," he nodded and squeezed her hand hard, the first smile of the day crossing his features. "God Sarah when I think how you might have died in that explosion. In fact I should be on my knees thanking the Man Upstairs for watching over you and not worrying about Meg's fate. Of course if she had killed you, she wouldn't need to be worrying about it either." "I love you," she said softly, taking his finger and pressing it against her ring. "And in three months like Grams said, when the fields around her place are filled with wildflowers, I'm going to become Mrs. Harmon David Rabb Junior." "Yes you are," he grinned happily, shaking off his mood. "Yes you are." Her gaze drifted out the window and she recognized AJ's car pulling up to the guard shack. "I don't suppose you have any idea why we're being summoned by the Admiral? I see he's back." "Not a clue." He shook his head, "but then I've been pretty involved in brooding here. By the way, I love you too." "Pool on how long it will be before that phone rings," she smiled, blushing slightly under his loving words. Ten minutes later they were in AJ's office, and saw that he had a visitor. "Colonel Sarah Mackenzie, Commander Harmon Rabb, this is Commander Nigel Pierce, RAN in case you'd forgotten what the uniform looked like." "No sir," Harm spoke up, offering his hand. "Pleasure, Commander." Mac shook hands as well, flushing slightly when his gaze passed over her, an action not missed by Harm. "Sit down people," AJ motioned. "Commander Pierce was at the Pentagon this morning on another matter, and then when we had tea. . .uh lunch. . .we were talking. He's the RAN liaison with the US Navy on the officer exchange program. This would be the same program that sent us Commander Brumby you might recall." "How could I forget," Harm mumbled, more loudly than he intended and earning him AJ's glare. "Seems we have a bit of a sticky wicket," Nigel spoke up. "Your Navy has sent a Lieutenant Pamela Westfall to our Sydney headquarters. She has filed sexual harassment charges. Needless to say this can cause great embarrassment to both Navy's. Not to mention termination of a very worthwhile program." Harm and Mac nodded thoughtfully. "You think she's got a case?" Mac asked. "I think she may well have yes," Nigel responded. "Or not." "Spoken like a lawyer," Harm grinned. "Which I am not," Nigel replied. "It comes down to his word and her word. But the Admiral is extremely upset and has given me a backchannel for your Admiral with a copy to your Naval Secretary." "And your Admiral spent the hour before he arrived here hearing from that Secretary," AJ sighed. "Bottom line, you two need to pack." "Well there's worse places we could go in February" Harm said as they made their way back to his office. "At least it will be warm." "Shall I pack my bikini?" Mac grinned. "Please do" Harm grinned back. "I'm sure we won't be working all the time. Besides after everything that happened with Meg you deserve some down time." "Speaking of ex's, I wonder if Mic will be around." "Maybe I should tell the Admiral I'll handle this one alone" Harm said slowly, suddenly not liking the idea of Mac and Mic together again. "In case you forgot, I'm engaged to you now" she said as she wrapped her arms around him. "And there's no reason why you should worry about us running into Mic." "Who said I was worried" he retorted. "Hey, ease up there sailor. I love you remember." "I know" he sighed as she let go of him. "But after Meg the last thing I need is to see Mic now." "Well who says we'll even see him. He's probably off on some ship somewhere." "We can hope right," Harm said with a hint of a smile. "Come on sailor. You heard the Admiral. We've got some bags to pack." "I love you Sarah," he said as reached for her, drawing her into his arms. "Please don’t forget that." "Like I ever would," she said softly. "I love you Rabb. No one else. Don't you forget that." "Just keep reminding me of that when we get to Australia" Harm sighed. "If that's what it takes, I'll be happy to. And remember I'm wearing your ring now." "We need to set a wedding date," he said suddenly. "So we can start making plans." "Well we'll have eighteen hours to think about it on the flight to Sydney" she smiled. "I think we should be able to come up with a date then." "Good. Well then I guess we should get going." Four hours later they boarded the Qantas flight bound for Sydney. "You going to be okay on this long of a flight?" Mac asked as they settled into their seats. "I've still got your hand to hold onto right?" he said with a small smile. "Always. And anything else you need." "I'll be okay as long as the takeoff and the landing is smooth" he assured her. He squeezed her hand during takeoff but relaxed once they were in the air. "So what day sounds like a good wedding date?" Mac asked as she pulled out her pocket calendar. "Well we want it to be warm enough to have it outside right? So some time in late April or early May maybe? Even though that sounds like so far away." "That would work. How about the first weekend in May?" "Ten weeks away" he said as he counted the weeks. "Is that enough time for you to get everything together." "Well since we're not planning the wedding of the century like Mic was, I think we'll be fine" she smiled. "Harm, I really want this to be simple. Just you and me and our closest friends and family." "Sounds perfect to me. When we get back from Sydney we'll take a weekend and go up to Grams and let her know what we're planning. You know she'll help with anything you need." "I know. And I'm sure Harriet will be happy to help as well." "So May 4th is the date" he prodded. "Sure, that works. Is there any particular reason you wanted a date set right this minute." "No. It's just that we've been engaged since Christmas and it's time to start making solid plans." "Doesn't have anything to do with the fact that we might run into Mic while we're in Sydney does it?" she prodded. "Maybe. But you know I've wanted to set a date. Especially after I almost lost you." He shuddered slightly at the memory of what might have happened that day and she gently squeezed his hand. "You didn't lose me and you're not going to lose me for a long time" she said softly. "I love you Harmon Rabb. And on May 4th, my dream is going to come true." "How do you put up with me?" he sighed as he drew her closer to him. "Very easy. I love you and I've almost lost you more times than I care to think about." "We've had a colorful time of it," he agreed. "But some of those times weren't all that close when you look back on them. "Not to mention, I've almost lost you a few times too. Enough to make me wake up in a cold sweat sometimes." She squeezed his hand hard and pressed her head against his shoulder as she drew her fingertips along his cheek. "Hey you and I are fated to be together for a long time yet." Her eyes closed as she grew sleepy from the warmth of his arm around her and the steady rhythm of the engines. "Our baby boy waits in heaven," she murmured just before she fell heavily onto his shoulder, dreaming of the promise of new life that Harmon Rabb Sr. had made to her that awful night in Bremerton. "What? What did you say?" he hissed but received no response. "That's a conversation we're going to have again that's for damn sure." Shortly he followed her into sleep, his hand tightly wrapped around hers. The alarm bell echoed long and loud in her head as people flocked around his bed. The young intern she would later know as Scotty was once again feverishly shouting orders. A team of people franticly trying to restore breathing and heart rhythm to a body that seemed to want neither. "Rabb damn you. I'm not losing a patient today you hear me." She could hear Scotty's voice as plainly as if she was back in that hospital room. "Clear." << She felt the pain of the charge just as she had on that awful day, a red hot branding iron hitting her chest in two places and she jumped in the airline seat, giving a sharp cry of pain. It brought Harm awake at once and he bent over her. "Mac are you OK? Are you hurting? Sarah honey wake up." The flight attendant heard her from a few rows down the aisle and hurried to her side. "Sir, what's wrong with her? Is she having some kind of medical problem?" "My God I don't know," Harm gasped in panic. "She was fine. She fell asleep, so did I. That's all I know. Now she's in pain and I can't wake her up." "Nothing. Again." Scotty ordered along with another blur of shouted instructions. The paddles were prepped and applied, the jolt stronger this time.<< Mac's cry was stronger too and she began to thrash on the seat, now moaning loudly, her eyes tightly closed. "I'm going to find out if we have a doctor aboard," the attendant told Harm, her own alarm obvious. For Harm, he had passed alarm a while back and was heading for full- out panic as he tried to hold her and wake her at the same time. The other passengers fell silent and her moans filled the cabin. "Dammit. Nothing still." Her hand was on his forehead now. "Harm I'm here. Don't you give up Sailor. I haven't. You and I have too much ground we haven't covered yet. I'm not letting you walk out of my life this easily. Now you've got exactly five seconds to make these monitors move before I make a scene that isn't going to be pretty." "Clear. One last one."<< Mac's scream of pain as the electricity hit was heard throughout the plane, and greeted by dead silence as the passengers held their collective breaths. "No. Time of death. . ." "HARM".<< Never before had the hospital been witness to such a scream; likewise never in the history of a Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd. (QANTAS) flight had such a scream echoed from the cabin walls. "I've got a pulse and BP."<< The nurse's voice had calmed her then and hearing it in her head calmed her now. Her eyes opened slowly, her ears being assaulted with Harm's desperate pleas for her to wake up and to be all right. "Harm?" Her voice was barely audible and she began to tremble, shivering from the chills passing through her body. "Harm?" "Right here honey" he whispered as his arms wrapped around her at once. "I'm right here." "I was there again" she whispered. "You were dying and I was watching it all over again." "Shh, it's over now. It was just a nightmare. I'm right here and I'm fine. I'm never going to leave you Sarah. Never." His arms tightened around her as she sobbed softly and Harm cursed himself for all the pain he'd put her through. "Sir, I've found a nurse on board" the flight attendant said as she pointed to the older woman coming forward. "I think she's going to be okay," Harm said softly as he looked up at the two women. "But maybe it wouldn't hurt just to have you make sure." "Harm, I'm okay" Mac murmured as she raised her head from his chest. "It was just a really bad nightmare." "I know but I can feel your heart racing and I'd just like to make sure you're not going to pass out on me or anything like that. So we're going to let this nice young woman take a quick look at you." "I'm Sally by the way" the woman smiled. "Harm and this is Mac." "Really I'm okay," Mac said softly. "I'm sorry for causing such a commotion." "It's okay. And as long as I'm here, I can just check your pulse and maybe that way this handsome young man of yours won't have a heart attack himself worrying about you." "Thank you" Harm smiled. "How long have you two been engaged?" Sally asked as she held Mac's wrist while she checked her pulse. "Since Christmas" Harm supplied. "So when's the wedding?" she asked. "We were just deciding that earlier," Mac said with a small smile. "I think we decided on the beginning of May." "Is she okay?" Harm asked as Sally let go of Mac's wrist. "She's fine. Already starting to calm down." "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" Mac whispered as she dropped her head against Harm's shoulder again. "I don't know why that happened I haven't thought about that night in a long time." "Something traumatic that happened in the past dear?" Sally asked and Mac nodded. "Just almost losing him" Mac whispered as she burrowed closer against Harm. "It's over now sweetie," he said softly as he hugged her closer. "And thank you for coming over. I worry about her a lot." "Just glad it wasn't anything serious" Sally smiled. "You sure you're okay?" Harm asked when they were alone again. "You really scared me there for a minute." "As long as you keep holding me I'll be fine" she sighed. "I just need to feel your arms around me." The rest of the flight passed without incident, Harm somehow managing to stay awake for the rest of it for fear Mac would wake up screaming again. "Honey we're here" he said as he gently shook her awake. "Did I fall asleep again?" she murmured as she opened her eyes to look up at him. "Yeah and at least this time it was a peaceful sleep" he smiled. "You didn't sleep did you?" she asked as she noticed the lines of fatigue on his face. "I was more worried about you," he said softly. "And I'll catch up on sleep later. Making sure you were okay was far more important to me than a few hours sleep." They were met at the gate by a RAN representative and taken to their hotel to freshen up before their meeting with the Commodore. "You are never going to make it through our meeting with Commodore Walker" Mac fretted. "I'll be fine" he assured her. "We're just having a quick meeting with him. I promise when we get back here I'll get some sleep." "All right, but I'm holding you to that." An hour later they arrived at RAN headquarters and were shown into Commodore Walker's office. "I appreciate you two coming so quickly. This is something I want to get taken care of before it ruins the relations between our two Navies." "That's why we're here sir. But Admiral Chegwidden didn't have many details for us when we left." "Well I've got all the information for you" the Commodore said as he handed them the file. "This is the file. I hope you can come to the bottom of this. Commander Brumby has an excellent record and I hate to see an accusation like this ruin his career." "I don't suppose there could be two of them," Harm gasped, hearing Mac's own gasp of shock. "Two what?" "Two RAN officers named Brumby? Like maybe this guy's first name is Joe? Joseph Brumby?" Harm answered sheepishly. "Michael James Brumby," Walker replied. "Are you familiar with the officer?" "Oh yeah, much more than I want to be." Mac poked his arm and glared, having recovered from her surprise. "Commodore we knew Commander Brumby when he was in Washington on his exchange assignment. And to be perfectly honest he and I had a relationship. We were in fact planning a wedding." "You were hours away from being man and wife," Harm growled. "OK I'm sorry. Commodore I'm tired and crabby. Forgive my impertinence. That was a bad period in my life--and culminated in the very unpleasant experience of a punch out over the Atlantic." "In which he almost died," Mac sighed, her thoughts returning to the nightmare she had on the plane. She had not had that one for a few months, though the first couple of weeks after the crash it had been a frequent visitor to her dreams. "Back to the subject at hand," Walker urged. "Colonel will you be able to handle the investigation objectively? How did you and Commander Brumby part? Was it on good terms?" "No I hurt him badly," she admitted honestly, "but it is past and done and I bear him no ill will." Walker nodded and looked to Harm. "I gather this man is not on your ten most liked people list?" "No he's not, but I'm perfectly capable of objectivity," Harm snapped, feeling the headache that had been threatening roar to life. He pressed his fingers to his eyes and Mac at once got to her feet. "Thank you Commodore," she said firmly. "And I know you'll understand if we plead terminal jetlag here and ask if we might start fresh in the morning." At the same time she put a firm hand under Harm's arm and pulled him to his feet. "Of course. Why don't we meet in the morning for breakfast and I'll take you 'round to Mr. Brumby's office. About 0800?" With that agreed to, Mac shepherded Harm out the door and into a waiting taxi. As soon as they were seated Harm leaned his head back against the seat and she stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry." "What in the hell for," he hissed. "Not your fault we have to deal with him, though who would have ever thought with him being thousands of miles away, we would have had to deal with him again." "It is my fault that he became so intertwined in my life, and because of that, yours," she sighed. "But this ring I'm wearing is proof to everyone--him included--whom I'm in love with and with whom I want to be, and that man's name is not Brumby." "You once wore his ring," he pointed out stubbornly. "I was a fool," she returned quietly. "No other explanation comes close to making any sense. I was turned down by the man I wanted, the man I had been in love with forever, and I foolishly let a night with Mic make me push all those feelings aside." "Doesn't matter any more anyway," he lied. And she saw through that at once. "You're a lying sack of you know what," she scolded. "But right now all that's important is getting you back to our room and some rest for you before you fall on your face." "I'm really OK," he protested weakly, nevertheless not pulling away when she pressed his head down to his shoulder. ========= SYDNEY HILTON "Naptime mister," she ordered. "Strip and under those covers. Then maybe I'll let you take me to a late supper and a walk by the water." "I can live with that," he smiled. "But only if you're joining me for that nap." "Of course I am." She began to help him off with his clothes and he started to return the gesture when she realized where his thinking was leading. "No way Superman. This is a resting nap." "Maybe when we wake up?" The hopeful look on his face made her smile and shake her head. "Yeah maybe." "We have to keep trying for that baby." "Well the baby is promised," she sighed, her hand on her belly. "Mac?" His look of astonishment and wonder touched her heart and he grabbed hold of her at once. "Down boy not yet," she laughed. "But soon. I'm not even sure exactly how I know. But soon." Satisfied with that, he slipped off her sweater and at the same time playfully grabbed her side to tickle her. "Ow stop," she screeched almost at once, her face contorting and her hand shoving him away as the pain shot through her. "Mac for Godsake you're scaring me to death. What's wrong?" Silently she touched the area on her chest that would correspond to the place on her side and she shook her head in dismissal. "No it's OK really. I think I must just have pulled something when I was thrashing in the seat. I'm fine. Just sore there." "Sure?" "Yeah, it's just off limits for tickling. I'm fine really." What she did not share with him was that both places that were sore to the touch burned as well. The burning of electrode paddles as they zapped life back into a dying body. With her nightmare, she had shared the pain he had felt on that night, another thread in the connection between them. "You're still going to lay down with me right?" he asked. "I promise not to do that again." "Of course" she smiled, forcing out the bad thoughts. "Come on." It was dark when she woke a few hours later, Harm still sleeping next to her. She reached a gentle finger to his face, gently tracing the face of the man she loved so much. "Hi" he murmured as he stirred with her touch. "Hi yourself" she smiled. "How you doing?" "More awake than I was a few hours ago" he sighed. "How about you? You ready for that late dinner?" "You have to ask?" she grinned. They had dinner in the hotel restaurant before wandering down to the beach. The warm night air was a welcome change from the cold of DC and they walked slowly along the shore. "You know if it weren't for the fact that we have to see Brumby this would be perfect" Harm sighed. "I still can't believe he's the one we're investigating. Course it doesn't surprise me much." "Harm you said you'd be objective" Mac reminded him. "Come on Mac. From the minute he got to JAG he was all over you. Not literally but you know what I mean." "He was a little pushy sometimes," Mac admitted. "And once you were gone I guess I encouraged him even more. And maybe another woman would construe what he did as harassment but I just considered it more of annoyance than anything." "Well Lt. Westfall obviously found him to be more than annoying" Harm sighed. "I just hope we can get this wrapped up quickly so we can go back home." "We will. I just hope you and Mic don’t get at each other again. I have no idea what he's going to be like when he sees we're together. He knew when he left why it was over but I don't know if he's accepted it." "As long as he keeps his distance we'll be fine" Harm assured her. "But if he starts anything, you know I won't back down." "And that's what I'm afraid of" she sighed. "Can we drop the subject of Mic Brumby for now? I'm on a beautiful beach with the beautiful woman I love and I'd rather not think about him right now." "What would you like to think about?" Mac smiled. "This" Harm whispered as he stopped walking and pulled her into his arms, his lips finding hers in a long and passionate kiss. "Much better topic" she whispered when they parted. "Maybe we should finish this conversation back up in the room" Harm smiled. "Can we walk a little longer?" Mac asked. "It's so nice out here and when we get back to DC we're going to miss this." "Of course" he said with another quick kiss. "I love you Sarah Mackenzie. And I can't wait for the day when you become Sarah Rabb." "Me neither" she sighed happily. ************ RAN HQ's Next Morning "You ready for this?" Harm asked as they waited for Commodore Walker to take them to Mic's office. "As ready as I'll ever be" she said quietly. "Commander, Colonel if you'll follow me" Commodore Walked said as he walked out of his office. With a long look at each other they followed him, walking into Mic's office a few seconds later. "Commander, I believe you know Commander Rabb and Colonel Mackenzie," the Commodore said as he ushered them into the office. "I should have known you two would be the one's to come down here" Mic said as he glared at them. "Hello Mic" Mac said calmly. "And we were assigned to this without knowing who the accused was." "I'm sure" Mic scoffed. "Commander Brumby we'd like to get this little incident taken care of as soon as possible" Commodore Walked interrupted. "And that means you will cooperate with the Commander and the Colonel. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes sir" Mic said quickly. "Good. If you two need anything, please let me know. In the meantime, Commander Brumby will be happy to explain his side of the story." "Thank you sir" Harm replied as the man walked out. "So how have you been Sarah?" Mic asked, ignoring Harm for the moment. "Fine Mic. You?" "Fine until Lieutenant Westfall made these ridiculous accusations." "Just how ridiculous are they?" Harm spoke up. "You're loving this aren't you?" Mic said as he looked over at Harm. "Contrary to what you think Mic, we're simply here to find out the truth" Harm sighed. "Whatever truth that may be." "Mic why don't you tell us about your working relationship with Lieutenant Westfall" Mac said as she pulled out her legal pad. It was then that Mic caught sight of the ring on her left hand. "I guess I don't have to ask who the lucky guy is" Mic smirked. "You finally got what you wanted Rabb didn't you?" "Mic could we stick to the matter at hand here," Mac begged, trying to ease what was already becoming a tense situation. "When did you get the ring on her finger?" Mic demanded, ignoring Mac's plea, and suddenly his face split into a half grin. "Hey did he knock you up luv?" That comment was regretted a second later as two hundred pounds of Naval Commander jerked the more slightly built Australian to his feet, his hands dangerously close to his throat. "I'm going to say this once," Harm hissed. "You are first of all addressing a superior officer. Second, you will keep a civil tongue in your head or I will personally file insubordination charges to add to the rest of this mess, which by the way if you're guilty I intend to see you cashiered out. Thirdly, you and I didn't finish what we started a long time ago. . ." "At ease both of you," Mac all but screamed. "Harm turn him loose and sit down. Mic this conversation will be limited to the case. Which as Harm has indicated, could have serious consequences for you. Now you've got our full attention. This would be your chance to tell your story. Be a smart officer and do just that." Mic looked to Harm and Mac, then back to Harm, their faces still but an inch apart. "This is not over Rabb," he mouthed so that Mac could not hear. Harm shot him a long glare and released his hold, pushing Mic back into the chair. "Commander Brumby, answer the Colonel's questions. You do have a side to tell I assume." "You're damn right I do mate," he growled. "This woman, Pamela, has hated me since the day she walked into the office. I'm the XO of legal affairs here, which you know by reading the file, and she arrived to clerk. We sent San Diego a mighty good man in her stead and I wasn't real pleased but I was determined to make the best of it. Unfortunately, the paper work that came with her, painting glowing terms of her abilities, was very overstated. She required hours of counseling and training." "And you took personal charge of this yourself?" Mac asked. "I did." "And she took exception to having her abilities questioned, especially as would be reflected on her fit-rep?" "She may have. I really didn't concern myself with her reaction to my directives," Mic replied, making a supreme effort to keep his answers civil. "I just know that a very competent individual was taken from me and I was sent this little snip who thought she knew everything. She was here to learn--that's the purpose of the exchange program, to learn other ways and she was totally unreceptive." "Gee I recall a lieutenant commander coming to JAG about three years ago who would have fit that rap too," Harm murmured. "My God Mic you of all people should have cut her a little slack. She was in a strange country among strangers, trying to make her way in a new office environment." "Do I look like the Ladies Aid Society here," he spat. "Excuse me Commander. I thought she was here to work." "What's the bottom line here Mic," Mac asked impatiently. "You were unhappy with her efforts and told her it was going to reflect badly on her fit-rep? And then things got ugly." "Yes basically," Mic nodded. "She was useless in the office." "And useless in your bed?" Harm demanded. "That sir was out of line," Mic screeched, his eyes flashing. "Yes it was Commander" Mac glared at Harm. "If you can't handle this Commander, maybe you should excuse yourself." Harm said nothing as he glared at Mic, who suddenly looked very smug. With a long sigh he stood up, giving Mac a long look as well. "If you'll point me in the direction of the break room, I'm going to go get some coffee and let you two discuss the case." "Down the hall and to the right" Mic replied. "Harm you don't have to leave" Mac said quietly. "No I think at this point it might better if I just left for a while. When you're finished, find me and we'll both go talk to Lt. Westfall." He walked out of Mic's office and headed in the direction Mic had directed him. He found the break room and grabbed a large cup of coffee. He knew part of his irritability was due to the jetlag and lack of sleep but at the same time Mic Brumby had a way of pushing his buttons. "Harm" He whirled around at the sound of Mac's soft voice, not expecting her to have followed him. "I thought you were talking to Mic," he said quietly. "I wanted to make sure you were okay first," she said as she walked over to him. "What is it about that man" Harm sighed. "I don't know. I just know you two have been like that since the day you met. I'm just afraid of what's going to happen one day if you two ever get at it again." "Well he'll be the one starting it. But if he starts it, I'm finishing it this time." "Okay, can we just calm down" she begged. "Look, why don't you go talk to Lt. Westfall while I talk to Mic." "Is that what you want? To be alone with Mic?" The words came out before he could stop them and if he had slapped her she wouldn't have been more surprised. "Oh god Mac, I'm sorry" he whispered. "I didn't mean that. It's the jetlag talking here. Not me." "I'm going to go finish interviewing Mic," she said quietly. "When I'm done I'll come and find you and the Lt." "Mac" Harm started. "Save it Commander" she snapped as she walked out of the break room. "Great Rabb, just great" he moaned to himself. "Why can't you keep your big mouth shut." With a long sigh he headed off to find Lt. Pamela Westfall, finally locating her in the small cramped office. "Lt. Westfall" he asked as he knocked on the door. The petite young woman looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. "You must be Commander Rabb. Commodore Walker said you and the Colonel would be around to talk to me." "Well for now it's just me" Harm sighed as he took a seat. "My partner is interviewing Commander Brumby right now." "Sir, I'm not making this up," Pamela Westfall said firmly. "I know Commander Brumby is probably going to say that I'm only doing this because he questioned my abilities. But that's not the case." "Why don't you give me some specifics about Commander Brumby's harassment." "It started right after I arrived sir. Commander Brumby was always making crude remarks. Well I thought they were crude. I made it clear that I didn't appreciate them but he just laughed and said I needed to loosen up a bit." "Did he ever ask you out?" Harm asked, remembering how many times Brumby had attempted to get Mac to go out with him. "All the time sir. At first I thought he was just joking but then I realized he was serious. And at that point I told him I wasn't interested and I would appreciate it if he would stop making jokes about us going out." "What was his reaction?" "Nothing at the time. But then he started making comments about my work and how I wasn't keeping up with what he wanted. But the harder I worked the more he complained about my work." "And this all started after you turned him down?" "Yes sir. Look, I didn't come over to meet some suave Australian. I came over to do my duty. But Commander Brumby couldn't take no for an answer." Harm looked up from his writing, a knowing look across his handsome features. "I can relate." "You know him do you?" "We worked together." "Are you friends sir? If so I don't know if. . ." "We are anything but friends," he interrupted her. "But I'm at the same time duty bound to be impartial. You've raised quite a stink Lieutenant. Your complaints have back- channeled their way to the Secnav." "Yes sir. See he seems to have a thing for American women, but other women here that I've gotten to know have mentioned him to me. Lydia--she's a civilian working here--told me when I was first assigned that I should keep an eye on him and I thought, yeah right, he looks harmless enough. The man is relentless. And sir, I guess it's Irish New Yorker in me and the red hair, but I can't just pretend it's not happening to me; or to let it go and let him victimize other women." "Go on." "It's dehumanizing sir. To feel like he's undressing you with his eyes. But even that I could handle. Sir, I've had nothing but upper marks on all my fit reps. Hell. . .excuse me sir. . .I wouldn't have been selected for this assignment if I didn't have both the training and the ability to do the job. Commander Brumby just finds constant fault with everything I do. If I don't fix it, it's going to come up every time I'm up for promotion. I may as well resign and find a job flipping burgers. As it is, my file is always going to reflect I filed a complaint against a superior officer." Harm looked up from his writing, expecting her to be reaching for a tissue. Instead her eyes were flashing in anger. "OK Lieutenant, just relax now." ============ Mac meanwhile had returned to Mic and was sitting at the far end of the table from him. "Commander you're not giving us a lot of help here," she tried. "Sarah we were engaged. We've made love. I lived for a time in your place. Call me Mic." "Mic then," she replied, "but please. . .all that happened between us is over and done. I don't try to think about it, and I'll very much appreciate it if you keep your dealings with me case-related. If you were me, would you feel like you had a case?" "The woman is an incompetent little snip who arrived here thinking she could run the place," he snapped. "Yes I asked her out. Big deal. I asked you out. Hell I asked you to marry me. And you accepted. Why did you accept Sarah? You didn't love me." As he said those last words, his voice got wistful and distant, and she dropped her pen onto her legal pad. "Mic wrong time, wrong place and all in the past." "I don't have closure Sarah," he wailed softly. "You left me at the church. Do you remember your last words to me?" "Mic I was frantic. No I don't remember exactly what I said to you." "You told me to leave you alone," he told her bitterly. "You told me to leave you alone, and then a minute later you asked me to check on Chloe for the night. That was the last time we talked until I came to the hospital and collected my ring." "OK OK now it's getting familiar." She held up his hand for him to stop. "And it's also water under the bridge and I really really do not want to go over that time in my life. I'm not very proud of what I did to you. And I nearly cost Harm his life by demanded he come to the wedding. It's not a memory lane I want to waltz down. I also don't want to talk about anything except the case." "It's all about closure Sarah," he said firmly, ignoring her insistence on returning to case discussion. "Mic my giving you back your ring was meant to be just that," she replied evenly. "And I recall apologizing sincerely for hurting you." "A few brief words doesn't make up for more than a year of devotion to you," he pouted. With a long sigh she got to her feet and started out the door. "Commander it's more than obvious we're not getting anywhere. I'm going to speak to my partner and then we'll attempt to go over this ground again." "I'm still wanting to talk to you Sarah," he wailed. "Please." "No Mic." She opened the door to Lt. Westfall's office with a light knock, in time to hear Harm's voice. "Lieutenant, and answer me very carefully, did Commander Brumby do anything more than verbally express a desire for the two of you to see each other." "Harm," Mac yelped. "There's been no allegation that he did anything of the sort." "Are you protecting him again?" Harm turned to her, anger on his face despite his attempt to be calm. "Again? Excuse me? AGAIN?" "OK, uncalled for," he sighed. "But it's a valid question. And it needs to be answered." She gave him a long glare but said nothing. This wasn't a subject she wanted to discuss in front of Lt. Westfall. "Maybe I should leave" Lt. Westfall said quietly. "It's obvious you two need to discuss this subject without me around." "That won't be necessary Lt." Mac said tersely. "I'll be leaving. Commander I'm going to continue to talk to Commander Brumby. I'll meet up with you this afternoon." "Mac wait" Harm started. "Please, let's talk about this." She walked out without a word and Harm issued a litany of curses under his breath. "You and your partner always get along this well?" Lt. Westfall asked quietly. "Or does this all have to do with the fact that she was engaged to Commander Brumby before." "How did you know about that?" Harm demanded. "Commander Brumby. I used to overhear him talking to the other guys about her." "What did he say?" "I don't think I should say sir," she said quickly. "I mean, you obviously don't like Commander Brumby and I don't want to cause any more problems." "Never mind, I can only image what his trashy mouth would say" Harm sighed. "Okay, where were we? You were about to tell me if Commander Brumby had done anything besides verbally express a desire to be with you." "I guess that’s open for interpretation" she sighed. "But I sure as hell construed it that way. Look maybe this is all a mistake. I know Commander Brumby is well liked here and maybe I should just request reassignment back home." "Do you think he did something that could be considered sexual harassment?" "Yes I do," she said after a moment's thought. "Never have I had anyone treat me the way Commander Brumby has while I've been here." "Then don't back down." "Are you saying that because you want to right a wrong or because you'd give just about anything to see Commander Brumby's six to the wall." ******************* After leaving Lt. Westfall's office Mac had taken a detour outside, needing some fresh air. Harm's accusations had hurt her and she hadn't been ready to face Mic just yet. A walk around the RAN HQ's building had given her a chance to calm down and with the day so beautiful she'd allowed herself a few extra minutes. "Sarah" At the sound of Mic's voice she whirled around. "Hi Mic. I was just uh getting some fresh air." "Why aren't you with Harm?" he prodded. "I thought you were going to talk to him and the Lt." "Harm's handling interviewing the Lt." Mac lied. "I just wanted to enjoy some of this warm weather for a moment and then I was coming back to talk to you again." "I thought you and Harm were working together on this?" "We are. He's talking to Lt. Westfall and I'm talking to you." "I'd like to talk to you more" Mic said quietly. "Sarah please. You owe me that much. All I'm asking for is one dinner with you. A chance for me to finally put you behind me." "Mic you should have put me behind you a long time ago" Mac sighed. "How could I Sarah? One minute I'm hours from the happiest moment of my life and the next I've lost the only woman I'll ever love." "Mic" "Sarah please. One dinner. That's it. And then I promise I'll leave you alone forever." Her heart screamed no, don't do it. But her mind over ruled the heart. "All right Mic" she said quietly. "One dinner. And that's it." "Thank you Sarah" he said softly. ******************** Harm and Mac's Room 6 Hours Later "NO. Absolutely not" "Excuse me Commander, but I don't think you have a say in this one." "Commander Rabb may not but your fiancee sure as hell does" Harm shouted. "What in the hell were you thinking?" "I was thinking that I owe the man an explanation," Mac said quietly. "You know I simply handed him the ring that night." "What's there to explain?" "Harm, I'm not discussing this with you any more. I'm going to dinner with Mic tonight and nothing you say is going to change that. I'm sorry you don't understand that I owe him some kind of closure." "How much more closure does he need? You're wearing my ring for godsake. To most men it would be pretty clear. Course Brumby has never been able to accept things the way he should." "Harm, don't start" she sighed. "I've listened to your comments about him all day as it was. Can we just drop it?" "Fine" Harm said as he grabbed his room key. "We can drop it. Enjoy your dinner with Mic." "Where are you going?" "Out" he snapped. "And what the hell do you care? You're going out with your old lover anyway." The door slammed before she could formulate a response and for a moment she stood there before the tears started. She hated that they were fighting. Hated that he didn't trust her with Mic. And most of all hated that they suddenly seemed further apart than they had since his crash. "OK Mackenzie, before you make a total complete mess of your life--again--let's just get this over with." She was determined that she would keep her promise and talk to Mic. Not sure why, except that something in her heart was telling her it was the right thing to do--that she did owe him that after taking him to within hours of becoming his wife, and then telling him he had no place in her life. She finished dressing in a simple blue sweater and maroon slacks, stopping now and then to look out the window for Harm, wishing he would come back and at the same time not blaming him. She was in fact ditching him for the evening. With a quick promise to herself that she would make it up to him later, she hurried off. As she approached the restaurant he had named a couple of blocks from her hotel, her hurried steps slowed to a walk. "Why am I doing this," she murmured aloud, not caring if people thought she was acting strangely. "I let a man I love with every fiber of my being just go off while I'm seeing a man I don't. . . ." "Sarah I was watching for you." Mic's familiar voice jolted her from her self-berating and she gasped, looking around for a means of escape. "This is beyond insanity," she gasped as Mic closed the distance between them. "OK suck it up Marine. It's a dinner. You'll try to make him see what was going through your mind that night, and then it's done with forever." "Hi," she called quietly, stepping forward to him. "You don't look happy luv. Rabb gave you a bad time about coming didn't he?" "Mic we're engaged here--and I'm much in love with him. Very much. We're planning a wedding, and a baby." "Yeah," he replied quietly, taking her arm. "Table back this way. Listen though I don't want to talk about work or the case OK. This is about us, about you and me, and what happened, and if it's fixable." She was about to speak and bit back the sharp words, waiting until they were settled at the table and had ordered before she attempted. "Mic I want you to listen to me now," she began, softly but firmly. "Nothing we say here tonight is going to change anything. I'm engaged to Harm. Our wedding is going to happen." "Funny, a year ago you could have substituted my name in that sentence," he sighed. "Oh that's right. . .you did." She nodded silently and he continued. "But then you were using me to make Rabb jealous weren't you?" "Mic no. NO," she yelped, knowing her denial was simply serving to convince him. "I really tried. I really did try to make it work for me." He frowned and shook his head. "I'm not following you Sarah." "I wanted it to work. I wanted to marry you, despite all the little warnings I was getting about how it was a mistake." "Was it that bad? Was I so terrible to you?" "Mic no, not in most ways," she sighed. "But yeah in some ways there were so many things that were warning me off." "For example," he persisted. "For example how you kept making these life-changing decisions that involved both of us, despite me saying I needed to discuss things first. Brumby and Brumby, does that ring a bell?" "Would it have been so terrible for you to come in with me?" "To leave JAG--to leave the Marines? YES," she emphasized. "That wasn't going to happen Mic. Not then, not ever." "OK, look Sarah I don't want to go over old ground," he sighed. "It's done. Let's move to our wedding. Are you aware of how devastated I was at the hospital that day. The devotion you were showing Rabb, the look in your eyes when you looked at him. . .all of that." "I don't know how else to say I'm sorry," she begged. "Mic I wasn't myself back then. Often I look back at the couple of months before what was to be the wedding and I'm like--Mackenzie you were certifiable. All I can say is--that wasn't the real me. The real me wouldn't have let it go that far." "Would the real you have moved the ring? By all that's holy Sarah, why would you do that if you didn't love me?" "Mic I don't know why I did what I did" Mac sighed. "I can't answer that." "Let me help you. You did it because you loved me." "To some extent maybe I did. But it wasn't the kind of love necessary to make a marriage work." "But you loved me" he prodded. "I cared about you Mic. But I never loved you. Not like I love Harm." "I don't believe that Sarah. You wouldn't have spent that much time with someone you didn't love. We were together for two years." "Mic, I'm sorry you don’t believe that but it's the truth. And I'm sorry for hurting you like that. I should have put a stop to things long before I did. But I didn't." "So you led me along and made me think you loved me when all along the only person you really loved was Rabb." "I'm sorry. That's all I can say. Look maybe this wasn't such a good idea." She started to rise and Mic quickly reached for her arm. "Please don't go Sarah" he begged. "At least let me have this time with you. After all we've been through, I deserve one last evening with you." "Only if you promise that we're not going to talk about us and what happened anymore" Mac sighed as she sank back in the chair. "Because I'm not going to rehash this over and over again." "I'll let it go. I promise." "Then I'll stay. Would you like to talk about the case?" "Let's not ruin the evening talking about that either" Mic sighed. "So what do you want to talk about?" Mac asked. "You. How have you really been? Are you really happy with Harm?" "Of course I'm happy with Harm. We went through this before Mic.'' "I'm just asking how you are Sarah. Don't get so defensive. Unless things aren't as rosy with Rabb as you'd like me to think they are." "Okay enough about me and Harm" Mac said irritably. "Unless we can find a safe topic I think I'm going to head back to the hotel." "Okay I'm sorry. Let's try something else. How's Chloe?" "A young teenager in love" Mac smiled. "I went up to see her over Thanksgiving break. She was having a rough time with school." "She's a neat kid. When you talk to her tell her I said hello." "You know she was really upset with me at first" Mac said quietly. "She hated me for not marrying you." "So I had someone else on my side" Mic said softly. "Yeah well giving her that champagne sure won her over. She thought you were the greatest thing since sliced bread." "So how did she react when she found out you and Harm were together?" "She didn't like him at first" Mac admitted. "But after our little adventure in the mountains of Vermont she warmed to him real quick. He saved her life." "That's Harm, always the hero" Mic muttered. "Mic" Mac sighed. "Sorry. I promise I won't say anything else." "Look Mic, I'm going to go back to my hotel" Mac sighed. "I'm getting a headache that won't quit and it's obvious that we don't we have anything else left to talk about." "Let me walk you back at least" Mic offered. "That's not necessary," Mac said as she stood up. "It's just a few blocks away. I'll be fine. I'm a Marine remember." "Yes but there's been some muggings down here" Mic said as he rose from his chair as well. "I'd feel better if I walked you back there." "All right" she finally relented. "It's beautiful down here isn't it?" Mic smiled as they walked in the warm night air. "Sure beats DC and the cold doesn't it?" "It's a nice break from all that" Mac agreed. "I didn't realize how much I'd missed it till I got back down here." "You never intended to stay in the US did you?" Mac asked. "I don’t know Sarah. Maybe if I'd had your love I could have made it work. But without you there was no reason to stay there. At least I can be miserable in a gorgeous place like this." "I'm sorry," she said automatically. "Not your fault luv" he sighed. "But since you walked about of my life everything's been down hill. I manage to get my job back at RAN only to have this come up." "We'll get this figured out," Mac said softly, suddenly feeling very sympathetic for Mic. "I'm going to talk to Lt. Westfall again and I'm sure we'll come to some resolution that will work for both of you." "Thank you Sarah. I wasn't sure I could count on you but it's good to know you're on my side." "I want to help you Mic. As long as you're telling me the truth we'll get this worked out." "I am Sarah. You know how I am sometimes. Hell I came after you and you never charged me with harassment." "I was tempted to" Mac smiled. "You liked the attention Sarah. That's why you didn't. " "I didn't because I didn't consider it to be harassment. If I had, I would have filed a complaint against you." "I wish Lt. Westfall was like you" Mic sighed as they reached her hotel. He stopped and turned to Mac. "You know this could ruin my career. And right now my career is all I have left. I lost the only other thing that mattered to me." "Mic I'm sorry" Mac whispered. "I promise I'll help you get through this." Before she could stop him, he pulled her into his arms, giving her a long hug. She didn't see Harm slowly walking up from the beach, but Mic did. He hugged Mac tighter as Harm watched, finally releasing her when he saw Harm walk the other way. "I'm sorry" he said quickly. "I shouldn't have done that. I just needed to hold you again." "Mic" she pleaded. "You know it's over don't you?" "I know but getting over you isn't easy" Mic said softly. "Mic you're doing what you did when we first met, overwhelming me," she objected gently. "You wore me down and guilted me into accepting the ring. Before that you just kind of wormed your way into my life." "Funny, when Harm was off flying that summer you and I were pretty close," he reminded her. "Yes but as friends. I was not falling in love, and for good reason." "Then you came to Sydney and took my ring." "Because the man I wanted refused me," she told him bluntly. "I was hurt and confused. For months I had labored under the delusion that when I was ready, he would be too. I was so wrong, and you were so there." "I still am Sarah," he whispered, resting his hands on her shoulders and then quickly moving to hold her face between his palms. "I still am." His eyes held hers and his lips came down to hers, softly at first and then more insistent. For all of a second she lost herself in his kiss as her body responded to both his present touch and past memories. "Mic no. Stop. Stop now," she panted, pushing him away with as much force as it took to put space between them. "Sarah I. . ." Mic gasped, seeing the fury in her eyes. If he was expecting her to scream, he received the total opposite. "Don't--you--ever again," she said, so quietly that he barely could hear. "Mic I am in love with Harmon Rabb. I have been forever and expect to be for the rest of my life. We're engaged." "Don't even pretend that you felt total loyalty to him when you agreed to come with me," he hissed. "There was a reason you came. You wanted some of the thrill back that I used to give you. We were good together." She shook her head sadly. "Yeah we were--in bed we were good but there's so much more that makes up a loving relationship." "So how's the sack for you and the Flyboy?" "Don't even," she retorted, though she gave a soft smile when she thought of Harm in bed. Tender and loving, generous too. All at once the way they parted overwhelmed her and she was consumed with a desire to be in Harm's arms, to know that what had transpired had not hurt them. "Mic I'm really ready to call it a night here. I don't like the way Harm and I left each other. I need to make sure we're OK. I need. . .I need him." The Australian gave a long sigh. "All right, but you haven't left the country yet. I'm not ready to concede." "I suggest you start," she told him. "Good night Mic. Oh about your problem, we're still working on that. I think you've made a few mistakes in that but I think perhaps Lt. Westfall has over-reacted. Don't lose hope." "Thanks. RAN is all I have now." "You said that, but if you would learn to power down a little bit---let a woman come to you---you might have more in your life." They were at the doorway by then and Mac quickly stepped through. Mic watched her go, and was amazed to find Harm waiting in the lobby for her. "If not for you Rabb," he muttered before turning on his heel and heading for the bar on the corner. "Harm," she said softly, genuinely glad to see him. He regarded her silently, then strode toward the elevator, not waiting to see if she coming along. "Harm wait" Mac called. "Harm" He continued to ignore her and it wasn't until she caught up to him and grabbed his arm that he finally stopped. "Harm why are you ignoring me?" she demanded. "Because right now that's the best thing to do" Harm retorted. "Before I say something we'll both regret." "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" "Figure it out" he said irritably as he punched the up button on the elevator. When the doors opened he hurried inside, Mac following in after him. "Harm talk to me" she said once the doors closed. "Is this about me having dinner with Mic?" "I told you Sarah right now I'd rather not talk," Harm said as he avoided her gaze. "Just do both of us a favor and leave me alone." The elevator stopped at their floor and he stepped off and started towards the room. "In case you forgot, we're sharing a room" she sighed as she followed him. "How am I supposed to leave you alone?" "Maybe your ex-fiancée would put you up for the night" Harm snapped. "I'll pretend you didn't say that" Mac whispered. "Because you have no reason to even think anything like that. I have no idea what has put you in this funk but it would be nice if you'd tell me." "I don't want to talk about it," he said as they walked into the room. "Harm don't shut me out like this" she tried again. "Please tell me what's wrong?" "Nothing, just leave me alone" he thundered. "I'm sorry" she whispered. "Maybe I should get another room for tonight." "I'll save you the trouble" he sighed as he threw the key card to the room on the bed. "I'll go get my own room." "Harm please don't" she begged. "Not without telling me why you're so mad at me. Please." He ignored her pleas and moments later had filled his carryon bag with a few items before storming out of their room. She stood there for a moment before dropping to the bed and giving into the tears. She had no idea what he was so upset about. She knew he hadn't been happy with her having dinner with Mic but that was no reason to act like this. Unless. . .her mind suddenly realized that he'd likely seen Mic kiss her. And assumed she'd been a willing participant to it. "Damn you Mic" Mac wailed. He'd managed to tear her and Harm apart just like he always had. If she'd known he was going to pull a stunt like that, she would never have agreed to dinner with him. She buried her head in the pillow as her tears continued, eventually crying herself to sleep. ***************** She'd just finished dressing when Harm knocked at her door the next morning. "Are you ready Colonel?" With a long sigh she realized that he was still mad at her for the previous night and she simply grabbed her briefcase. There would be time to talk later. The ride to RAN HQ's was made in silence, Mac looking out the window while Harm drove. "I assume you'll be talking to Brumby again today," he said as they pulled into the RAN parking lot. "Harm stop it" she sighed. "Just stop it right now. I want you to tell me what I did that was so wrong." "Nothing" he said as he climbed out of the car. "And right now is not the time nor place to talk about this." "Well then name a time and place and we will talk about it" Mac said irritably. "Because I'm not spending another night alone." "Fine. We'll talk about it tonight. Until then we have an investigation to conduct Colonel." "Fine Commander" Mac snapped back. She was getting tired of being nice only to have the door slammed in her face. "Morning Harm, Mac" Mic grinned when he saw them. It was obvious that they were still at odds and he took pleasure in that. He would prove to her yet that Rabb wasn't the man she thought he was. That in the end Harm would only hurt her. And that he was the one who really and truly loved her. Not Harm. "Don't start," Harm warned, realizing he was playing into Mic's twisted desire to see them not getting along and not beginning to care. All he wanted was to finish the case and take Mac home. Away from Sydney--away from Mic--he knew they could make things right again. "I'm not even sure what we're doing back here," Harm groaned. "Mic you don't likely have anything further to tell us to defend your sorry six. I for one am ready to write up that you're guilty of everything Lieutenant Westfall has charged you with, and more she probably is too embarrassed to mention." "Rabb don't," Mic gasped, a pleading note in his voice. "God please don't. You've already taken Sarah from me. Don't take all that I have left." He looked past Harm to Mac, his face now a mask of distress. "My partner is way premature on that," Mac spoke up firmly. "I haven't reached that conclusion at all." "If you'd open your eyes you would," Harm snapped. "A blind man can see what this guy has been up to." "You know what--you need to resign from this case," Mac told him with sudden intensity. "You are so filled with resentment toward him you have no shred of impartiality left." "Yeah I resent him that's for damn sure," Harm hissed. "I would resent hell out of any man who was kissing my fiancee. And fine. You want me off the case, you've got it. I'm resigning now. And I'll state my reasons in my report and let the Admiral do with it what he will. But you know what's going to happen. He's going to take it as evidence that we can't work together. And at this point that's maybe a good idea. I'll let myself be reassigned to Legal Affairs at the Navy Yard or the Pentagon and that way no one will have to be concerned if we have a relationship or an engagement or a marriage." With a deep breath he picked up his stack of papers. "If in fact we have any of that left," he added viciously as he slammed through the door. Mac bit her lip, stifling any urge to tears as she closed her eyes. "Mic he saw you kissing me last night. You see what you've done." "I see that you and him may not be right for each other and that you and I. . ." He stopped when he saw her raised hand as if she was about to smack his face. "I wouldn't do that luv," he said easily, though his eyes narrowed sharply. "That would not be healthy." "Are you threatening me?" she frowned, putting her hand down and taking a step back. "And you're not threatening me? That looked to me like you're about to commit an assault on my person." "Yes I was," she nodded, "and I'm not proud of that fact but yes I was. For your arrogance for one thing; but most of all for what you've done to Harm and me. I would throw it all away in a second Mic. All of it. JAG, and the Marines, if I had to in order to keep him in my life. I am in love with him. I have been for as long as I can remember." "To include the time we were together?" he hissed. "Oh yeah, For every minute of that time," she hissed back, knowing she was hurting him but at that moment wanting him to hurt in payback for what was happening between her and Harm. "And right now our business is done. I was feeling sympathetic toward you, and I may again, but right now that's not even a blip on the radar until I fix things between Harm and me." "If you can" Mic scoffed. "Harm and I will get this worked out," she said firmly. "I love him and he loves me." "You go on believing that" Mic laughed. "Because the man who walked out of here didn't seem to care much about you." "Mic we'll talk later. Right now I need to find Harm." "What about the investigation?" Mic demanded. "The longer this thing hangs over my head the more damage it does to my career." "You should have thought of that before you started hitting on Lt. Westfall" Mac countered irritably. "So now I'm guilty. Because of what happened last night?" "I didn't say you were guilty" Mac sighed. "Stop putting words in my mouth." "You know I thought of all people you would be willing to help me," Mic said tersely. "You owe me that much Sarah." "Mic" Mac groaned. "I'm supposed to be conducting an investigation here. Not letting you off the hook because I left you at the altar." "You believed me until Rabb poisoned you against me again" Mic spat. "Okay you know what this is a bad idea" Mac said suddenly. "Harm and I should both have resigned from this investigation when we found out you were the one being accused." "Well maybe that way I'd get a fair shake" Mic countered. "You'll bring up charges against me just to make Rabb happy." "That's it Mic. I'm resigning from the case as well. I was crazy to think that we could do this after what happened." She turned to leave his office and he grabbed her arm. "Sarah wait. I didn't mean that. I want you on my side." "Mic it's over. Harm and I are going back to DC and the Admiral will send someone else to handle this. And now I suggest you let go of my arm." "Sarah don't leave" Mic begged. "Mic what part of it's over do you not understand" Mac sighed. "For good. I don't know what you thought would happen between us. But I love Harm and I'm going to marry him. And now I'm going to go talk to Commodore Walker and then I'm going to find my fiancee and make arrangements to go home." She yanked her arm free of his hold and strode from the office. After a short visit with the Commodore explaining the situation she returned to their hotel room. It was empty and with a long sigh she went to the balcony overlooking the beach. Moments later she spotted him walking slowly along the beach and she hurried to catch up to him. "Harm" she called as she ran down the beach. "Harm wait please." To her surprise he actually stopped and waited for her. "You're the last person I expected to see here," he said quietly. "Figured you and Mic would be busy." "I resigned from the investigation too," she said softly. "You did? Why? Without me around you would have been able to keep Mic from being charged." "Harm you know that's not how I work. But I resigned because Mic was trying to use his relationship with me to his advantage. We both should have resigned when we found out that Mic was the accused." "You really resigned?" "Yes. And now we can go back home and forget all about Mic Brumby." "Only if you tell me one thing," Harm said quietly. "Why did you let him kiss you?" "I didn't" Mac whispered. "He did that because he knew you were standing there. What you didn't see was me was me push him away." "So you didn't feel anything when he kissed you?" "Harm I love you" Mac said softly. "Not Mic. He caught me off guard with that kiss. But I didn't feel anything. The only thing I was thinking about was you. And how much I hated what was happening between us." "So you and Mic aren't reconciling?" "Harmon David Rabb how could you even think something like that" Mac sighed. "After everything we've been through how could you even think I would leave you for Mic?" "I don't know" he sighed. "Since we got here everything has been wrong between us. And I hate it. I hate that I didn't trust you and I hate that we've been at odds with each other. I'm just so afraid of losing you." "You will never lose me," she said softly. "I love you Harm. Not Mic. You're the one I'm going to marry and spend the rest of my life with raising our children." "I wasn't sure that's what you wanted anymore." "Harm nothing will ever change how I feel about you. You have to believe that. Remember I made a promise with God the night he gave you back to me. That I would always be there for you. And I meant it." "I guess I was over reacting a little," he said sheepishly. "But when I saw you in Mic's arms it was like I was losing you all over again." "Harm really," she sighed. "If what we have is so tenuous that we could lose it just by me coming here and seeing someone who was part of my past--a part I don't even care to recall in fact. . .well we must not have much." "Put like that, I feel like a total fool," he whispered, pulling her into a tighter embrace. "Don't let me talk you out of that," she smiled, kissing him quickly to let him know she was not serious. He slung his arm across her shoulders and led her along. "You think the Admiral is going to freak when he finds out we got here and couldn't raise the objectivity to handle the case? It really doesn't speak well of us, and our ability to work together. We've already been around once with the Secnav. Do we want to give him more ammunition to suggest that we need to be apart?" "No of course not," she sighed in disgust over his logic. "OK but I can't even think about it any more today. Let's take the rest of the day and step back for some breathing room. And time with each other." "Yeah. Let's do that," he whispered, and his mouth closed over hers. What they could not see was that one Michael James Brumby had followed his ex- fiancee, hoping to have another word with her, knowing she would return first to the hotel to look for Harm. Mic had been about to go up to her room when he spotted her across the lobby, seeing her come out of the elevator and go out the back. Now as he crouched behind an out-building, he watched them kiss. "Damn you Rabb," he hissed. "Damn you to hell for taking her from me. If you had never come back from. . ." He sucked his breath in sharply at that. If Rabb had never cut short his flying career and returned to JAG, the burgeoning friendship he and Sarah shared would have turned quickly into love. As he watched they parted but an inch and came together again, Harm's hands starting to roam over her body, leaving no doubt as to his intention and desire. "What if you were out of the picture Rabb," he went on. "What if you weren't there to go home with Sarah. Or better, what if you were sent home in a box. Sarah would need a lot of support and help to work through her grief. And at some point she'd be ready for a man to once again warm her bed. And I'm just the man for that job." His mind made up, he slammed his fist against the tree watching the pair as they clung together, heading back inside. With no more definitive plan than revenge he waited until they had gone through the back door and then made his way after them, deciding to camp in the lobby and wait. =============== "I think we've made up," Harm panted, holding her tightly and panting hard. Their love- making had been frenetic with them barely behind their hotel door before they were tearing clothes from each other, collapsing onto the bed in a frenzy of desire and love and forgiveness. "You think it took?" she giggled. "Like we're never going to need to go through this again?" He laughed and shook his head before sinking his teeth gently into the soft skin of her neck. She yelped and pushed him off her, both laughing hard until she put her hand to his mouth. "Harm we're going to have a lot of times ahead of us that we're going to have problems. That's life. That's love. That's being married." "And for that I can't wait," he sighed. "Seriously I want us to go home and get on those plans. I don't want us to wait any longer. I don't want us to wait any longer. I want to make you my wife Sarah." She brushed a lock of hair off his forehead and kissed that spot. "For a man who couldn't hardly put two coherent words together on a ferry the last time we were here, you're pretty glib this afternoon Sailor." "I want another chance." "Excuse me?" "I want us to ride the ferry this evening. I want another chance." "Okay now I know you're losing it" she laughed. "Harm you don't have anything to prove." "I know. But I want our final memory of Sydney to be a good one. Cause if I can help it we're never coming back here again." "Don't like the land of Oz?" she said softly. "I'll just be happy when we're home," he said with a long sigh. "This has been another trip from hell." "It's almost over. Tomorrow morning we'll be on our way home and hopefully we'll never have to hear the name Mic Brumby again." "Let's hope" he smiled. "But I'm serious about taking you on the ferry tonight." "We going to Luna Park for dinner again" she teased. "No way. And you had to remind me of that didn't you?" "Couldn't resist" she smiled. "So what did you have in mind?" "How does a restaurant high above the sky line sound?" he asked. "Much better than a corndog at Luna Park" she whispered. "You're serious?" "Very. I told you I want us to have one good memory of this place. And tonight is going to be that memory. After everything I've done the past few days I owe it to you." "You don't owe me anything," she said softly. "I just want us to be okay. That's all that matters to me." "We're okay," he said with a small smile. "At least what we did earlier was very okay. I love you so much Sarah. All I want is to make you my wife and spend the rest of my life loving you." "I can live with that" she sighed. "Because all I want it to be your wife and spend the rest of my life with you." "So what do we do with ourselves for the rest of the day?" Harm asked. "I can think of a few things" Mac laughed. "Course none of them involve leaving this room any time soon. And it is a gorgeous day out there. And we'll be going back to the cold of DC." "So" Harm smiled as he wrapped his arms around her again. "Please share your ideas Colonel." It was another hour before they finally left the room and headed down to the beach to soak up some of the sunshine. "You think the Admiral is going to kill us for this?" Mac sighed as they lay on the sandy beach. "Probably" Harm sighed as he looked over at her. "But you know we're doing the right thing. Neither one of us is objective enough in this case to conduct a real investigation." "True. And if we'd known from the beginning Mic was the one we wouldn't have accepted. And I'm sure the Admiral wouldn't have assigned us to come." "Keep working on those closing arguments" Harm smiled. "Cause I'm not sure the jury is going to see it that way." "Harm you know if it ever becomes a choice of us or JAG, us wins" she said softly. "Hands down." "I know. Cause I feel the same way. You are the most important thing in my life now. Not my career." He leaned over for a long kiss, neither noticing they were being watched. From his spot near the hotel Mic, seethed. They'd spent hours together in the hotel room and now he could tell that they'd reconciled. "Rabb you are history" Mic whispered. "I'm going to get rid of you once and for all." ***************** "Wow" Harm gasped when Mac finished dressing for their evening out. She'd packed a dress just in case they'd found time to get out and Harm couldn't help admiring her. "Maybe we should skip dinner." "No way" Mac laughed. "You owe me a real dinner sailor. Especially after all the activity this afternoon." "All right I guess we'll have dinner first" Harm smiled. "And our ferry ride. And then we're coming right back here." "We could skip the ferry ride" Mac whispered as she wrapped her arms around him. "No. I have to fix that moment. The next time you think of Sydney and the ferry you're going to have pleasant memories." "I am?" she smiled. "Yes. And we'd better going or we're going to miss our reservations." "Ready whenever you are sailor," she said as she held out her hand to him. He quickly took it in his and hand in hand they made their way down to the hotel lobby where their cab was waiting. In the shadows of the parking lot Mic Brumby waited, pulling his car out behind the cab. He would get his revenge. No matter what. "Harm this is incredible" Mac whispered when they reached the Sydney Towers restaurant. "Only the best for you" Harm smiled as he helped her out of the cab. For the next two hours they dined high above the Sydney skyline, having every course from the appetizer to desert. "Harm I'm stuffed" Mac groaned as she took the last bite of her desert. "How could you let me eat this much?" "But you enjoyed it" Harm smiled. "And we'll work it off later." "Is that a promise Sailor?" Mac blushed as she asked. "Solemn vow," he returned. "I've hated how we've been in the time we've been down here. You know when we came here before, it was like we were just getting back on firmer ground after my leaving and coming back and all, and then the trip here and it all went to hell in a handcart." "Not to be right again until on terrible night in May when I thought you were lost to me forever," she whispered, reaching for his hand, needing to connect physically with him for that moment. "I was coming back for you," he sighed, placing a kiss in the palm. "Determined to get to you or die trying as they say." "Don't please," she whispered again. "I know I brought it up, but that's not really a night I want to think about, nor later, when they were using those. . ." She gasped and brought her hand to her mouth, horrified by the vision her mind had painted just then. "Sarah?" His concern was immediate. "I’m OK, really. I just don't do well reliving that time. So you going to show me the sights of Sydney Harbor mister?" "Yes ma'am, long as I can hold you in my arms," he replied, studying her carefully to be sure she was all right." ============== "They wrote Eternity in lights on this bridge," Harm told her as the ferry began to pass beneath the old structure, remembering his words of that night. "Is that how long we're going to wait?" she smiled. "No, no way." He deviated from the script. "That's what I should have said. That's what I wanted to say. I wanted to say no Sarah, we're not going to wait another day." They were alone on the top deck, the night air having driven the few other passengers, and he reached for her. "I wanted to do this, and this," he went on, his lips touching hers and then the kiss deepening. "NOOOoooooo." It was a scream as if not of this earth and about two hundred pounds of Australian Navy officer hit them both, sending them both sprawling to the deck floor. "Brumby what. . ." was all Harm got out before Mic was on him, wrestling and punching at the same time. "Mic stop. . .Mic please," Mac screamed, remembering the last time they had fought. "For Godsake Mic." Mic took one look at her and landed a vicious below the belt punch as he did so. Harm fell to his knees, coughing, blood coming from the corner of his mouth and Mac at once leaped to his defense, landing hard and solid on Mic's back. Roaring like a wounded animal he stood up in an attempt to shake her free, slamming her back against the nearest wall. Her cry of pain brought Harm back into the fray, bowling himself into Mic, thinking of nothing more than getting Mac away from him before she could be hurt again. The force of his charge sent the three of them away from the wall and back to the rail, and then with the three bodies melded together, over the side. Mac fell to the water's surface thirty feet below onto her back, the force of the landing knocking the breath from her body as soon as her scream of surprise and shock left her lips. Harm threw Brumby from him, almost in mid air and reached for Mac, only to have the Australian attack with renewed fury as soon as they hit the water. He managed to get in a sharp blow to Harm's jaw and his head lolled to one side. Taking advantage of his weakness, Mic leaped upward and grabbed hold of his head and shoulders, pulling him beneath the water's surface. Harm's bubbles stopped just as Mac landed on Mic's back, having seen what he was doing and her hands closed around his throat choking him for all she was worth. It was not but a matter of seconds before the Australian, already weakened from his struggles, slipped below the surface himself. Mac screamed Harm's name as crew members, finally aware of what was happening hurried into the water to help. Strong arms wrapped around her and she gestured wildly to where Harm had gone in. After what seemed like an eternity, she heard one of the men announce they had him, only then did she give into the exhaustion and the blackness that was wanting to take her. "We're losing him. No pulse and respiration." It was those words that Mac awaked to and she forced her eyes open at once, realizing that she and Harm were now in what appeared to be an emergency room. "Harm" she wailed as she looked over at his still form on the other gurney. "Get her to the other room" the doctor ordered as he reached for the cardiac paddles. "No" Mac screamed as one of the orderlies started to wheel her away. "No please I have to stay. He needs to know I'm here. If you take me away he'll die. Please." The orderly stopped pushing her at her desperate plea; the nurse nodding to him that it was okay. "Clear" the doctor yelled and Mac's cry echoed through the room as the paddles hit his chest. It was the nightmare from last May again. And the nightmare she'd had on the plane ride over. With a long sob she realized she'd hadn't been reliving that horrible night. Instead, it had been a premonition of what would come. "Nothing. Again" "No" she sobbed. "Harmon Rabb don't you dare leave me" she screamed. "I love you. You can't leave me." Another charge went through him and she pushed herself from the gurney, stumbling her way towards him. "Nothing" the doctor said grimly. "Once again." "Harm" she sobbed as she finally reached the head of the gurney, her hands reaching out to stroke his forehead. "I love you so much. You can't leave like this. You and I have a wedding. And a baby that's going to be born on Christmas. You can't leave me." "Clear. Last time." She watched as the paddles hit his chest again, watching the monitors for any sign of life. "Nothing. Time of death…" "Harm" Her loud scream of anguish startled even the doctor who'd started to walk away. "Doctor wait" the nurse gasped. "I've got a pulse. I don't know how but I do." "That's right sailor" Mac sobbed as she stroked Harm's forehead. "You're staying right here with me. We've got way too much to do. Including that baby your Dad promised me." "Ma'am, let's get you back to the gurney," the orderly said gently as he reached for her. She reached for his hand as the world spun wildly around her and with the knowledge that Harm was still with her, let herself fall into the darkness again. When she awoke again his name was the first words out of her mouth. "Harm" she screamed, getting the nurses attention at once. "Ma'am, please" the nurse said as she came running in. "What's all the fuss about?" "Harm where is he? I need to see him. I need to know he's okay. He's okay right." "Ma'am, please calm down. Your friend is doing fine considering we almost lost him." "I need to see him" Mac whispered. "Please. I have to know he's okay. He's my fiancee. We're getting married in a few months. I need to see him now." The nurse nodded and gently helped her from the gurney and moments later Mac was at his bedside. "Harm" she whispered as she sat down beside him, immediately taking his hand in hers. "Oh god, I almost lost you again." She started to sob and dropped her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around him. "I love you so much." It was several minutes later that she felt his hand stroke her head and she raised her head to look at him. "Harm" she managed before the sobs took over again and she buried her head against him. "It's okay" he managed as he continued to stroke her hair. "I'm here with you Sarah. You didn't lose me." "It was so horrible" she sobbed. "I thought I was going to lose you forever this time." "Not likely" he said with a weak smile. "Not when I know our child is going to be born on Christmas Day." "How do you know that?" she whispered as she looked up at him again. "Did you hear me?" "I heard you. Plus Dad whispered it to me before he gave me a push back to you. But you knew I was coming back to you. I'm not ready to leave you yet Sarah." "You better never be ready to leave me mister," she wept softly. "And when we do leave this life it's going to be together." Another round of sobs racked her body and he held her as best he could. "Ma'am let's get you off him," the nurse urged. "You're still all wet here. You need to get a shower to wash that dirty water off you and get warm before you're sick." "No. No I'm not going anywhere," she murmured, not lifting her head. "Oh yeah you are," Harm told her at once. "Obviously we're going to make a baby here shortly, and you need to be healthy for that." "What about Harm?" She finally lifted her head. "Please don't send me away from him." "Doctor?" "I'm going to admit him for twenty-four hours to monitor his heart and lungs," Dr. Novack told them. "So you go get cleaned up, warm and dry, and then you can come back and stay with him. I'll order they put a cot in his room for you." "OK I guess I can do that," she sighed. "But he's OK right?" "I think he's going to be fine." "OK then. I'll be right back." She started to rise only to have him capture her once more in a tight embrace. "I love you Mr. Rabb." "Me too," he whispered and managed to find the strength to kiss her lovingly. As she moved back from him he once again grabbed hold of her. "Mac what happened to Brumby?" Her face went momentarily blank. "God I don't know. I really don't." She turned to the doctor. "There were three of us in the water. Did they bring in another man?" Dr. Novack looked blankly to the nurse who also shrugged. "Come on dear. We can find out easily enough." With a last kiss to Harm, Mac allowed herself to be led away. When she returned, it was with the news that Brumby was still missing. "They say there's no sign of him Harm," she whispered softly, sitting on the edge of his bed. "I'm sorry," he answered automatically, touching his palm to her cheek. "You cared for him." "Once yeah," she sighed, leaning in to his hand. "I had feelings for him, but of course not love--not the kind of love I have for you. Had even when I was with him. But anything I may have felt--and that would have been as a friend from my past only--totally evaporated when he attacked you. Are you really OK? I was so scared. Harm it was May all over. And not just that, it was my nightmare on the plane too. Only that wasn't a nightmare, it was a premonition. I should have known." "And what would you have done if you did," "Sent you home? Hell I don't know," she whispered tearfully. "Just don't tease me OK. I was scared--very scared. Marine or not. I thought the man I loved was dying." "Let it go," he urged. "It's over. And why don't you lie here with me and we'll see if we can't put some new numbers on these monitors." "Yeah I can do that," she smiled with a long sigh at the same time. She settled herself, resting her head on his shoulder only to raise up again almost at once. "He's dead Harm." "Mic?" She nodded. "Yeah. I just know he is." It was the next morning before her words would be proven correct. She had gone back to their hotel to change into her regular clothes and when she returned to Harm's room, she was surprised to find two men standing at his bedside. "Here she is now," Harm pointed, his hand reaching for hers. "Honey these men are from the Harbor Patrol. They think they've found Mic's body." She gave a small murmur of distress as she took his hand. "Hey I'm sorry," Harm said softly, stroking her arm with his free hand. "Yeah well that's not the worst of it," the older of the two officers spoke up. "Ma'am we need his body ID'd and a statement as to the circumstance of his death before we can close the case." "OK no that's not going to happen," Harm yelped, trying to push himself off the bed despite all the equipment attached to him. "She loved, or at least cared a lot about, this man at one time. You're not going to make her do that." "Harm it's OK," she said quickly, disturbed by his agitation. "You're supposed to be resting here mister. And we're obligated to close our investigation too. "That's fine officer. What happened?" "He washed up on the beach this morning with the tide. I'm uh. . .afraid that it's not pretty." "I understand" Mac said quietly. "I can do it." "Mac no" Harm protested again. "Not alone. I want to be there with you." "Ma'am it might be a good idea for you to have someone there with you" the officer replied. "ID'ing a body isn't easy." "Harm no" This time it was Mac's turn to protest. "They haven't even released you yet." "Mac I'm not letting you go alone. They said they were going to release me later today anyway. I'll be fine." It was another hour before he'd secured permission to leave the hospital and with Mac's arm tightly around his waist they made their way to the waiting car. "I wish you'd let me done handle this alone" she fretted as they climbed into the backseat of the car. "The only place you should be going is back to the hotel and to bed." "Now there's an idea" he said with a weak smile and she couldn't help but smile as well. "You have a one track mind sailor" she said as she shook her head. "Well we have to start practicing for that baby" he sighed as he dropped his head against her shoulder. "When you're better" she said as she kissed his forehead. It was a short ride to the coroner's office and with a long sigh Mac climbed out of the car. "You sure you want to do this?" Harm asked. "You don't have to you know." "I need to know it's really over" she said quietly. "And whatever it is I can handle it as long as I have you with me." His hand reached for hers and he gave it a quick squeeze. "Right here with you" he said softly. "Let's get this over with." She nodded and with their hands still together they made their way inside. Minutes later they were lead to the cold room and Mac's hand tightened around Harm's as the coroner pulled out the tray. When the man pulled the sheet back she managed a small gasp before her hand flew to her mouth and she turned away. The attendant quickly reached for the wastebasket but it was already too late. "Oh god I'm sorry" Mac wailed as Harm held on to her while the man handed her a paper towel. "What happened to him?" "Shark ma'am. They didn't tell you that?" "No they didn't" Harm said sharply as he kept his arms around her. "Sorry sir. I didn't realize they hadn't warned you. Is this Michael J. Brumby?" "Yes it is" Harm said as he glanced down at what remained of the former RAN Commander. "Is that all you need?" "Yes sir. I think that the authorities wanted some more information on what happened last night but I've got all I need." "Honey you okay?" Harm asked gently as he led her from the room. "I think so" Mac nodded. "I just need to find the ladies room so I can clean up." "Down the hall and to the right ma'am" the man said as he followed them out. "Again I'm really sorry about that. I thought they'd warned you." "It's okay" Mac said with a deep breath. "Harm I'll be right out." He nodded as she walked away, suddenly feeling a little woozy himself. "Sir you okay?" the man asked as Harm wavered unsteadily. "You look like you're about to pass out. Let's get you into a chair." At his words, Mac whirled around just in time to see him help Harm into a nearby chair. "Harm" she said anxiously as she hurried back to him, unconcerned with herself for the moment. "Harm are you okay?" "I'm okay, just a little dizzy" he said unconvincingly. "I just need to sit for a minute and I'll be fine." "You shouldn't have come with me" she fretted as she knelt in front of him. "You're not well." "I wouldn't have let you do this alone" he said softly as he looked up at her. "I'm sorry you had to do this at all." "I am too but it's over now" she whispered as she cradled his head against her chest. "It's over and all I want now is to make sure you're okay and then for us to go home." "I'm fine. Please get us on a plane. . ." he began and his hand went to his mouth as his brain finally fully processed what he had seen. He managed to push her out of the way and get his head between his knees while the quick thinking morgue attendant produced a bag from his pocket. "Bless you," Harm got out before losing it all. "Easy Sailor," Mac soothed, resting her hand on the back of his head as he bobbed up and down. Finally he looked up at her, his eyes pleading. "You know what, I just Want to get on a plane and go back in time to before this trip began. It's been one long nightmare." "No we've had a couple of good moments," she corrected him, thinking of a couple of interludes in the hotel room. "Yeah we did," he smiled despite his misery. "And now we're going to have to go back to JAG and lay all this all the table, including why we resigned from the investigation." "None of that is important. . .well as important as us being together." She handed him a wet paper towel and went on, "but I take full responsibility. My actions were clouded by personal concerns for the subject of our investigation." "No way," he objected. "Well maybe they were, but my reaction didn't help. I was anything but supportive." "We can argue this on the plane," she grinned, helping him to his feet. "Let's go home Sailor." JAG HQ 3 Days Later "And that's it sir. Not only have you read the whole report, but we've told you everything we can. It's not a pretty story sir. And I'm prepared to take full responsibility for what happened," Mac said softly, feeling Harm's eyes bore into her. "The hell you will," he exploded at once. "Uh. . .sorry sir. There's plenty of blame to be shared there." "You got that right," AJ growled. "Neither of you were the professionals I expect when I send you on an assignment. But in all fairness, had I known it was Commander Brumby involved, no way would I have sent either of you. It simply did not occur to me to inquire as to the identity of the accused. I guess the RAN figured it was immaterial since it was one of their guys." "Yes sir, reprimand noted," Harm said quietly. AJ nodded. "A counseling letter will be placed in both your files, which by the way, make very colorful reading at this point, especially yours Mr. Rabb." "Yes sir," he sighed. "Well at least I haven't had a dull career." "No Commander." There was silence for a moment while AJ made notes and when he looked up Harm had taken Mac's hand, kissing the back lightly. "Do you two need to be alone?" "Yes sir that would be lovely," Mac smiled, wanting to lighten the mood. "But we can wait sir. On the other hand, we would like to invite you to a little gathering we're having in a few weeks." AJ raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? I'm always up for a party. What's the occasion and when?" "Saturday 12 May sir. Sarah Rabb's farm in Belleville. Our wedding. Mac smiled and blushed at the same time. "And sir, I would be most honored if you would walk me down the aisle." THE END. Watch for the final chapter in the Starting Again Series coming soon.