TITLE:  "Very Over-Rated"
AUTHORS:  Anne R. and Pat Steiner 
SUMMARY:  Missing Moments #4-this one from the episode Game of Go.  The 
fourth in a summer long series of 'in lieu of a new JAG' stories 
wherein 
older episodes will be revisited and we'll explore what happened that 
we did 
not get to see.  
DISCLAIMER:  JAG of course belongs to Paramount and DB productions et 
al.  No 
copyright infringement is intended.
FEEDBACK:  If you would like, but never expected or demanded.  Feedback 
addy 
is ssbpmn@aol.com
===========

 "It's a Marine thing" Mac smiled as she walked away.
 
 Harm watched her walk and shook his head. His partner was turning out 
to be 
 quite an interesting woman. When she'd come into his room the night 
before 
 to ask him to allow Corporal Cordoba to go along with the recon team, 
he 
 hadn't expected her to try and kiss him. And he wished she hadn't 
stopped. 
 Sarah Mackenzie was unlike any woman he'd ever met and he was 
beginning to 
 find himself thinking about his partner more and more.
 
 Fifty-five minutes later they boarded the plane for the flight home 
and Harm 
 managed to secure the seat next to Mac, leaving Bud with Webb.
 
 "I told you Webb could do it" he smiled.
 
 "Yeah it only took him how long" Mac laughed. "I can't believe they 
held up 
 the plane for him. I guess being special assistant to the 
Undersecretary of 
 State has its privileges."
 
 "You don't believe that one do you?" Harm smiled.
 
 "Not for a minute" she smiled. "Bud probably does."
 
 "Bud would believe anything you tell him. He's slightly gullible."
 
 "You don't say" she laughed. "You know Webb's going to kill us for 
sticking 
 him with Bud."
 
 "He'll live. Besides I think you and I have a conversation to finish."
 
 "We do? What conversation is that?"
 
 "The one about Dress Whites and Gold Wings" Harm smiled.
 
 "And how over rated they are?" Mac laughed. She enjoyed teasing her 
handsome 
 partner like this, especially since he seemed to believe her. Even 
though in 
 this case her statement was far from the truth.
 
 "I see," he said quietly. "I stand corrected."
  
     "You're cute when you pout," she smiled, settling back into the 
seat as 
   the flight leveled off.  A glance to Bud and Webb showed them paying 
Harm 
and 
  Mac no mind.  Clay was sleeping and Bud very much engrossed in a 
magazine.
  
  "I've had dress whites and gold wings referred to as a lot of things, 
but
  never over-rated," he sighed, "and here I thought I was impressing 
you."
  
  She bit her lower lip.  He had been impressing her since the day they 
met.
  She just was not sure it was a good idea to let him know that.
  
  "And I haven't been called cute since I was six," he went on, then 
with a 
  big breath for courage, added, "I thought sure you were going to kiss 
me
  yesterday."
  
  She froze at first, not sure how to react.  She was in fact about to 
have
  done just that.   "Well you presume a whole lot Commander.  Has to be 
that
  pilot ego huh?"
  
  "Hey I'm a trained observer," he yelped, keeping his voice as quiet 
as
  possible.  "You Major were about to kiss me.  Why did you stop?"
  
  "I. . .I honestly don't know," she stammered.  "Whoa wait a second.  
I 
walked
  right into that counselor.  We haven't yet established that I was 
about to
  kiss you have we?"
  
  "C'mon Mac, we established that yesterday one second after you took 
hold of
  me.  I could have reached out and kissed you."
  
  "Then why didn't you?" she challenged.
  
  "Well for one thing you took me by surprise," he answered at once, 
not
  wanting to be at a loss for words.  "I know we haven't know each 
other all
  that long.   Well some of the time it seems that way.  Other times it 
seems
  like we've known each other forever."
  
  "OK I can agree there," she nodded and smiled gently.  "OK Flyboy 
admit it.
  You've never had a woman start to throw herself at you and then think 
  better of it and pull back have you?"
  
  "Frankly. . .no," he laughed.  "But then sometimes I make the first 
move."
  
  "You haven't with me."
  
  "Is that disappointment?"
  
  "OK yeah I'll admit to there being a certain attraction there to 
you," she
  said guardedly.  "But you didn't answer my question.  Why no move on 
me 
  yet?"
  
  "I. . .I don't know," he stammered again.  "It sure as hell isn't 
because I
  haven't thought about it or because I don't want to or because I 
don't 
  think you're attractive or desirable or. . ."
  
  "You're only this way with me aren't you," she sighed.
  
  He didn't answer her, instead just stared at her. She had no idea how 
much 
  she looked like Diane. Yet at the same time she was so different than 
Diane. 
  So different than any woman he'd ever met.
  
  "Did I lose you?" she asked as she realized he'd suddenly drifted 
away. 
  "Harm?"
  
  "Sorry" he said as her voice pulled him back. "What did you say?"
  
  "Never mind" she sighed. "This conversation is getting us nowhere."
  
  "Did you want to kiss me?" he asked. "And remember you're under oath 
Major."
  
  "I am not under oath and I don't have to admit to anything" she 
smiled.
  
  "I'll take that as a yes then."
  
  "You would because you're so full of yourself" she laughed. "That ego 
is 
  getting bigger by the second. You really are a piece of work 
Commander."
  
  "I just call them like I see them" he grinned.
  
  "Give it up Rabb. This discussion is getting us nowhere."
  
  "Okay. What should we talk about instead? That timing thing you keep 
doing. 
  How do you do that?"
  
  "Sorry. Can't give away my secret" she smiled. "Another topic 
please."
  
  "Did you know Estruga was the one behind Webb's kidnapping?"
  
  "Actually no" she admitted. "I had my bets on the secretary. Good 
thing you 
  knew he was the one."
  
  "Were you worried about me?" he prodded.
  
  "Not for a minute" she lied. She wasn't about to admit that when 
she'd lost 
  radio communications with him she'd been worried. And how she'd 
pushed the 
  Marine Recon team so that they'd make it to the rendezvous point in 
time.
  
  "Gee and here I thought you were starting to like me" Harm smiled. "I 
guess 
  I was wrong."
  
  "Okay yes I was worried" she teased. "About getting a new partner."
  
  "Cute Mac" he groaned. "You really know how to make a guy feel good 
you 
  know."
  
  "What did you want me to say? That I was worried about getting there 
in 
time 
  to save that cute you little six of yours."
  
  "So you were worried? And I didn't realize I had a cute little six."
  
  "Oh god there goes the ego again" she laughed. "I should have kept my 
mouth 
  shut."
  
  "So you don't think I have a cute six?"
  
  "I think you have a very cute six Commander" she smiled. "But if you 
ever 
  tell anyone I said that I'll deny it."
  
  "That's fair enough. You can secretly be enamored with my good 
looks."
  
  "Whatever you say" she laughed. "You really are something. I have 
never met 
  anyone quite like you."
  
  "Is that good or bad?" he prodded.
 
 "Well it's certainly different I'll give it that.  I do know that I've 
shared things with you that I never told anyone else.  And I amazed 
myself 
when I was doing it."  She swallowed hard and to his undying surprise 
slipped 
her hand into his.  "So Commander you think this partnership is going 
to work 
out do you?"
 
 He cocked his head and looked intently at her, a half smile playing at 
each 
corner of her mouth before he broke into one of his standard grins.  
"Yeah I 
do.  Very much so."  He squeezed her hand and fell silent for a moment, 
toying with her fingers.  Then with a careful look around the plane to 
verify 
they were being unobserved, he cupped her face with his free hand.  
"Would 
you like to be kissed by an arrogant full of himself ex fighter jock 
who 
finds you incredibly attractive and desirable?"
 
 The question and his admitted attraction caught her by surprise and 
she drew 
her breath in sharply, her eyes meeting his in a long stare.  It is 
said that 
the eyes are the windows to the soul.  His clear green eyes were also a 
window to the heart she decided, for in them she saw openness and 
honesty and 
something else that she did not want to quite yet give a name to.  
Right now 
she knew only that here was a man with whom she could see herself 
placing her 
future.
 
 "Sarah?  Is that such a hard question?" he prompted gently, pulling 
her from 
her reverie.
 
 "No.  It's a no-brainer," she smiled as their lips touched for the 
first 
time.  It was not until she was lost in his gentle kiss and the 
feelings 
which it evoked deep within her that it registered--he had called her 
Sarah.
 
 THE END