TITLE: "Wild Blue Yonder" Chapter 2 [of 3] AUTHORS: Anne R. and Pat Steiner SUMMARY: Bothered by the undercurrent of tension that existed between them during both their stints on the bench, Mac decides to surprise Harm with a weekend away, getting much more than she bargained for. NOTE: Story is set [and was written] before the events of Fortunate Son, Second Acts, Ice Queen etc. Singer, Sergei, Lindsey, NCIS etc are not a factor. CLASSIFICATION/RATING: J/S/A/R [Harm-Mac] PG for language and mild violence. SPOILERS: In any of our work, any JAG episode may be referred to. FEEDBACK: If you're so moved but never expected nor begged for. Addy is ssbpmn@aol.com. Please however, we request you respect the work, and the effort that goes into writing it. NOTE: All parts of this story, as well as the majority of our other works, are available at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnniePatJAGstories The message archives are open to all registered Yahoo users-no subbing required. Please simply click through any notice of adult content you may see-there are no R nor NC17 stories there. Other archives containing our stories: http://thearchive.mine.nu:85/exlibris/ or http://www.netroenterprises.com/exlibrisjag or BTL- http://www.wtv-zone.com/trgarchive/btl/ http://destined.to/btlarchive - {BTL H/M Fanfiction archive.} Much of our work is also featured at Http://www.capitalcitycollaborations.com ==================== From the conclusion of Chapter 1-- "Right here. You just passed out on me and I'm a little worried right now. Did you hit your head earlier when you fell?" "No" she whispered as she finally opened her eyes again and looked up at him. There was nothing but concern in his green eyes and she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. "That's not it." "What then?" he asked. "Remember the reason I told you we were coming down here" she said finally. "The murder." It finally dawned on him what she was saying and he felt a cold wave go down his spine. "The murder of the General's XO" he whispered. "My God Mac. It's exactly as your story was. The story you made up." ***************** "Wild Blue Yonder" Chapter 2— She nodded silently and at once he pulled her against him as he tried to figure out how there could be such a coincidence. "What are you two talking about?" Sam asked. "I made up a case so Harm wouldn't know why were coming down here until we got here" Mac whispered. "The pretend case was General Conner's XO had been found murdered." "Oh my God" Sam gasped as her hand flew to her mouth. "How did you know?" "I didn't" Mac whispered. "At least I don't think I did." "Mac you've lost me" Sam frowned. "What do you mean you don't think you did?" "I'll explain later," Mac said as she looked around. This wasn't the time or place to tell her friend how she had experienced visions before. Only she didn't remember having this vision. But how else could she have come up with the case that was exactly like what had just happened. Harm simply renewed his hold of her, wanting more than anything to hop a plane back to DC right at that moment and forget there was any such place as Cherry Point. "OK I'm all right," she insisted. "I need to make a report to the Security Team Chief." "You need to just take care of yourself," Harm admonished her. "Slow and easy. Marine or no, you had a good scare and then you passed out on me. Which I'm not at all sure I shouldn't take you to the infirmary." "No. Let me go to these people." "OK yeah, and then we go back to quarters." "We'll see." Reluctantly he released her, his eyes not leaving her as she walked toward the crime scene, a fact not missed by Sam. "You care a lot for her Mr. Rabb." "A helluva lot yes," he confirmed at once. "Like we talked about last night Sam. She should be wearing my ring." "Only you can make that happen Mister." "Tell me about it," he moaned, giving the Marine a nod before walking toward Mac who was talking seriously to both Malone and the Sergeant whom he called Dillon. A nod and a gentle hand to her arm let her know he was there and she missed a beat in her description to give him a quick smile, nodding that she was OK. Harm allowed the questioning to continue for several minutes before he read the tiredness in her voice and it was then that he stepped in. "Major, that's all for now. You're covering no new ground. She's told you what she saw. If you'll give it a rest, and let her breathe, I'm sure she'll think of something later she can add." Mac sent him a look of gratitude and he was even more sure she had had enough. "I'd really rather get it while it's fresh sir," Malone spoke up. "You've gotten all the freshness out of her," he replied. "We're guesting at the BOQ. Not hard to find." "Major I wouldn't suggest you argue with him right now," Sam advised sternly. "No ma'am I guess not. Colonel Mackenzie we'll talk later." "Of course. Excuse me. Sam thanks. You can I can talk later too please." She turned to start back down the trail toward the cars, pausing after several steps to allow Harm to catch up. "You bailed out pretty suddenly back there," he said worriedly. "Let's have it. What's bothering you." "Can I admit to a headache without you dragging me to be poked at by some Weekend Warrior doctor? When I came back from my faint or whatever I did, my head was pounding and it's getting worse and I want to shower and get something and maybe lie down. OK?" "No it's not OK that you're not well, and I'd feel a lot better if you'd let a doctor tell me it's not something to worry about." "Just give me a few hours please." "Mac I don't want anything to happen to you," he whined. "Hey I don't want anything to happen to me either," she smiled despite her pain. "I mean you and I seem to be on a good road right at the moment. I want to see where it goes." "Me too. And that's why I'm hovering here." "And you do such a wonderful job of it" Mac smiled. "Take me back to the BOQ and let me sleep for a few hours and I'll be fine." A short time later he was helping her into her room and to her bed. "Thanks" she said with a weak smile. "I'm just going to find my bag and take some Tylenol and try and sleep this off. In the meantime I don't want you wasting your day. Go find the guys and watch the show. I should be around for the Blue Angel's final show this afternoon." "What if I said I'd rather stay here?" "I'd say you're crazy and kick you out so I can sleep." "You're really okay?" he frowned. "Cause I really don't want to leave you alone if you're not." "I'm fine. Nothing a good nap can't fix." "How about I come back in two hours?" he sighed. "That way if you're not okay I can haul your six over to the infirmary where it should be now." "All right. I can live with that." "And in the meantime, I'll go see what they've found out about the dead guy. As long as I'm here, I might as well lend my expertise. I figure this may end up in our lap anyway." "Be careful," she said softly. "I will. And I want you to keep this door locked. Don't let anyone in unless it's me." "I won't. Now go so I can sleep please." He gave her a quick kiss before leaving the room, yelling at her to put on the deadbolt. It wasn't until he heard it snap into place that he finally left. "Sam hi" he said when he caught up with her outside the BOQ. "Is Mac okay?" Sam asked. "I think so" Harm sighed. "I didn't like leaving her. Especially since she thinks the murderer may have seen her." "Oh my gosh" Sam gasped. "Did she see him?" "She did but she doesn't remember enough about him to help at this point. But she's pretty sure he's a Marine." "Someone on base killed Colonel Fletcher?" "That's what it seems. Which is why what I'd really like to do is get Mac out of here before whoever is responsible figures out who she is." "Oops" Sam sighed. "I saw General Conners a little bit ago and I made the mistake of telling him you two were JAG officers. I'm sorry." "It's okay. I'm sure we would have been called to duty anyway. And I don't mind, I'm just worried about Mac. If I could send her home while I investigate, I'd be a lot happier." "She won't leave you here alone" Sam smiled. "I can assure you that." "I know. She's stubborn." "And she cares about you as much as you care about her." "I can hope" Harm said sheepishly. "She does. Now since I opened my big mouth earlier, do you mind going over to the General's office with me? Everything is an uproar over there and maybe the presence of a JAG officer would calm everyone." "Sure. As long as you tell me what you know about Colonel Fletcher on the way over." "He hasn't been here long" Sam replied. "In fact I'd say it's probably been less than six months." "Did he seem to get along with everyone?" Harm asked. "He and General Conner's hit it off perfectly. I'm sure that bugged some of the guys who'd been here longer." "So there could be some animosity. Was he married?" "No" Sam said slowly. "But he was seeing someone." "Someone on base?" "Yes." "Do we have a lover's triangle here maybe?" Harm asked. "Possibly. The problem is I don't know who the other guy is. I can tell you who the woman involved is but that's it." "I'm listening" Harm prodded. "Lt. Ashley Nelson. She's the niece of General Conners." "She lives on base? Pretty coincidental." Sam shrugged and shook her head. "I'm not sure how that came about. She's been here maybe a year now, and got involved with Colonel Fletcher according to the grapevine. Now I hear vague rumblings about her and another guy, that she was cheating on the Colonel. But sorry, my sources haven't divulged any more." "And you know even that much how?" "Ashley is a friend of a close friend. Erica is concerned about her, and she now and then talks about her to me. Obviously all of us have too much time on our hands." "Obviously," Harm glared. "Well apparently this guy Ashley's been seeing is bad news, but if Erica knows who he is, she didn't share that with me. It wasn't material I guess." "Well we're going to have to talk to Erica." "Harm I've broken a confidence of sorts just to tell you that. You can't go running to her." "Well give me some credit for discretion," he smiled. "And we haven't been formally been given the case yet. NCIS may take charge and we may trot happily back to DC." "Your preference?" "To take Mac away from here, you bet." "So what now?" "We're going to hang loose here for the rest of the weekend," he sighed. "We'll both need to make statements, Mac especially since she's almost an eye-witness, damn that fact. If we get the case, well we'll handle it like we always do. Meanwhile, if you can find out anything, discreetly of course, it would be most appreciated." "If I hear anything that would be material and wouldn't hurt someone innocent, yeah OK," she agreed slowly. "Are you coming back for the Angels' finale?" "If Mac feels up to it," he replied, "though I am not sure how comfortable I am with her in a crowd right now." "Hey seems to me like the safest place. I mean who's going to try something in a sea of few thousand people?" "Or the converse--in that many people a quick attack and getaway might never be noticed," he replied darkly. "OK I'm heading back. People know where to find me if they need to." "Harm take care of her." "With my life," he replied, his concern making him more dramatic than he would be ordinarily. Feeling like he wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his protective grasp and take them both back to DC, he returned to the BOQ and let himself into the room and immediately went to her bedside, sitting on the edge of the mattress. The bedcovers were over her face and he carefully went to pull them back. When he did so, a blank opened eyed stare greeted him. A death stare. "Maa--aaaaac." The word tore from his throat and she broke into a gale of laughter. "We are even Flyboy," she chortled. "We are so even." "Are you trying to give me a heart attack or what?" he demanded. "No I was just getting back at you for earlier" she laughed. "That was not even remotely funny." "And what you did this morning was?" "No but that was different. You scared me to death a second ago. I'm not that young anymore you know. I thinking my heart is about to pound out of my chest here." "Harm I'm sorry" she said as she pulled him down on the bed beside her. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. Are you okay?" "Okay enough to do this" he grinned before grabbing her arms and pinning her down on the bed. "This has to stop" she whispered as he leaned closer to her. "This?" "No I want this to continue" she whispered and he obliged by kissing her long and passionately. "So what has to stop?" he smiled when they finally parted. "Definitely not this" she said before pulling him back down for another long kiss. "Sarah" he moaned when they stopped for a breath. "We have to stop this before I can't stop." "Would that be bad?" "Only because you deserve so much better than a room at the BOQ" he whispered. "As much as I want to make love to you right now, this is not the time or the place." "I know," she said softly. "And one day it will be the right time and place." "One day soon" he promised. "And for the record you really did scary me a minute ago. For a moment I really thought you were dead. And honestly I was about to lose it." "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to scare you like that. I was just trying to get back at you." "Losing you isn't a joke," he said seriously. "I never want to know what it would be like to not have you in my life." "You really mean that don't you?" she whispered. "More than you'll ever know Mac." "Then I'm doubly sorry for scaring you." "Just don't do that again. And why weren't you resting anyway?" "Actually I think I'm too wound up now" she sighed. "Did you find out what's going on with the investigation?" "Not yet. I did get an earful from Sam about our dead Colonel." "Like what?" Mac asked. "A possible lover's triangle only she doesn't know who the third party might be." "Great. Sounds like fun. So we don't know who the guy I saw might be then." "Unfortunately no. And I'm still considering putting you on a plane and getting you out of here before he finds out who you are." "You don't really think I'd go willingly do you?" she smiled. "No but I did consider calling the Admiral and having you ordered back." "I'm sorry the weekend got messed up." "I'm still trying to figure out how the fake case you set up became the real one," he said quietly. "Don't remind me of that," she said with a shudder. "Every time I think about it I get a chill. It's weird even for me." "Yeah it is. And honestly I don't want to think about it anymore either." "You want to go watch the last of the show?" she asked. "I'm way too wound up to sleep and I really wanted you to see the end of it." "I'm not sure you being out there is a good idea," he said slowly. "We don't know who the guy is that saw you." "Harm he isn't going to see me in a crowd of people either" Mac countered. "Come on. This is the last of the show." "All right" he said finally. "But I want you next to me at all times. Better yet, I'll be holding your hand." "Why don't you just get me a leash," she giggled. "Tempting," he returned. "Let's do it. Besides I could use a good dose of reminder as to being a washed up over the hill finished aviator." "Maybe," she giggled again. "But you're my washed up over the hill aviator." "I'm uh. . .I'm yours?" he stammered. "Well who else would claim you for their own. Come on Flyboy." "And you're feeling OK? You're sure? It's pretty warm in that sun and the crowd is bad." "Yeah I'm fine. If I spend any longer in this bed I'm going to go crazy. I don't suppose there's anything new on the murder." He shook his head just as his cell phone rang and when he looked at the caller ID. "And speaking of the case, it's the Admiral. Commander Rabb sir." "Mr. Rabb good afternoon. I understand you two--whom trouble seems to find--were on the scene of a murder this morning." "Yes sir. It was the highlight of our trip." "I'm sure. What are you doing about it?" "Sir, General Conners knows we're JAG officers. His NCIS and security people have the case." "Yes they do, and now so do you. Officially you're cooperating with the investigation and assisting any way you can. Colonel Mackenzie got a look at the culprit?" "Yes and no sir." "Thank you for clearing that up. You want to try again?" "Well sir she saw the person but not enough to ID. Plus there's the no small concern that the guy saw Mac and has no way of knowing whether she can ID him or not." He took a long breath and added hopefully, "Sir this would be a great time for you to suddenly need her back in D.C. . .owwwww." "Mr. Rabb?" "Sorry sir. She pinched me. Hard." "She doesn't want to be recalled." "Bingo sir." "Good because I have no intention of doing that. You're on the case. I know you'll make me proud. Call me tomorrow with an update." "Yes sir." He was scowling when he hung up the phone and Mac could not suppress a giggle. "Your mom ever tell you your face is going to freeze like that, with your eyebrows all narrowed and your lips stuck together?" Before he could answer she placed a long solid kiss on those same lips. "Hey I trust you with my life. I have for a long time. And I trust you to keep me alive. Now let's go. I'm ready for my daily dose of hot Flyboys in flight suits. Which reminds me, you know how I said Dress Whites were over-rated. It's because flight suits are better." "Maybe I should find myself a flight suit for later" he smiled. "That could get us in trouble" she grinned. "Not that that would be a bad thing." "Don't tempt me Marine" he whispered. "Because I could easily take us away from this base for the evening. And while I'm at it, keep you kidnapped away somewhere until they find the killer." "For a moment I almost believed you. Come on sailor. We've got an air show to watch." As predicted the crowd had blossomed for the final day of the show and Harm kept Mac's hand tightly in his as they wove their way through to a quieter area where they could see the planes better. "What a zoo" Harm groaned. "I must have been crazy to let you talk me into bringing you out here." "Harm we're fine" she smiled. "Let's enjoy the show. It's not every day we get to see these guys fly." For the next half-hour their eyes were glued upwards as the Blue Angels did their final breathtaking performance. "That is so awesome," she said as the show drew to a close. "It's just amazing how they do that." "I suppose you want to go see Tad and tell him what a great show it was" Harm sighed. "Only cause I know Sam is over there and I would like to say hi to Tad again. If that's okay with you." "Yeah we can do that" he nodded. "Come on." He led her over to where the Angels were climbing out of their F/18's and where a huge crowd of kids had gathered to get autographs "I feel like a groupie" Mac laughed as they moved forward. "And there's Sam." She waved to Sam who motioned them forward and allowed them past the security guards and ropes that kept the fans from getting to close to the pilots. "Hey I didn't expect to see you out here" Sam smiled as they met her out on the open runway. "But you look better than earlier." "I feel better. And I didn't want to miss the last show. Which was awesome." "That's twice you've said awesome" Harm complained. "Maybe I should leave you alone with Awesome Tad." "Please. I just want to tell him what a great show it was and then we're out of here." "You guys have to come to the O'club. They're doing a little thing over there when this is all over." "Harm can we?" Mac asked. "Of course" Harm sighed. "But let's just say hello to Tad and get out of here. I don't like you being in the open like this. I think it was safer back there in the crowd." "Hey you came for the show" Tad smiled as he made his way over to Mac. "What did you think?" "She thought it was awesome" Harm supplied before Mac could speak. "And what about you Commander?" Tad asked. "Not bad. But can we catch up with you later. You've got a fan club waiting over there and I want to get Mac out of here." "Yeah Sam told me what happened this morning. Pretty freaky stuff." "Very" Harm nodded. "And so I'm sure you understand why I don't like Mac out here." The first shot rang out before Tad could answer and at once Harm pushed Mac to the ground as he felt a bullet whiz past them. He kept her covered as a second shot was fired, narrowly missing them and Tad who'd dove for cover as well. Screams rang out from the crowd and as quickly as they had started the shots stopped a moment later. "Harm off" Mac groaned from beneath him. "I think it's over." No response. There was two hundred pounds of dead weight on her and she could not breathe, sandwiched between him and the hard pavement. "Harm you can let me up," she insisted and attempted to move beneath him. An icy wave of fear washed through her. If he had not moved was it because. . . . Her scream of his name ripped from her throat and with a super human effort she rolled him from her onto his back. Tad heard her cry and ran for them, stopping a foot away in shock. Harm was pale and not moving, and the trickle of blood from the gash across his temple told why. Her mouth opened to scream once more and this time nothing came out. Dimly she was aware of Tad shouting for paramedics as she awkwardly lifted Harm's upper body onto her lap as best she could, not sure if he was alive and almost too afraid to find out. Ignoring the pandemonium around them "Mac how is he?" Tad's knelt next to her and when she shook her head vaguely, the Aviator reached for the pulse point in his neck and rested a hand on his chest at the same time. "I can't lose him Tad. I love him," she whispered tearfully. "He's breathing fine," Tad assured her. "But looks to me like he's a lucky man. That bullet zinged past his head and rattled his brain a bit. He'll have a headache but he'll be OK. She nodded and Tad watched as a tear dropped from her cheek onto Harm's. "Does he know how you feel about him?" "No of course not. I've never told him in so many words like that," she whispered. "That's not how we do the dance." Before Tad could reply, Major Malone from Base Security, joined by two paramedics, ran up them, Sam as well close behind. "Whoa would you look at that," Medic Melba Daniels breathed. "That's a classic bullet crease all right. A couple millimeters to the left and it would have whizzed on by, and a couple to the right and we'd be zipping him into. . ." She stopped speaking as she saw the look of distress on Mac's face. "Sorry. He's someone special isn't he?" "Yes, very," she managed. "Make him OK please." Melba nodded and held up her hand for quiet as her partner CJ Dade read off Harm's vitals and at the same time poured antiseptic onto a gauze pad to begin to clean up his wound. At the touch of the cool liquid Harm groaned and struggled in Mac's grasp, trying to get his eyes open. Awareness returned to him all at once and he jumped hard, trying to get up. "Hey Cowboy not so fast," CJ told him. "You're not cleared to take off and anyway when you've got a beautiful woman crying over you, why would you up and run?" His eyes opened fully as his brain registered what she was speaking of. "Mac? MAC?" Again he tried to move, now desperate to get to her. "Harm stop I'm here. Right here," she gasped, holding him more tightly, relief making her weak as she leaned over him. "You're OK? You're not hurt? They didn't. . ." "No they didn't. And I have you to thank for that, though I'm a little flatter," she sniffled. "You saved my life Flyboy." "Thank God you're okay" he whispered. "That's all that matters." "Yeah but you almost got killed in the process of saving me" she sniffled even more. "Harm the bullet just missed you. I almost lost you." "Not quite" he said with a weak smile. "Well Mister you are very lucky," Melba said as she leaned over him. "But we're still going to run you by the infirmary just to make sure there's nothing we missed. Just hang tight for a second until the ambulance gets here." It took a few minutes for the ambulance to thread its way through the now diverging crowd and over to them. When the stretcher appeared, Mac reluctantly let go of Harm as he was loaded onto it. Tad helped her to her feet and she quickly took her place beside him as he was loaded into the ambulance. "Mac we'll meet you over there" Sam said as she peered into the ambulance. "But first I'm going to talk to Major Malone and see if they found anyone." Mac was pacing the waiting room when Sam and Tad arrived a short time later. "You okay?" Sam asked as she led Mac to a nearby chair. "You look like you're about to lose it." "He could have been killed Sam" Mac whispered. "Because of me. Because someone thinks I saw them and I don't even know who they are." "But he wasn't. And I'm sure he's going to be fine. But you're not going to be if you have a stroke worrying about him." "I know. But you don't understand" Mac wailed. "Of course I do" Sam smiled. "You love him. And even if Tad hadn't told me he heard you say it I knew it was the case. Course the question is did Harm hear you and are you going to do anything about fixing it if he didn't." "Sorry Mac" Tad said sheepishly. "I guess I should have kept that one to myself." "No it's okay. And Sam what am I supposed to do? Wait till he wakes up and tell him I love him." "That's a good start." "No. I couldn't do that. No way." "Don't even tell me you're afraid he wouldn't feel the same. Because there's no way that would be the case. He loves you just as much. As evidenced by his actions today. First earlier when you found the body, and just now." "This just isn't the right time or place" Mac sighed. "And now there's some lunatic shooting at me because he thinks I saw him. God this weekend has turned into a nightmare." "Mac do you have any idea who the guy was?" Sam sighed. "I suppose if I saw him I would. In fact I'm pretty sure if I did I would." "Okay so all we have to do is find a way for you to see every guy on base. Right?" "Sam it's not that easy. I wish it was. This guy knows who I am and I don't know who he is. He's got the advantage here." "Maybe Harm was right," Sam said quietly. "Maybe you should go back to DC then." "No. I want to nail this guy. More than ever now." "Colonel Mackenzie" a nurse called as she walked out into the waiting room. "How is he?" Mac demanded as she hurried over to the woman. "Is he okay?" "The Commander is fine" she smiled. "With the exception of a really bad headache. We've given him something for the pain and he's going to need to rest quietly for the next twelve hours but he can go back to his room shortly if you'll be with him." "I will be" Mac promised. "Can I sit with him until he's ready to go?" "Of course. Come with me." "Mac we'll wait here for you " Sam spoke up. "You don't have to. Besides I'm sure Tad needs to get out of here." "Actually NCIS wants to talk to me still" Tad smiled. "So I'm not going anywhere until tomorrow. So I'm going to hang out with Sam here until you're ready to take Harm back to the room." "Thanks" Mac said with a small smile. "I'll be back shortly." She hurried after the nurse and a few moments later was ushered into Harm's room. The square bandage on his temple was a grim reminder of how close the bullet had come and with shaking legs she made her way to his side. "Honestly I can't take you anywhere," she murmured into his ear as she took his hand, pressing her cheek to his. "Hi." Harm's eyes opened at once with her touch, though he made no effort to lift his head. "Hi yourself. Thank you for scaring me to death." "You're welcome. And if scaring you is the price to keep you alive, I'd do it again." "Harm I almost lost you. Do not joke or make light of what happened please. It's all too new and too raw and too vivid." "Sorry." She nodded and touched gentle fingertips to the bandage. "It didn't look this bad before. Or maybe I didn't want to see it. Didn't want to be reminded of how close it was." "Well I thought I was OK when I was out there, but now they're keeping me here. Am I not that OK or what?" His eyes were cloudy with sudden worry and she quickly kissed his cheek. "You're going to be fine. You're just on medication for your head pain and I'm assuming for the stitches they took. They're in fact letting me take you back to your room but you're in bed for the duration." "OK good. I want to do that. I hate hospitals and the only nurse I want is you. Hey uh. . .I don't suppose it would be too much to ask for you to put on the uniform." "Way too much. And anyway you're not doing anything but getting better." "I'll wear the flight suit?" "Give it up Flyboy," she growled and before she could say anything further, a sudden burst of tears took her words. "I'm sorry. So sorry," she gasped and turned away, only to have him pull her back to him, making her land against him. "Don't. Just lets both be glad we still have each other." She swallowed her last sob and lifted herself into a sitting position. "It's just been a long day." "Yes it has. "I'm assuming they're not any closer to finding the murderer?" She shook her head. "No one saw anything and of course by the time security got to the spot where the shots were fired from, there wasn't anything there." Harm frowned. "Nothing there as in. . .?" "As in nothing," she sighed. "Harm he even took his shell casings. Took the time to gather them up." Harm shook his head, immediately regretting doing so as waves of dizziness washed through him. She saw his distress at once and cupped his cheek with her palm. "But it doesn't matter. You are officially off this case." His mouth dropped open and his eyes got big all at the same time. "If you think you're handling a murder case, a murder case where you were an intended after the fact victim I might add, as a solo deal, you'd better go upstairs or wherever psych services is and get your head examined." "You think I'm letting you on the case after this happened?" she countered. "Mac the guy was aiming for you not me." "And next time what if he doesn't miss? What if he's aiming for me and hits you? Only this time the bullet doesn't just graze that thick head of yours." "A marksman" Harm said suddenly. "Mac whoever did this wasn't your average shot. Even though he missed you the shots were fired from far away and he came close." "Too close" Mac shuddered as her gaze once again traveled to the large bandage on his head. "We need to get a list of all the marksmen on base. Along with pictures." "Harm I'm not sure I would recognize someone from a picture" Mac said slowly. "It was his eyes that I remember. I'm not going to get that from a picture." "No you won't" he agreed. "You won't know until you're up close with him. And that's the last thing I want." "Okay we'll discuss all that later. Right now you're only concern is resting. I know you have to have the mother of all headaches." "That's an understatement" he sighed as he closed his eyes again. "No more talk about this. We're going to get you back to your room and that's going to be your duty station for the next twenty-four hours." "Only if you're staying with me" he countered as his eyes flew open again, his hand grabbing onto hers. "I don't want you doing anything without me." "Harm" she sighed. "Mac I'm serious. Promise me you won't go off trying to solve this alone." "All right" she said finally. "I won't do anything like that." "I want a promise." "Fine. I promise I won't go off on my own." "Thank you" he sighed as he closed his eyes again. "I can't lose you Mac. Especially not now that I know how you feel." "You know what?" she whispered. "That you love me" he murmured without opening his eyes. "You heard me?" she said softly and this time he pushed open his eyes enough to look up at her. "Do you want to take it back?" "No" she whispered. "It wasn't how I planned to tell you but no I don't want to take it back. I do love you and for a moment there today I was really afraid I wasn't ever going to get to tell you that." "For the record, I love you too" he murmured tiredly. "And if I didn't want to sleep so much, we'd be having a much longer discussion about all this." "You rest" she urged as his eyes dropped shut again. "I'm not going to go anywhere. As soon as they say you can leave I'll take you back to the room." He was asleep in a matter of minutes and she gently stroked his forehead as she sat with him. "Can we interrupt?" Sam asked a few minutes later as she and Tad stood at the door. "Sure come in" Mac sighed. "He's asleep again. I guess when he wakes up again they'll let him go. You guys don't have to hang around here and wait." "Well at least call us" Sam urged. "You might not be able to handle him on your own if he's all drugged up. In the meantime, I'll take Tad over to the NCIS office." "Can you do me a favor? Harm brought up a good point about whoever did this being a good shot. I'd like to get a list of marksmen here on base." "I'll talk to General Conners" Sam nodded. "I'm sure he'll point me in the right direction. He wants to find out who killed Colonel Fletcher ASAP." "Thanks. If you could get that I'd appreciate it." "Thanks Sam. We wouldn't be as far along as we are if not for you," Mac smiled gratefully. "Glad to help. How is he?" "Hurting. He wasn't this bad when it first happened, but of course they've been poking and prodding and treating. I'm going to take him back to the BOQ shortly but he's there for the duration and I've promised him I won't put myself at risk." Sam smiled and nodded to wear Mac's hand rested on Harm's forehead. "Anything you want to talk about there?" She blushed and shrugged in reply. "He heard me say that I loved him. He said it back. Finally a little honesty between us." "Good. Well I'm going to talk to the General and Tad has to get ready to head out." "Really Tad? I'm sorry, and sorry that you got dragged into this mess. One of those bullets could have easily hit you for that matter." "Not a problem, and hey I'm the one always complaining these shows are all alike. In hindsight the breakup of the monotony was nice. I'll have a story to tell Ruth." Mac raised an eyebrow. "Who is this Ruth and does she know you flirt with women you meet on the tour?" Now it was Tad's turn to look embarrassed. "Ruth is Lt. Miller and yeah she does because she knows me. And maybe someday she and I will get it right like you and the Commander have. I'll be back to say goodbye." He nodded to Sam and was gone. "He's one of the good guys," Sam smiled. "OK let me see what I can find out, and I'll talk to Major Malone as well and come by the BOQ tonight." "Thanks Sam. Again." ============= "Maaa-aaac." The plaintive cry echoed through the quiet corridor and brought her running from the bathroom. When she had gone in ten minutes before he had been sleeping and now he was awake, or at least seemed so, his eyes wide and he was thrashing on the mattress. "Knock that off before you hurt yourself or rip out that needle that's in your arm Rabb," she called sharply, striding to his side. "Harm calm. I'm right here." "Mac?" "No Harm it's Singer come to be your worst nightmare. Of course it's me. Who else would be putting up with you anyway." He relaxed and smiled slightly, his hands going up to lay gently along either side of her face. "I've had the strangest dreams. And I'm not sure what's real and what's not. And then when you weren't here I was afraid for you." "Not going anywhere away from you any time soon," she assured him, taking his hands and putting a soft kiss in the palm of each. "I love you." His eyes enlarged as much as she had ever seen them. "That was real?" "Uh. . .do you want it to be?" "Oh yeah," he breathed, adding hastily. "And I want the other part to be too. The part where I told you I loved you too. Was it?" "No." His face dropped a foot. "No? You mean I didn't? I was dreaming that part? Or the part where you told me. . .Mac please. Which part are you talking about here. Everything is so jumbled I'm losing it." "OK OK," she soothed, resting her hand on top of his silky strands of hair that were straying onto his forehead. "I don't doubt you're confused after what happened and I'm sure whatever they're dripping into you is making you more so." "Just please answer me," he begged. "Yeah OK. I told Tad I loved you when I was holding you on the field, too terrified to even check to be sure you were alive." He smiled softly, "and then I woke up here and I don't think I imagined my headache, so I didn't imagine I also told you I love you right. Please." "Well even if you did, what's to stop you from saying it now?" "Not a damn thing," he realized and with a deep breath for courage. "Sarah I love you." "And I love you," she replied at once, her eyes glistening with tears. They were finally confronting---confronting and admitting--their feelings. "Now that we've settled that, can you take me out of here." "How about we let the doctor decide if you should get out of here first" she answered. An hour later she helped him into his bed at the BOQ where he grateful sank back against the pillows. "Still hurting aren't you?" she said softly as she stroked his cheek. "A little" he admitted. "But having you do that sure helps." "I'm not planning on going anywhere so just sit back and enjoy it. It's been a long day for both of us." "I can't believe all this happened in one day" he sighed. "Nothing like a little excitement to end the weekend." "I can do without this kind of excitement thank you." "It's all my fault. If I hadn't arranged for the fake corpse in the woods you would never have been running out there and you wouldn't have seen the murderer dumping the body and we'd be on our way home like we were supposed to be." "And you wouldn't have gotten that thick skull of yours grazed by a bullet and we'd never told each other I love you." "Okay I guess there's a silver lining here then," he said with a small smile. "Though next time can we do it without you seeing a murderer and me getting shot." "I think it's going to be a little easier to get the words out from now on," Mac said softly. "Yeah it is" Harm said as he reached for her hand. "You rest" she urged. "I'm just going to sit here and watch you sleep and continue to thank God that the bullet wasn't any closer than it was." "You'd miss me if I was gone?" "More than you know" she whispered. "And it's not something I ever want to think about. Rest sailor. This will all look better in the morning." It wasn't long before he was asleep again and Mac settled herself into a nearby chair. There was little she could do until Sam came by with the information she'd requested. But she did want to inform the Admiral of what had happened if he hadn't already heard. "Evening sir," she said when he answered his phone. "Colonel I was wondering when you were going to call. How's your partner?" "Asleep and for the moment fine" she said with a quick glance in Harm's direction. "Though for a few moments this afternoon I wasn't sure he was going to be fine." "Any clue who's behind this?" "No sir. I'm waiting for some information and the security team leader to see what they've found. But so far I don't have any idea." "Do you think you can find out without you or the Commander getting into any more trouble?" "I hope so sir. Today is not something I want to repeat again." "I'm sure its not. And I don't suppose either of you want to come back." "No sir. Not until we find the person responsible for Colonel Fletcher's murder." She was still contemplating how they would do just that when Sam knocked on the door. "I got what you needed," she said as Mac closed the door behind her. "And it's not a real long list." "Good then it shouldn't be hard for see all of them." "You're not considering doing that on your own are you?" Sam frowned. "You promised Harm you wouldn't investigate alone." "I promised Harm I wouldn't put myself at risk" Mac countered. "And I won't because I'm not going on my own." "And who's going to go with you?" "You of course" Mac smiled. "Mac I'm in charge of public relations around here" Sam reminded her. "You're still a Marine. And I know I can trust you to watch my back for me while we do a little investigating." "Harm is going to kill you" Sam sighed. "And me for going along with this. And do you really think it's a good idea to leave him alone?" "That part I don't like" Mac frowned as she looked down at him. "The doctor said he was fine but he's still a little out of it." "You want me to call someone to stay with him? I've got a couple low-ranks on staff I can give scut work to." Mac brightened considerably. "Would you? I'd really like to make some headway on this, but I want him resting and not worrying." ******************* CHAPTER 3, conclusion, will post in 3 parts beginning Sat. 7 Jun 03. An episode of JAG-San Diego will post in JAG's new Fri. night time slot on 6 Jun.