WEDNESDAY, 23 AUGUST
1410 ZULU
BETHESDA NAVAL MEDICAL CENTER
BETHESDA, MARYLAND

“Sorry, I’m running behind this morning,” Dr. Calder apologized as she entered the exam room.  “I just finished up an emergency C-section about half an hour ago.  How are you feeling today, Sarah?”

“Fine.  I just came from seeing Dr. Newman and he said that I’m healing nicely,” she replied.  “Dr. Calder, you remember my friend Dr. Sydney Walden, don’t you?  She agreed to accompany me today since Harm had to go TDY.”

“It’s good to see you again, Dr. Walden,” Calder replied as she gathered everything she would need for the amniocentesis.  “Do you have any questions before we begin, Sarah?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Mac answered.  “I’m just ready to get this over with.”

“Feeling a little nervous?” Calder asked.  “I can understand that.  I won’t lie to you.  There are risks, but they’re really very minimal.”

Mac smiled weakly.  “I know,” she said.  “That’s what Sydney said.  I guess it’s just a little fear of the unknown.”

“Well, we’re going to do an ultrasound first,” Calder told her.  “Just to make sure everything is going well in there and to check the position of the babies and amniotic sacs.  I’ll mark the spots where we’re going insert the needle.  Since these are twins, we’ll do two insertions, one for each sac.  I’ll numb your abdomen with a topical anesthetic and using the ultrasound as a guide, I’ll insert the needle and withdraw some amniotic fluid.  That’s all there is to it and we should have the results in about a week.”

“It will be okay,” Sydney assured Mac, squeezing her hand. 

“Thank you for being here with me,” she said gratefully. 

“One last thing, Sarah,” Calder said.  “Do you want to know the sex of the babies?  If you’d like, we can include that with the amnio results.  Unlike an ultrasound, the results from the amnio are one hundred percent accurate since we are actually doing a genetic test and not just depending on seeing body parts on the screen.  It’s up to you.  Some parents still like to be surprised.” 

“Harm and I have discussed it,” Mac replied.  “We’d like to know.  We want to prepare as much as possible and it’d be nice to know if we need to buy for boys, girls or both.”

“Okay,” Calder said.  “You’ll know for sure when you get the amnio results, but we can also try to determine the sex today from the ultrasound if the babies are cooperating by being in a good position.”  There was a knock at the door and a woman stuck her head in. 

“Are you ready, Dr. Calder?” the woman asked.

“Sarah, Dr. Walden, this is one of our nurses, Lieutenant Jamie Smith,” Calder said.  “She’s a certified ultrasound technician and will be doing the ultrasound while I do the actual amniocentesis.”  

Mac took a few deep breaths while the ultrasound machine was set up and the gel was spread across her tummy.  She shivered at the feel of the cool gel.  Closing her eyes, she said a silent prayer that everything would be okay.

“Everything looks good,” Smith said as she began the ultrasound and the images of the twins appeared on the monitor. 

Mac opened her eyes and looked at the screen, where she could see her babies, tiny arms and legs moving.  “They’re bigger than the last time,” she said in awe.

The nurse took some quick measurements and reported, “Twin A is about two and a half inches long and twin B is about two and three quarters.  I estimate weight at about seventy grams each.”

“Still so tiny,” Mac said, her eyes fixed on the screen.  “What’s this about twin A and B?”

“We label them like that so that we can tell them apart when talking about them,” Calder told her.  “Baby A is always the one closest to the cervix and we go up from there.  The last letter, if there are more than two, is the one closest to the top of the uterus.”

“Can you tell the gender from the ultrasound?” Mac asked.

“Yes and no,” Smith said with a smile.  “Twin A is being cooperative and is facing us.  Twin B appears to be a little shy.  He or she is facing the other direction.  Do you want to know now, or wait until the results of the amnio come in when you can find out both?”

“I don’t know,” Mac began, then shrugged.  “What the heck.  Go ahead and tell me.”

“Congratulations, Mom,” the nurse said.  “Twin A is a girl.”

“A daughter,” Mac whispered, tears in her eyes.  As she remembered a certain conversation between her and Harm over a year ago, she knew how she was going to tell him the news.  She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face.  Already she could imagine a beautiful little girl with her Daddy wrapped around her little finger. 

“Congratulations, Mac,” Sydney said, squeezing Mac’s hand again.

“That looks like a good place,” Calder said, looking at the screen.  She pressed something which looked to Mac like a straw to Mac’s belly.  At Mac’s confused look, she explained, “We use this to make the mark where we’re going to insert the needle.  We don’t use ink since it would wash off when we swab your abdomen.”  Studying the screen again for a moment, she made another mark.   

The nurse set the ultrasound wand aside and began rubbing Mac’s belly with anesthetic then with alcohol to clean it while Calder prepared the syringes.  “Okay, Sarah, I want you to try to relax as much as possible and this will all be over in a few minutes,” Calder told her.   The nurse held the ultrasound wand over Mac’s belly again and Calder, carefully watching the screen, inserted the needle and withdrew the amniotic fluid from the first sac.  Setting the first syringe aside, she picked up the second syringe and repeated the procedure for the second sac.

When it was finished, Mac released a breath that she hadn’t realized that she had been holding.  That hadn’t been as bad as she had imagined and with the anesthetic, she’d barely felt a thing.  

“Just lie here for a few minutes and relax,” Calder said.  “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”  Dr. Calder and the nurse both left the room, leaving Mac and Sydney alone.

“How do you feel?” Sydney asked.

“Numb,” Mac said, then laughed.  “Both literally and figuratively.  I don’t think it’s sunk in yet.  Harm and I are going to have a daughter.”

“I know what you mean,” Sydney said.  “Of course, back in my day we had to wait until the baby was born to find out the sex.  I remember the first time I held my son in my arms, I was in a bit of a state of shock.  I couldn’t believe that precious little boy was mine.”

“Where is your son now?”  Mac asked, curious. 

“In medical school at Columbia,” Sydney said.  “I don’t get to see him all that much these days, but I remember how crazy a time medical school is.  But he’s a good boy and I think he’ll make a wonderful doctor.”

“Sydney, are you doing anything after we leave here?” Mac asked.  “I want to pick something up for Harm, something to let him know about the baby and then I thought about getting some lunch.  I could really use the company.”

“I’d be happy to join you,” Sydney said.  “Wednesdays are normally my day for doing consults with other doctors and my schedule today is very light.  I don’t have any appointments until late this afternoon.”

“Thank you,” Mac said.  “I really could use someone to talk to.”

“Is there something wrong?” Sydney asked.

“Not really wrong,” she replied.  “There’s just something going on and I think I could use an objective ear.”

“Something to do with work?”

“Yes and no,” Mac said.  “It’s hard to explain without going into detail.  I’ll tell you over lunch, okay?” 

Dr. Calder returned before Sydney could reply.  “How are you feeling, Sarah?”

“Okay, but still a little numb,” she replied.

“That’s normal and should disappear in a few hours,” the doctor told her.  “You may experience some mild cramping as a side effect.  If it is too severe, please let me know.  I don’t want you to do any lifting for a few days.  Other than that, you should be okay.  You can go ahead and sit up now, just do it slowly in case you get dizzy.  If you’re feeling okay, then you can go ahead and get dressed and you’ll be free to go.  Someone will call you when the amnio results are in.”

“Thank you, Dr. Calder,” Mac said as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position with Sydney’s help.  “Other than getting the results of the test, when should I return for my next appointment?” 

“Well, unless there were specific problems,” Calder said, “we’d normally stick with monthly appointments at this stage of pregnancy.  But with everything that’s happened, I’d like to go ahead and see you again in another two weeks.”

“But there’s no specific problem,” Mac asked for reassurance, “it’s just because of the shooting, right?”

“That’s right,” Calder assured her.  “If I didn’t know better, I’d never know you’ve been through a horrible ordeal a few weeks ago.  Your pregnancy is progressing normally and you’re showing none of the usual side effects of a multiple pregnancy with the exception of the additional weight gain.  With a little luck, the rest of your pregnancy will go as smoothly.”

1625 ZULU
TYSON’S CORNER CENTER
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA

At the mall, Mac had quickly found the Baby Gap store and she and Sydney had spent some time oohing and aahing over all the baby clothes before Mac decided on a pair of pink baby booties to surprise Harm with when he returned from Texas.  Now she just had to keep herself from spilling the beans over the phone before then.

After a quick run into Hallmark to pick up a card to go with the booties, Mac and Sydney headed for the Café Corridor and decided on burgers and fries at McDonalds.  Finding a table for them, Mac sank gratefully into a chair, ready to get off her feet, while Sydney placed their order.  Mac took out the card she had purchased and wrote a quick message inside and was about to seal the card in its envelope when Sydney joined her.

“So, what did you say in the card to break the news?” Sydney asked as she set their tray of food down and sat down herself.

After pausing a moment, Mac took the card out of the envelope and handed it to Sydney.  Sydney looked at it and read the single line, puzzled, “’What if she has your looks and my brain?’  I take it that has some special meaning?”

Mac smiled as Sydney handed the card back to her and she put it back in the envelope.  “Yes,” she said.  “It’s something I said during a conversation that Harm and I once had.”  She paused, then decided to tell Sydney the whole story.  It would probably be good for a laugh.  “The day AJ Roberts was born, Harm and I were there in the Admiral’s office when he was delivered.”

“What a minute,” Sydney exclaimed.  “Harriet gave birth in AJ’s office?  He never told me that.”  

Mac laughed, “It’s a long story.  Harm had called for an ambulance, but it took away the wrong pregnant woman and. . . .Anyway, after it was all over and another ambulance arrived to take Harriet and little AJ to the hospital, Harm and I were talking on the front steps at JAG.  I guess we were both excited about what we had just witnessed and I was feeling a little blue as well.  Chloe had just been visiting and had left that day.  So, Harm and I made this deal.”

“What kind of deal?” Sydney asked.

“We agreed that if neither of us was in a relationship in five years,” she explained, “that we would ‘go halves on a kid’.  Those were Harm’s words, by the way.  He’s the one who suggested it.” 

“Okay, wait a minute,” Sydney said, stunned.  “You and Harm, feeling euphoric because you had just watched your godson be born, made an agreement to have a baby together in five years?”

“Basically, yes,” she replied.  “I was not sure about it at first and Harm said that with ‘my looks and his brains, he’d be perfect.’  I countered. . . .”

Sydney interrupted, understanding dawning, “’What if she has your looks and my brains?’”

“Exactly,” Mac said.  “We shook on it and that was it, until we really did get involved in a relationship together and decided that we didn’t like the five year timetable anymore.”

Sydney laughed, “Only you and Harm would claim to be nothing more than friends then make a deal to have a baby together.  There’s another one for the ‘what idiots Harm and Mac have been’ file.” 

“No,” Mac said, shaking her head.  “You’re still not stuck on that idea of telling all these stories at our engagement party?”

“You’ll have to wait until the engagement party and find out, won’t you?” Sydney teased, smiling.  Actually, she’d had a better idea than just telling stories.  She’d already talked to AJ about making a videotape of all their friends talking about Harm and Mac.  He’d agreed that it was a wonderful idea and had gotten Gunny and Tiner to start going around and interviewing everyone when Harm and Mac weren’t around.  She wanted the whole thing to be a surprise.

“It’s good to laugh,” Mac said, playing with a french fry.  “There hasn’t been much to laugh about this week.”

“Something tells me this isn’t just about Harm going out of town,” Sydney said.  “Is this what you wanted to talk about?”

“Yeah,” Mac replied.  “I’m okay with Harm going out of town – that’s a fact of our jobs.  But something happened at work yesterday.  No, it’s more a fact of someone showing up at work and it’s bothering me a little bit.  Harm tried to reassure me that everything was going to be fine, but I’m not so sure and I don’t really need the stress right now.”

Sydney put her hand on Mac’s arm.  “What don’t you just tell me what this is all about?”

Mac took a deep breath and began, “I don’t know if the Admiral told you, but the lawyers who are going to be prosecuting Sergeant Johns and Chief Hodge arrived yesterday.”

“AJ mentioned that,” Sydney said, “as well as the fact that two of them used to work at headquarters.  He said one of them was Harm’s old partner.”

“Yes,” she confirmed, “Lieutenant Meg Austin.  I came on board when she transferred to Great Lakes.”

“This is something more than just Harm’s old partner being back?” Sydney asked.  “You don’t think there was something between them back then, do you?”

“No,” Mac answered quickly, “Harm told me there wasn’t.  They were just friends.  Anyway, Meg seems like a nice enough woman and she’s not the problem anyway.  It’s the other person who used to be at JAG, Commander Allison Krennick.  She was the Admiral’s chief of staff when she was there.  And no, there wasn’t anything between her and Harm, either.  And that’s the problem.”

“I don’t understand,” Sydney said.  “If there was nothing between this Commander Krennick and Harm, I would think that would be a good thing.”

“See, back then, Krennick was Harm’s superior officer,” Mac explained.  “He had just been promoted to Lieutenant Commander when he first met her and she was, as she is now, a full Commander.  He was defending a case she was prosecuting.  A few weeks later, she went to see Harm at home when she got transferred to Washington and she flat out told Harm that she wanted him.”

“If she was his superior, wouldn’t that be considered sexual harassment?”

“Yes, although Harm never said anything to the Admiral,” Mac replied.  “I don’t know if it was because he was a little bit flattered by the attention, even if he didn’t return it, or if it was because he thought he could handle Krennick.  Anyway, Krennick kept throwing herself at Harm and he kept turning her down.  As Bud once put it, he ‘threw her more red lights than the Beltway at rush hour’.”

“So you think Krennick might still be after Harm?” Sydney asked.

“Well, Krennick went after Harm because she saw him as a threat to what she wanted,” Mac revealed.  “He was the golden boy at JAG and Krennick thought if they were in a relationship, she could control him to get what she wanted.  On their last case together, Krennick tried to bring him up on charges for striking another officer.  She told him that she didn’t want his mistakes to bring her down in the process.”  Mac stopped and laughed.  “It’s funny.  She was willing to risk her career over a sexual harassment charge, yet she was ready to ruin his career to protect hers over this assault incident.”

“This Krennick sounds like some piece of work,” Sydney commented. 

“Anyway, some other things happened and Krennick never filed the complaint.  She transferred to Hawaii as XO of the JAG office there right after that,” Mac continued.  “I’m just worried that there is just too much unresolved tension there and it could blow up.  Plus. . . .” she trailed off, uncertain about whether to continue.

“Plus what?” Sydney asked gently.

Mac shrugged.  “There’s more.  This last case they were on concerned the murder of an Academy classmate of Harm’s.  She – well, she and Harm were supposed to get together, decide where they wanted to go with their relationship, when she was murdered.”

“He was in love with her?”

“Yes,” Mac answered.  “NCIS thought he was too personally involved and wanted Harm pulled off the case.  Krennick is the one who suggested to the Admiral that she be put in charge of the JAG investigation instead.  She came in and started exerting her authority, excluding Harm from key aspects of the investigation.  So he decided to confront a prime suspect on his own, which is where the assault charge comes into it.  The other officer refused to press charges, saying that he could understand why Harm came after him.  He was in love with Diane, too.  But Krennick heard about it and decided to report it herself.”

“Do you think Krennick was jealous because of Harm’s feelings for Diane?” Sydney asked.

“I don’t know,” Mac admitted.  “It’s possible, although Krennick disagreed when Harm confronted her about it.  But if she was jealous of Diane, then. . . .”

“She might be jealous of you?” Sydney finished.  “Has she said anything to indicate that?”

“I don’t think she knows yet about me and Harm,” she answered.  “At least, I didn’t tell her and she hasn’t mentioned it.  But. . . .it’s hard to explain.  I don’t know if I should even be telling you this.  I mean, if people don’t know the whole story, they might get the wrong impression about me and Harm.  But he assured me that he never held it against me and I believe him.  As far as I know, Harm and Bud are the only ones who know.”

“Know what?”

Mac took a deep breath before continuing.  “That even though there are several years’ difference in our ages,” she said slowly, “Diane and I look enough alike that we could have been twins.”

Sydney didn’t react, simply saying, “Please continue.”

“I know that Harm didn’t fall in love with me because I look like Diane,” she explained.  “According to him, we just looked alike.  Our personalities were different.  But someone who doesn’t know us, but knows about my resemblance to Diane, might try to make something different of the situation.”

“And Krennick knows that you look like Diane,” Sydney stated.

“I would assume so,” Mac answered.  “Since she was involved in the investigation, I’m sure she saw the crime scene photos.  Meg would probably know, too.”

“Because she was Harm’s partner at the time.”

“Exactly,” she replied.  “Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t doubt Harm’s love.  We’ve been through too much for me to ever doubt that.  But I don’t need Krennick rocking the boat either.  I’ve been lucky so far that everything has gone well with my pregnancy in spite of everything that’s happened.  I don’t want anything to jeopardize that.”

“Have you talked to Harm about this?” Sydney asked.

“Briefly,” she said.  “I told him that she was here and he is concerned, but he won’t let himself worry about it.  He even said that he was confident his ‘feisty Marine fiancée’ could protect him if Krennick tried anything.”

“Well, the way I see it,” Sydney said, “you need to do two things.  First, talk to Harm about it.  Let him know how worried about this situation you are.  Second, trust in yours and Harm’s love.  I’ve rarely seen two people more in love than the two of you.  Hold on to that and I think you can get through anything.”

“Thank you,” Mac said, smiling.  “I’ve been telling myself that, but it helps to hear it from someone outside this whole situation.”

“The ‘objective ear’ you mentioned earlier,” Sydney stated.  “Glad to be of help, Mac, and please know that if you ever need to talk again that I’m here.”

“Thank you, again,” Mac replied.  “Just one more thing. . . .I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to the Admiral.  He doesn’t know about any of this and I’m not sure that Krennick will try anything.  I don’t see the need to say anything to him until she does.”

Sydney noted that Mac had said ‘until she does’.  She sounded pretty sure that Krennick would try something.  Sydney hoped not.  Mac and Harm didn’t deserve to have this happen on top of everything else they had already been through.  She thought about saying something to AJ anyway, but decided against it.  Maybe Mac’s feelings were wrong and Krennick wouldn’t try anything.  But Sydney knew deep down that a woman’s intuition was rarely wrong.

SATURDAY, 26 AUGUST
1335 ZULU
HARM AND MAC’S HOUSE
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA

Mac slowly made her way downstairs and found Harm in the kitchen, standing at the stove making eggs.  “Mmmm, that smells good,” she said, standing behind him and wrapping her arms around him, pressing herself against his back.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” he said, covering one of her hands with his.  “Sleep well?” 

“Best night’s sleep I’ve had in days,” she replied, “especially since I had you back with me.  I’ll feel even better once you feed me.”

Harm laughed.  “My Marine, always thinking with your stomach,” he teased.  “Go ahead and sit down at the table and breakfast will be ready in a minute.  I didn’t think about asking last night, but when did Chloe and Martha leave?”

“Thursday,” Mac replied.  “Martha said they needed to get back so they could make sure Chloe has everything she needs to begin school on Monday.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to spend more time with them,” Harm said as he fixed two plates for them.  “I thought I told you to sit down?” he teased.

Mac smiled.  This was the perfect time to spring her surprise.  “Let me get something first,” she said.  She went to the living room and picked up the package that had been sitting there since Wednesday.  She and Harm had been so busy with each other last night that he had never noticed the package and she had let it slip from her mind.  She took it back to the kitchen and found Harm seated at the table, waiting for her.

Smiling, she sat down and set the gift-wrapped box in the middle of the table.  “I wanted to give this to you when you returned,” she explained, “but I kind of got distracted last night when you surprised me by coming home a day early, so. . . .here you go.”

Looking at her, he tore the wrapping off the box and lifted the lid, finding a card  and tissue paper.  Rummaging through the paper, he pulled out the pair of pink baby booties that she had bought on Wednesday.  He looked at them, mystified, then back at her.  “It’s a little late to tell me that you’re pregnant, isn’t it?”

“Oh, you,” she said, smacking his arm lightly.  He had obviously missed the significance of the color.  “Why don’t you just read the card?”

He opened the envelope and pulled the card out.  He opened it up and read it.  His eyes moved over the single line inside again before he looked back at her.  “Is this. . . ?”

She nodded, tears forming in her eyes.  “I don’t know about both babies,” she explained.  “One of them had his or her back turned towards us during the ultrasound.  But it did show that one of the babies is a girl.  Harm, we’re going to have a daughter.”

“A daughter,” Harm repeated in shock.  “We’re going to have a daughter.”

Mac nodded as she moved into his lap, straddling him, her hands on either side of his face as she pressed her forehead to his.  “Yes, we’re going to have a daughter,” she repeated.

“Do you know how happy you’ve made me?” he whispered in awe, running a hand over her belly.  

“I love you and our babies so much,” she said.

“Me, too,” he replied.  “So when do we find out about the other baby?”

“Well, since he or she was a little shy during the ultrasound,” she explained, “we’re going to have to wait a few more days until we get the results of the amniocentesis.”

Harm leaned in to kiss her, their lips nearly touching when the phone rang.  Mac pulled away and sighed.  “Let me get that,” she said, climbing off his lap.  “Then we can get back to what we were doing.”  She picked up the phone and answered it, “Hello, Colonel Mackenzie.”

She listened for a moment, then said, “Hold on a minute.”  She held the phone out to Harm.  “It’s for you, a Commander Jackson from NAS Ft. Worth,” she said.

Harm took the phone from her.  “Yes, Commander, what can I do for you?” he asked.  He listened for a moment, then said, “No, that’s okay.  The report is at headquarters so it will be at least half an hour before I can fax it to you.”

He hung up the phone and handed it back to Mac with a look of regret. “I’m sorry, but I need to run into the office,” he told her.  “Someone at the JAG office at Ft. Worth spilled coffee and ruined their copy of the accident report.  Jackson called headquarters and got a hold of Tiner, who connect him to me here.  I need to run into the office and fax them the report.  I won’t be gone too long.”

“Why don’t I go with you?” Mac suggested, but Harm shook his head.

“No, you stay here and finished eating,” he insisted.  “You need the food.  I won’t be gone that long and I’ll be back in plenty of time for us to go to the softball game this afternoon.”

“Okay,” Mac sighed.  “Just hurry back.”

1415 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Harm walked into JAG headquarters whistling ‘Anchors Aweigh’, on cloud nine after Mac’s news.  Not watching where he was going, he nearly ran over Tiner as the latter was exiting the elevator.  

“Sorry, Tiner,” he apologized.  “I should have been watching where I was going.”

“Not a problem, Sir,” Jason replied.  “Sorry to disturb you and the Colonel at home, but Commander Jackson said it was important that he get that report today.”

“No problem,” Harm assured him.  “I’ll just get it faxed to Texas and get back home.  We’ll see you at the game later, right?”

“Yes, Sir,” Jason said.  “See you later, Commander.”

Harm rode the elevator up to the second floor and headed for his office, grabbing the folder he had dropped off before heading home the night before.  A smile on his face, he quickly faxed the report to Ft. Worth and put the folder back on his desk, where he intended to leave it until he presented it to the Admiral on Monday.  He froze when he heard a voice from the doorway.

“Well, it’s about time you got back, Harm,” Allison said, leaning against the open door, dressed in her white uniform despite it being Saturday.  “I was beginning to think you were staying away just to avoid me.”

“Now why would I do that, Commander?” he asked, smiling tightly.  “If you’ll excuse me, I was just on my way back out.”

Allison ignored his insistence that he was leaving and asked, “Why so formal, Harm?  We’re the same rank now.  I think you can get away with calling me Allison.”

“I guess old habits die hard,” he explained.  “When you were here before, you were my superior officer.”

“But I’m not anymore,” she replied, moving closer to him.  “I’m just a temporary visitor here, unless you’d like me to stick around.  You know, we could have had something before.  Maybe we still could.”

Where Harm might have brushed her off with a flip comment in the past, now he was just angry.  After all these years, she still hadn’t gotten the message.  “I don’t think so,” he said bluntly.  “I am involved with someone.”

“Please,” Allison said, rolling her eyes.  “Tell me it’s not that Maria whatever-her-name person.”

“Not that my personal life is any of your business,” Harm replied, a hint of anger in his voice, “but no.” 

“And what can this mysterious girlfriend of yours give you that I can’t?” she asked.   

“She isn’t just my girlfriend,” Harm told her.  “Five weeks from today, she will become my wife.”

“Harmon Rabb, getting married?” Allison retorted in disbelief.  “I’ll believe that one when I see it.”

“Believe whatever you want,” Harm said, grabbing his keys off his desk.  “I really don’t care.  Goodbye, Commander.”

“I guess I should be thankful it isn’t that Marine Colonel you’re involved with,” Allison shot back as Harm tried to walk around her to get out of the office.  He turned and looked back at her stunned as she continued, “You think I haven’t noticed how much she resembles your dead Academy sweetheart?  Given that, I probably should be surprised that you haven’t been involved with her.”  

“You are way out of line, Commander,” Harm managed to say through clenched teeth, “and you have no idea what you are talking about.”  Furious now, he stormed out of the office and headed for the stairs, leaving Allison standing in his office.

“Damn you, Harmon Rabb,” she said to the empty office after he had stormed off.  She was about to leave, then reconsidered.  “Something I said struck a nerve,” she said aloud.  “Maybe there once was something between him and that Marine Colonel.”  She decided to look around his office to see if she could find out anything about this fiancée he had mentioned.

Moving around the office, she studied everything.  Some of the items she recognized as items he’d had in his office back when she had been at JAG.  On top of a filing cabinet was a model of a yellow biplane, a replica of one that she knew he owned.  Hanging on the wall next to the cabinet was his law school diploma and a picture of graduation day at Annapolis with two older people she assumed where his parents.  On another wall was a picture of him in a flight uniform with his squadron which she assumed was taken sometime before his accident had grounded him.

Next she came to several pictures grouped together.  The first was of Harm in his dress whites with Mac, another woman in a wedding dress and a man she recognized as Ensign Roberts from the Sea Hawk, a Lieutenant j.g. in the photo and newly married.  Another photo was of the same four people, this time with Roberts wearing the stripes of a full Lieutenant and JAG insignia and holding a baby.  The last picture was of the five of them, the baby older and Roberts’ wife obviously pregnant again, at a park together.

Sitting down in Harm’s chair, she found several more pictures on the desk.  One was of Harm in his mess dress with Mac by his side in a dark blue dress.  Since she had found out Harm had been promoted to full Commander almost a year ago, Allison figured that the picture had been taken some time ago since he still wore the stripes of a Lieutenant Commander.    Another photo was of Harm, Mac, the couple from the graduation photo, an older woman and a young girl, possibly taken at the Fourth of July since all were waving small American flags.

Her eyes fell on the final photo on the desk and her hands tightened into fists.  This photo was again of Harm and Mac, Harm in his dress whites and Mac in a dark blue pants suit and obviously pregnant.  Harm was a full Commander in the photo and Mac was currently pregnant, so it had to be a very recent photo.  Harm had an arm draped over Mac’s shoulders and Allison caught the sparkle of a diamond on Mac’s left hand.

Damn, she thought.  He was involved with her.  No wonder he’d gotten so defensive when she’d mentioned the resemblance.    Four years ago, Harm had been pining over his lost love when he  could have had Allison and now he was involved with a woman who looked exactly like Diane.  Allison wanted to do something, needed to do something, but she wasn’t sure what.  For one of the few times in her life, Allison Krennick didn’t know what to do.

1505 ZULU
HARM AND MAC’S RESIDENCE
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA

Mac was sitting on the couch folding laundry when she heard the garage door open.  A moment later, she heard the door leading to the house open and she called out, “Harm, I was just thinking.  Do you want to tell everyone about the baby today or what until we know the gender. . . .” she trailed off when Harm entered the living room and she saw the look on his face.  “Harm, what happened?” she asked, concerned.

Harm threw himself down on the couch next to her and leaned back, closing his eyes.  “That obvious, huh?” he asked wearily.

“To me, yes,” Mac replied, clasping one of his hands in hers.  “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

“I ran into Krennick at JAG,” he replied.  “It wasn’t pleasant, to say the least.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?” she asked, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“Want to?  No,” he said.  He’d like to forget Krennick even existed.  “But you should know.  First, she suggested that I had been trying to avoid her by being in Texas.”

“Rather arrogant of her, isn’t it?” Mac commented.  “The Admiral sent you to Texas before we even knew she was coming.”

“I know,” Harm said.  “Maybe she thought I was dragging out the investigation there so that I could stay away from her as long as possible.”

Mac snorted.  “Yeah, you stayed away trying to avoid her, but yet you came home a day early,” she said in disbelief.   “So what happened next?”

“She made a point of mentioning that we are now the same rate,” he told her.  “I called her ‘Commander’ and she suggested that it was okay for me to call her ‘Allison’ since we now hold the same rate.  Then she suggested that I might want her to stick around past her temporary assignment, that maybe there could be something between us now.”

“And, of course, she didn’t hear you when you said ‘no’,” Mac guessed.

“That was always her problem,” he said.  “She only heard me when it was convenient for her to do so, like when she wanted to ‘disassociate’ herself from me during Diane’s murder investigation.  Anyway, I told her that I was involved with someone.”

“What did she say to that?” she asked.

“First, she said she hoped it wasn’t the woman I’d been involved with when I first met her.  When I told her no and that my personal life was none of her business, she pressed further, wondering what my girlfriend could give me that she couldn’t.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Mac said sarcastically, “maybe a lifetime of love and a couple of children for a start.”  She looked up at Harm and caught a hint of a smile on his face.  “At least I got you to smile a little,” she added.

“After my conversation with her, it’s hard to find something to smile about,” Harm pointed out.  “I answered her question by telling her we are getting married in five weeks.  She said something to the effect that she’d believe that when she saw it.”

"Well, don’t expect me to invite her to the wedding just so she can see it for herself,” Mac said.   

“Maybe when hell freezes over,” he said, grinning now.  “I told her I didn’t care what she believed and I tried to leave.”

“Tried?” Mac questioned.  “She stopped you.”

“This is the point where the conversation got ugly,” he told her.

“’Got ugly’?” she countered.  “So what was it up to this point?”

Harm shrugged.  “Okay, got really ugly,” he amended.   He was silent for a moment, pondering how to reveal what had happened.

“So what happened next?” she prodded him.

“She said that she supposed she should be glad I wasn’t involved with you,” he answered.  “Then she threw in a comment about your resemblance to Diane.  I got very angry, told her she was out of line and left.”

“So she doesn’t know that I’m your fiancée?”

“I was so mad at that point that I didn’t feel the need to enlighten her,” he replied.  “I guess I figured that if I said anything more, it would get even uglier.”

“In other words,” she said, “you thought she might suggest that you were involved with me because of my resemblance to Diane.”

“Yes,” he admitted.   After another moment of silence, he began, “Do you ever wonder. . . .No, forget what I was about to ask.  I know better.”

“Yes, you do,” she told him, pulling away from him so that she could look him in the eye.  “Harm, I know you’re upset about Krennick, but don’t let her get to you like that.  We made our peace with Diane’s ghost a long time ago.  Don’t let her cause you to doubt yourself or us.”

“I’m sorry,” he said softly.  “Like I said, I do know better.  And you’re right in that I shouldn’t let her get to me.  We need to concentrate on our wedding and our babies.  Nothing else should matter right now.”

“Of course, that’s easier said than done,” Mac pointed out, “or we wouldn’t even have to have this conversation.  It’s been bothering me too.  I’ve almost felt this week like I know there’s a bomb and I’m just waiting for it to go off.  I even had a long talk with Sydney on Wednesday after my appointment.  I thought it might help to have an objective listener.”

“So what did she have to say?” he asked.

“Just that I should talk to you about what I was feeling and to trust in our love,” she told him.  “Nothing I didn’t already know, but I think it helped a little to have someone else say it.”

“True, but I don’t know that will be enough against Krennick,” he said.  “Not that I think she can drive a wedge between us, but she can create a lot of stress that we don’t need right now.”

“What do we do?” Mac mused.  “We ignore her and it’s like giving her license to continue pursuing you and causing problems.  We back her into a corner by going to the Admiral and we risk her lashing out.”

“You know, we’re unfortunately not going to solve the problem right here, right now,” Harm said.  “Why don’t we make a deal to forget about it for the rest of the weekend and if anything happens Monday at work, we deal with it then.”

Sounds like a plan,” Mac agreed.  “On another topic, we both need some cheering up and I’ve got just the perfect thing.  Hold on a minute.”  She got up and left the living room, returning a moment later with an envelope which she handed to Harm.

“I know it’s not quite as big as telling you that we’re going to have at least one daughter,” she said as he opened the envelope and pulled out the invitation that was inside.  The invitation was ivory in color with a rose design embossed in pearl at the upper left and lower right corners on the front.  Inside on the left side were the words to the song “The Rose” which they had danced to at the Surface Warfare Ball.   On the right –

Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Catherine Mackenzie  
United States Marine Corps  
and  
Commander Harmon David Rabb, Jr.  
United States Navy  
request the honor of your presence  
at their wedding  
Saturday, the thirtieth of September  
at ten o’clock in the morning  
Cathedral of the Navy  
United States Naval Academy  
Annapolis, Maryland  
Full dress uniform invited

"These turned out very nice,” he said, pulling her into his arms.  “I didn’t think they’d be done this soon.”

“Well, I’m sure that you remember how Sydney, your mom and I had picked out the design and decided on the wording the day after we first called Annapolis,” she said.  “Once we went there and confirmed 30 September as the date and set the time, your mom called the printer and offered them a bonus if they had the invitations ready in a week.  I picked them up Thursday when I got off work.  I had dinner with Sydney and the Admiral that night and we worked on addressing them.  With the exception of those that we planned to hand deliver to our friends in the DC area, the invitations were all mailed out yesterday.  I figured that we could hand out the invitations to the people at JAG together at the game this afternoon.”

“That will work,” he said.    “So what else happened on the wedding front while I was gone?”

“We’re going to discuss it with everyone at the picnic after the game,” she told him, “but the run down is that the designer your mom found FedEx’d some sketches for the dresses for the bridal party and Chloe.  I’m pretty sure which ones I want, but I was going to show the sketches to Sydney, Harriet, Jackie and Carolyn to get their input.  I’ve already shown Chloe the sketch of her dress and she loved it.  Gunny has a line on the roses and Singer contacted the caterer.  That reminds me, I’ve got some suggested menus from the caterer.  We need to decide on the menu for the reception within the next few days.  Let me see, what else?  The organist from the chapel faxed over suggestions for music during the ceremony itself.  Tiner has arranged for all the non-flower decorations for the reception, Carolyn found a baker and got a price list and design suggestions for the cake, and Alan found a DJ for the reception.  The DJ would like us to provide a list of the songs we definitely want played at the reception – the first dance, dances with the family, as soon as possible.  He said he’d provide a list of other songs to play so we could make suggestions or veto a selection.  I think that’s it so far.”  

“Sounds like everything is coming together rather well,” he commented.

“Let’s see if you still think that in a few weeks when we’re all running around going crazy, convinced that nothing is going to come together in time,” she teased. 

“Oh, ye of little faith,” he teased in return.  “With so many people helping out, how can it not come together?”

1650 ZULU
JAG vs. MILITARY POLICE SOFTBALL GAME
WASHINGTON, DC

Harriet shifted her son into a more comfortable position on her hip as she walked towards the bleachers while Bud unloaded his equipment and their cooler from the minivan.  She caught sight of Meg, Kate and Jon Williams and waved in greeting.  “Nice to see you could make the game,” she said.  “I’m sure you could use the break from the Johns and Hodge cases.  Did Commander Krennick come with you?” 

“Hello, Lieutenant Sims, isn’t it?” Meg said.  “The Commander is going over some files at JAG, but she gave the rest of us the day off.  I love coming to these games.  I used to play for the JAG team when I was stationed here.”

“Please just call me Harriet,” she replied, holding on to AJ just a little tighter as he squirmed in her arms, trying to get down.  “AJ, you can get down when we get to the bleachers,” she told her son.  

“What a cute little boy,” Kate said.  “How old is he?”

“Fifteen months,” Harriet replied with a smile on her face.  She never passed up the opportunity to talk about her son.  “His name is AJ, but you’ll often hear him referred to as little AJ to distinguish him from big AJ over there.”  She nodded towards the Admiral, who was on the field throwing warmup pitches to Tiner.  She noticed her husband walking towards them and called to him, “Bud, I want you to meet the lawyers I was telling you about.”

Bud joined them and immediately recognized two of them.  “Lieutenants Pike and Austin, it’s good to see both of you again,” he greeted them.

“Hello, Bud,” Meg said.  “It’s good to see you again.  I hear you’re a lawyer now.  I’m glad to hear JAG is working out for you.”

“Thanks to your recommendation,” Bud reminded her.  “It has been great.  I graduated third in my class at law school and I’ve been fortunate to have learned so much from Commander Rabb and Colonel Mackenzie.”

“It’s a pleasure, Bud,” Kate said.  “I’m a Lieutenant Commander now.  What about you?  I’m sure you’ve moved past Ensign.”

“Full Lieutenant now,” he replied.  “I got promoted around the same time I graduated law school.  Where are you two working these days?”

“I’m out in Hawaii at the Pearl office,” Meg told him.  “Kate has just left Okinawa and will be transferred to Pensacola when we wrap up these cases.  By the way, Bud, this is Major Jon Williams from the San Diego office.  Jon, this is Lieutenant Bud Roberts, one of the lawyers at JAG headquarters.  Jon and Commander Krennick are handling the Johns case while Kate and I are prosecuting Chief Hodge.”

“Commander Krennick is here, too?” Bud asked, astonished and a little worried.  He was one of the few who knew of the history between Harm and Allison.

“Bud, I didn’t know you knew Commander Krennick, too,” Harriet said.  “When did you meet her?”  

“She was part of a JAG team that came to the Sea Hawk when one of our officers was murdered the night we docked in Norfolk,” he told his wife.  “That’s where I met Meg, too.  She and Commander Rabb were the other members of the investigative team.  I met Commander Pike during an earlier JAG investigation aboard the Sea Hawk.”

“I didn’t know that or I would have mentioned to you they were here,” Harriet said.

AJ began squirming in Harriet’s arms again, reaching out for something behind his mother.  She turned and saw Harm and Mac walking towards them.

“Unca Harm, Aun Mac,” AJ squealed.  Reaching the group, Mac held out her arms and Harriet handed AJ to her.  After her hug, he quickly demanded Harm’s attention.  “Unca Harm, plane,” he pleaded, holding his arms out to Harm.  Harm set down the equipment and cooler he was carrying, taking AJ from Mac and lifting him above his head while the other adults watched in amusement. 

“Bud, Harriet, you’d better watch those two together,” Mac teased.  “Harm might be a corrupting influence on AJ.”

“Very funny, Marine,” Harm shot back.

“Well, Colonel, it’s good practice,” Bud joked.  “In a few months, he can provide a corrupting influence for your children.”  Everyone laughed at the look of mock horror that crossed Mac’s face as she shook her head.

Handing AJ back to Harriet, he hugged Meg then Kate.  “Meg, Kate, it’s good to see both of you again,” he told them.  “I’d heard you two were in town.”

“It’s good to see you again, too, Harm,” Meg said warmly.  “You heard that Commander Krennick came with us?” 

Harm nodded and something in his expression told Meg that Krennick was a topic that was best not pursued, so she quickly changed the subject, “How was your investigation in Texas?”

“Pretty cut and dried,” he said.  “There was a mechanical problem with the navigation equipment in the Tomcat which caused it to come in off course and the pilots in both planes compounded the problem by panicking.  Both were relatively inexperienced.”

“Sorry, Harm, I almost forgot,” Meg said.  “Commander Harmon Rabb, this is Major Jon Williams.  He’s also part of the prosecution team.”

Harm held out his hand and Jon shook it.  “Welcome to Washington, Jon,” Harm greeted him.   

“Thank you, Commander,” Jon replied.  “I’ve heard a lot about you and I am glad to finally meet you.  Commander Krennick has spoken about you a lot.”

Harriet noted to pained expression that briefly flashed in Mac’s eyes at the second mention of Krennick’s name and decided to see if her friend needed someone to talk to.  Obviously, there was some kind of problem there.

Harm ignored the mention of Krennick and suggested with a glance at Mac and Harriet, “Why don’t we go sit down?  I’m sure Harriet and Sarah both need to get off their feet.”

“Amen to that,” Mac said to Harriet.  “I’m beginning to move into the stage where my feet hurt all the time and my ankles are swollen.”

“I wish I could tell you that would pass,” Harriet replied, “but you can look forward to more of the same for the rest of the pregnancy.”

“Wonderful,” Mac muttered.  “Also I discovered today the joy of trying to tie ones shoes while pregnant.”

Harriet laughed, “I know what you mean, but that’s what we have the guys for.”

Mac laughed in return.  “I discovered that one today, too,” she said.  “What would we do without them?”

“Well, we wouldn’t be in the position we are now without them,” Harriet joked.

“This is true,” Mac replied while everyone laughed.

“Sounds like my wife when she’s pregnant,” Jon commented.

“How many children do you have, Major Williams?” Harriet asked.

“Please, call me Jon when I’m out of uniform and we have three,” he replied.  “Our youngest is just four months old.”

“It must be hard being away with such a young baby at home,” Harriet commented.

“Yes, but you can’t exactly tell the brass to stuff it if they want you to go somewhere,” Jon said.  “I bought a digital camera recently and I insisted that my wife e-mail me pictures of the baby everyday while I’m gone so at least I will recognize him when I go home.”

“That’s a great idea,” Harriet enthused.  “I wish we’d thought of it when AJ was born.  Bud went out on a lot of investigations the summer after AJ was born.”

“Poor Bud, missed so much because we were short handed at JAG,” Mac teased, earning her a stern look from Harm.  “You know, Harriet, a digital camera might have come in handy when we were scanning those pictures to e-mail to the Patrick Henry.  Then again, if AJ’s godfather had stayed. . . .”

Harm interrupted, “Ha, ha, very funny, Marine.”

“I thought so,” she shot back, smiling. 

“Hey, are you people going to stand there and talk all day,” AJ called out, “or are some of you planning to play ball?  Talk about the wedding after the game.”

“Were we talking about the wedding?” Mac asked.  “I don’t think I’ve even heard the word since we got here.”  Harm, Bud and Harriet all shook their heads while Meg, Kate and Jon looked slightly puzzled.

“Regardless, Rabb, Roberts, get out here,” AJ said.

Harm and Bud set everything except their bats and gloves on the bleachers, then headed towards the field at a trot while everyone else joined Sydney and Jackie on the bleachers.

“So, who’s getting married?” Jon asked.

“I am,” Mac replied, careful not to say more.  After what had happened with Krennick, she was a little unsure how Meg and Kate would react to the news that it was Harm she was marrying.  “Five weeks from today.  Since I was in the hospital, everyone has been chipping in on the planning.”

“If you don’t mind my asking,” Meg said, “how is the chain of command thing being handled?  I assume one of you is going to have to transfer out of JAG.”  At Mac’s puzzled look, she continued, “Dr. Walden mentioned it when we interviewed her for the Hodge case.  She was concerned about how quickly the case was going to be wrapped up, said you didn’t need the stress with the wedding coming up and everything.”

Mac looked at Sydney.   “You worry too much,” she said.  “I’m handling everything just fine.”

“You can understand my concern,” Sydney replied, “especially after our talk on Wednesday.”  

“That situation is different,” Mac said.  “And anyway, I did take your advice and talk to him about it.  We’re taking a wait and see approach.  Maybe we’ll be lucky and nothing will happen.”

Mac looked back at Meg and replied to her earlier question, “I don’t mind your asking.  It’s not like it’s a secret or anything.  Actually, Harm is taking a job as a military liaison on the Hill.  He’ll be kind of ‘on loan’ to JAG when he’s not busy there.”

“Sounds like a good arrangement,” Kate commented.  “Congratulations on the wedding and on the babies.  Someone mentioned that you’re having twins.”

“Thank you,” Mac said, relieved that Kate and Meg both seemed to be taking the news well.  Now she only had Krennick to worry about.  “And yes, we’re having twins in February.  Anyway, I didn’t know you two were going to be at the game today or I would have brought your invitations to the wedding with me.  Harm figured that he’d talk to you both on Monday about coming.”

“Watch Harm get married?  I wouldn’t miss it,” Meg said enthusiastically.  “You said the wedding’s five weeks from today, right?  Where is it going to be?”

“That’s right,” Mac confirmed, “and it’s going to be at the chapel at Annapolis.”

“We’ll probably still be around then,” Kate said, smiling.  “Meg’s right, we wouldn’t miss seeing Harm get married for the world.”

“Speaking of the wedding,” Harriet asked, “did you bring the sketches?”

“Yes, I did,” Mac replied, pulling the FedEx envelope out of her bag.  She handed it to Harriet, who pulled out the sketches while Sydney and Jackie looked over her shoulder. 

“I love this one for the wedding dress,” Sydney said, indicating the top sketch.  “I don’t know if I’d go with white, though.  With your coloring, I think you’d look better in ivory.”

“I agree,” Jackie concurred, glancing at the other sketches.  “I like this wedding dress best.”

“Glad to hear that,” Mac said,  “since that’s the one I like best, too.  And I was planning to stay away from white and go with ivory anyway since this is my second marriage.”

“I don’t think anyone pays attention anymore to the idea that only a first time bride can wear white,” Harried pointed out.  “But I do agree with Sydney; I think ivory would look better with your coloring.  What about for the bridesmaids?”

Mac pulled a sketch out of the stack and place it on top.  “I like this one best,” she said.  “It’s simple and can easily be adjusted for Harriet.”

She pulled out another sketch.  “The flower girl’s dress is a smaller version of the bridesmaids' dress, but I was planning to go with ivory for that, same as my dress,” she said.  She pulled a smaller envelope out of her bag and pulled out two fabric samples.  “I was thinking of these colors for the bridesmaids, the darker one for Harriet and the lighter one for everyone else,” she continued.  “I didn’t want to go too light on the bridesmaids dresses since it will technically be a fall wedding.”

“I think these are perfect,” Jackie said.  “I think this color will look good on all of us.  When’s the first fitting?”

“If everyone’s available, then we can all meet at my house next Saturday morning,” Mac said.   All three women quickly assured Mac that they were available.  “Now I just need to see if Carolyn is available,” she added, “and get Harm out of the house that morning.”

“I could bring AJ with me and you could suggest that Harm take Bud flying,” Harriet suggested.  “They haven’t gone in a while and Bud really misses it.”

“There’s an idea,” Mac said thoughtfully.  “That’s probably one of the few guaranteed ways to get Harm out of the house.  Tell him to go flying.  He hasn’t been since we found out I’m pregnant, so he’ll probably jump at the chance.”

“Does he still have that yellow Stearman that he restored?” Kate asked.

“Of course,” Mac replied. 

“A Stearman is an old World War I-era biplane, isn’t it?” Jon asked.

“Yes,” Mac answered.  “His grandfather earned his Navy wings in a similar plane.  Harm’s dad bought the plane and they were going to restore it together.  After his dad went MIA, the plane sat on his grandmother’s farm until Harm started restoring it after his crash.”

“I remember the first time I went up in that plane,” Meg said.  “He was doing all these rolls and loops and I kept checking to make sure I was securely strapped into my seat.”

“First time I went up,” Mac related, “he gave me the controls and had me do a roll.  Then I did a loop and had trouble pulling out of it.  I’m terrified that I’m going to crash this plane into the ground and Harm is sitting in the rear cockpit laughing."

“From what I heard from Bud,” Harriet interjected, “nearly crashing that plane into the ground was the least of your worries on that trip.”

“Please, don’t remind me,” Mac joked.  “After everything that happened on that trip, it took him six months to convince me to go back up with him and that was only after he promised to bring weapons in case we had to make another emergency landing.”

“This is another story I don’t think I’ve heard,” Sydney commented as Mac groaned.

“Please, don’t tell Sydney this story,” she urged Harriet and Jackie.  “She doesn’t need to hear any more stories that she can use against me at my engagement party.”  While Harriet and Jackie both nodded, Harriet looked at Sydney and mouthed ‘Later’.

SUNDAY, 27 AUGUST
1445 ZULU
HARM AND MAC'S HOUSE
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA

"Why didn't you wake me?" Mac asked as Harm came in from jogging.  "I would have gone with you."

Harm walked over to the couch and leaned over her, kissing the top of her head.  "I thought you could use the sleep," he said as he sat next to her on the couch.  "You were restless last night."

"I had a hard time finding a comfortable position to sleep in," Mac explained.  "I didn't keep you up, did I?"

Harm brushed off her concern.  "I'm fine," he assured her.  If she had to live with nine months of weight gain and lack of sleep, among other things, it wouldn't hurt him to lose some sleep too.  Watching the pregnancy progress had given him a new appreciation of what women went through.  "Do you have any plans for today?"

"The Lawson court-martial is starting tomorrow, so Bud is going to come over this afternoon and we're going to do a final run through our plan of attack," she said.  "He's bringing AJ with him.  He said that Harriet could use the break to catch up on some sleep."

Harm's appreciation rose another notch.  Not only did Harriet have to deal with the weight gain, lack of sleep and the other associated effects of pregnancy, she had to do it while trying to keep up with an active toddler. "What about you?" he asked, concerned.  "You've only been back at work a week so you're still playing catch up plus you haven't been getting as much sleep as usual recently."

"Harm, I appreciate the concern, but I'm doing okay," she said.  "I'll take a nap this afternoon after Bud leaves.  Anyway, I've still got six months to go.  I don't think it's going to get better any time soon." 

"I just don't want you overdoing it, okay?"

Mac looked at him silently, the message in her eyes clear.  He held up his hands in mock surrender.  "I know," he added.  "You're a Marine and you can take care of yourself.  Doesn't mean I'm not going to be concerned and watch over you."

Tears started falling from Mac's eyes, startling Harm.  Without a word, he pulled her into his arms so that she was sitting across his lap and just held her as she cried against his chest.  After a moment, she pulled away slightly and looked up at him as he brushed the tears from her cheeks.  "I'm sorry," she said, smiling slightly.  "I guess it's one of those hormonal things.  I don't know what came over me.  I guess I'm just not used to being cared for like that."

"What about Brumby?" he asked reluctantly.  "I may not like the guy, but. . . ."

"Yeah, he was sweet and he liked to take care of me," she explained, "but sometimes - I don't know.  It's almost like his attention could be suffocating at times.   You remember when Coster was stalking me?  You were concerned and you showed that, but you also knew when to back off and let me deal with things at my own pace.  Or like when my father died and you knew just how far to push me to get me to do what I needed to do for myself.  When I went to Australia after that incident with the mishap report, I know he was trying to show his concern, but he kept pushing me to talk about what had happened and to let him help.  I had already discussed what had happened with you and I really didn't need to rehash it.  What I needed was a chance to get away from it all with no pressures." 

"And you didn't get that?" Harm asked, trying not to sound judgmental.

"I know he was trying his best," she answered, "but he didn't really understand what I needed.  He never really knew me well enough to know when to push me and to know when to back away.  On the other hand, you always seemed to know that."

"Maybe it's because we've known each other so long," he pondered, "or that we just belonged together, even though we were too stupid or too blind to see or admit it."

"Given that, it seems a little hard to believe that I agreed to consider marrying him," she mused. 

"Well, unfortunately, I didn't help out my cause after nearly six months on the Patrick Henry and those two weeks in Australia," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but if I'd listened better in Australia. . . ." she began, then shook her head.  "We've already been over this.  I don't see the need to rehash it."

Time to back off, Harm thought.  Changing the subject, he asked, "What time is Bud coming over?" 

"He said that he was going to have lunch with Harriet and AJ first," she replied, "so about one." 

Harm glanced at his watch, then looked at Mac, a gleam in his eye.  "I did just come in from jogging," he said suggestively as he let his hands roam over her back, "so I need to take a shower.  Care to join me?"

"Well, I already took one this morning," she teased, resisting the urge to laugh at the crestfallen look on his face.  "But I would not object to taking another one," she added, pressing against him.

Later, Harm laid back on their bed, propped up on pillows as he watched Mac get dressed, an appreciative smile on his face. 

"Are you planning on getting dressed," she asked as she buttoned her shirt, "or are you going to lay up here all afternoon while I'm downstairs with Bud and AJ?"

Harm's answer was cut off by the ringing of the phone.  Mac, standing next to the nightstand, picked it up.  "Hello?"

"Colonel Mackenzie, it's Meg Austin," Meg said.  "I was wondering, if you haven't eaten already, if you and Harm would like to have lunch with me."

"Please, call me Mac," Mac insisted.  "And I'm sorry, I'm meeting with Bud about a trial starting tomorrow, but let me pass you over to Harm.  Maybe he 'd like to go."  She covered the mouthpiece with her hand as Harm looked at her questioningly.  "It's Meg.  She wanted to know if we'd like to have lunch with her.  I can't since Bud is going to be here in twenty-three minutes, but maybe you'd like to."

Harm took the phone from her.  "Hi, Meg," he said.  

"I thought you and Mac would like to go to lunch with me," she explained. "Kate and Jon both have friends in the DC area that they're visiting and Commander Krennick - well, she wouldn't be my first choice for a lunch companion."

Harm laughed, "Mine either.  As you've already heard, Mac is working today, but I don't have any plans, so I'd be happy to join you.  Did you have someplace in mind?"

"Well, I'm staying in billeting at Ft. McNair and someone told me that the food at the O Club here is pretty good," Meg said.  "It's just down the street, which is convenient since Krennick has the car."

"If you'd like to go off post, I can take you somewhere," Harm suggested. 

"The O Club is fine," Meg assured him.  "What time do you want to meet?"

Harm considered for a moment.  "Give me about forty-five minutes," he said. 

"Okay," Meg agreed.  "I'll see you then.  Bye, Harm."

"Bye, Meg," Harm returned and hung up the phone just as Mac tossed some clothes in his direction.  As he began dressing, he asked, "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"No, go ahead," Mac said.  "I gave Meg and Kate our number yesterday because I figured they would want to get together with you sometime while they're in town.  It was nice of Meg to include me in the invitation.  I'm sorry I can't come.  Anyway, I was thinking about inviting them both over for dinner sometime.  We talked some in the stands during the game yesterday and I like them.  Now, if Krennick had called. . . ."

"Don't worry," Harm said.  "If she had called, I wouldn't agree to get together with her under any circumstances, even if she did invite you along.  Neither of us needs that particular headache."

"Agreed," she replied.  "Didn't we agree that we that we were going to forget about her this weekend?"

"Her who?" Harm teased.

1730 ZULU
FT. MCNAIR OFFICER'S CLUB
WASHINGTON D.C.

"I'm sorry Mac couldn't join us," Meg said.  "I like her, Harm.  She's nice, she has a pretty good sense of humor for a Marine, and most importantly, she makes you happy."

"She does make me happy," Harm agreed as he took a bite of his salad.

"I could tell," she replied.  "Yesterday, at the picnic after the game, I watched you two together.  It was cute watching how you would hold her hand or put your hand on her stomach and listening to you call her 'Sarah'."

"Cute?" Harm echoed.

"Yeah, cute," Meg confirmed, smiling.  "Seriously, with her you seem more, I don't know, relaxed than I think I've ever seen you. Your life has always revolved around the Navy, whether it was flying or JAG. You seem to have different priorities now.  I'm sure your career is still important to you, but your life seems more balanced now."

"You're right," he agreed.  "My life has always revolved around the Navy, even when I was a kid, having an MIA father, wanting to be just like him.  I've always wanted a family, but never really pursued the idea, except for once and then it was too late."

"You mean Diane," she stated.  "You took it hard when she died."

"I did," he said, "and it took a long time to get over.  But I finally did, with help."

"Mac."

Harm nodded.  "I had never told her about Diane," he explained.  "When she finally found out, she listened to me talk about her and then she stopped me from making what would have been one of the stupidest mistakes of my life when I finally found her killer."

"You found her killer?" Meg asked.  "Who?"

"Commander Holbarth, the Sea Hawk's XO," he replied.  "When he ignored her sexual harassment claims, she threatened to report him, so he killed her.  When I found out, I went after him and Sarah  followed me."

"You wanted to kill him," she stated.

"Before I could do anything, Sarah showed up and Holbarth had a rather strong reaction," he revealed.

"He thought he'd seen a ghost?" she asked.

Harm nodded again and added, "It was raining that night and I'd left her standing out in it outside my apartment.  Bud offered her one of Harriet's uniforms to wear, so when she showed up in Norfolk, wearing a Navy uniform, Holbarth thought Diane's ghost had come back to haunt him.  He lost his footing and fell off the dock.  He was crushed between the dock and the hull of a ship."

"It must have been pretty hard for you, too," Meg commented, "seeing Mac in that uniform." 

"Not as hard as the first time we met," he replied.  "Then, even with her wearing a Marine uniform, all I could see was Diane's face.  But it didn't take me long to realize that while they may look alike, inside they were completely different.  But that night, while I was a bit stunned when I first saw her in the uniform, I knew it was her."  He was silent for a moment, looking down at his salad before continuing.  "She told me that I saw her as Diane that night and I never corrected that assumption," he added quietly.

"You know, when I first saw her in the Admiral's office Tuesday morning," Meg said, "it startled me.  Then someone told me that you two were getting married and I admit that I was a little worried about you.  I'm sorry, I know that probably sounds bad, suggesting that you would fall for her looks alone or use her as a substitute for a dead woman." 

"I can see how people who don't know Mac and I or who haven't seen us together might think that," Harm said.  "You have nothing to apologize for."

"Anyway," she continued, "you're obviously very happy, so I'm happy for you. I'm looking forward to the wedding."

"I've got invitations for both you and Kate," he told her.  "I'll bring them to work tomorrow."

"Mac said that yesterday," she said.  "We're both looking forward to it.  I don't think either of us is willing to pass up the chance to watch Harmon Rabb, of all people, get married."

"Very funny, Meg," he said.  "I know we haven't been in contact much since you left Washington, but you are a good friend and it means a lot to me that you're happy for me."

"You know, I'm not sure if I should ask this, but speaking of old friends, what about Krennick?" she asked.  "Does she know yet?  I noticed yesterday you got this funny look on your face when her name was mentioned."

Harm was silent for a moment and Meg noticed that he got that same funny look again.  Finally, he said, "I stopped in at JAG yesterday morning and ran into her.  She knows that I'm getting married, but unless someone has told her more since then, she doesn't know it's Sarah."

"From the look on your face yesterday and just now, I'd say that seeing her yesterday did not go well," Meg commented.

"She made some rude comments about Sarah and her resemblance to Diane," he explained, "among other things.  I left right after that."

And you were pretty angry, I'll bet, Meg thought.  "I take it she is who you were talking about when you mentioned the possibility of people who haven't seen you and Mac together jumping to the wrong conclusions," she said.  "I'm sure it is not a surprise to you that she was interested in you, back when we were all at JAG together."

"No, it isn't," he confirmed.  "But it surprises me that you are aware of it.  She was always so careful to avoid anything in public that might be construed as improper.   It wouldn't have helped her ambitions to be charged with sexual harassment."

"I wouldn't have been," she replied, "if it weren't for Hong Kong.  Otherwise, she was always careful to present a strictly professional front in public."

"What happened in Hong Kong?" he asked.

"When you were missing, she admitted that she wanted you," Meg revealed. "If she hadn't thought that you might be dead, I know she wouldn't have said anything."  Meg didn't think there would be any benefit in telling him that she had admitted the same thing and for the same reason.  "You think she might cause problems, especially after she finds out that you're marrying Mac?" she asked.

"I honestly don't know," he admitted.  "I hope not.  After everything that's happened, Sarah doesn't need the additional stress."

"You know, I don't know Mac very well and I haven't seen that much of you two together," Meg said, "but from what I saw yesterday and from listening to you talk about her today - if you two love each other as much as I think you do, then you'll be fine.  She won't be able to touch you."

"Thanks, Meg," Harm said.  "That means a lot to me to hear you say that." 

"Anytime, Harm," she said, smiling.  "Anytime."

MONDAY, 28 AUGUST
1150 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Harm breathed a sigh of relief as he entered his office.  He and Mac had not run into Krennick when they had arrived at work.  Questioning Gunny, he found out that the four visitors were meeting with the Admiral about their cases.  He resolved to stay away from her as much as possible and to not let her get to him if he did run into her.

Smiling, he headed for the kitchen to get some coffee, where he ran into Tiner.  "Good morning, Tiner," he said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Sir," Tiner replied.

"When do you start OCS?" Harm asked.  "I haven't heard anything about it since the Admiral announced it in the staff meeting a few weeks ago.  We were supposed to have a party for you that Friday."

Tiner remembered.  The Admiral had made the announcement the day of the shooting and after what had happened, no one had been in the party mood.  "2 October, Sir," he replied.  "Then I start law school at George Mason the week after I return from Pensacola."

"Not much time to catch your breath," Harm commented, sipping his coffee. 

"No, Sir," Tiner agreed, "especially starting back to work here at the same time.  But I am looking forward to working with Colonel Mackenzie and you, at least when you're not on the Hill." 

Harm smiled.  The Admiral had already informed him that Tiner would be aiding him and Mac, much as Bud had done while he was in law school, although Tiner would also spend a few weeks shadowing Imes and Mattoni while Harm and Mac were on leave after the babies were born.  "We're looking forward to having you work with us," Harm told him as Allison and Jon entered the kitchen.  Forcing himself to keep smiling, he greeted them with a nod and said, "Commander, Major.  Tiner, if  the Admiral asks about my Ft. Worth report, I'll have it for him before the staff meeting.  I'm getting ready to go over it one last time."

"Yes, Sir," Tiner replied as Harm left the kitchen.  Allison quickly poured herself a cup of coffee and followed Harm back to his office.

In her own office, Mac looked up from the Lawson file just in time to see Allison head for Harm's office.  Sighing, she considered calling Harm's phone to give him an escape, but decided against it.  But she would keep her ears open just in case things got heated in there.

Allison entered the office without knocking to find Harm already seated at his desk, going over the report for the Admiral.  "Commander, I need to go over your statement in the Johns case with you this morning," she said without preamble.

Harm didn't look up from his report, replying, "I need to finish this report for the Admiral and then, as I'm sure you are already aware, there is a staff meeting.  I should have some time after that however."

Allison pushed the door closed and leaned over his desk.  "Commander," she said, placing special emphasis on his rank, "you seem to be taking this case rather lightly."

Harm finally looked up, barely concealed fury evident in his eyes.  "Oh, I take this case very seriously, Commander," he said angrily.  "The woman I love could have died at that. . . .bastard's. . . .hands.  We could have lost the babies she is carrying.  Two other people did die and three others were injured, also.  You have no idea what I am feeling, so do not presume to tell me that I am taking this lightly.  Once again, you are way out of line."

She forced herself not to react.  Unlike Meg and Kate, she had not heard that Harm and Mac were expecting more than one baby.  Damn her, Allison thought.  That Marine obviously has a very tight hold on Harm.    "It is my job to win this case, Commander," she retorted, "and to do that, I need the cooperation of all the witnesses.  I'm going for the death penalty and I intend to win."

"And when you do win it, I'm sure there will be more than one person here who would be happy to throw the switch," he said.  "I have no doubts in your ability as a prosecutor.  Everyone in this building is behind you and Major Williams one hundred percent on this case.  Just don't make this personal between me and you.  There is no me and you.  Never has been and never will be."

"Speaking of which," Allison asked, "have you told your girlfriend about us? Better yet, how much does she know about Diane?   I can't believe that you're pining over your dead Academy sweetheart that much that you would go out and find a woman who looks exactly like her.  I wonder how your Colonel would feel about that?"

His eyes on her, Harm picked up his phone and hit a button.  "Can you come in here please?" he asked, then hung up the phone.  A moment later, there was a knock at the door and Mac stuck her head in.  Harm gestured her in. "Please close the door behind you," he said.

Mac did as he requested and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk while Allison remained standing, barely controlling her rage.  She couldn't believe that Harm was managing to push all the wrong buttons in her, never stopping to consider that she'd brought it on herself.

"Commander Krennick, I want to get something straight with you," he said, "and I want Sarah to hear this.  You see, we have no secrets from each other."  He looked her straight in the eye and continued, remaining deadly calm, "You are here to prosecute a case which my fiancée and I have the misfortune of being involved in.  We support your prosecution of this case and have no problem dealing with you in that capacity. 

"But should you approach either of us outside of your professional capacity as prosecutor of this case and I will have no problem with going to Admiral Chegwidden and telling him everything, from the first time you approached me at my apartment to the conversations Saturday and this morning."  He paused to let the promise sink in, then continued, "You once indicated that you saw me as a threat to your ambitions.  You push me - either of us - and you will find out just how much of a threat I can be.  Have I made myself clear?"

"I believe you are perfectly clear, Commander," Allison replied tightly. 

"Good," Harm said.  "Then I would appreciate it if you would leave now.  I will see you and Major Williams after the staff meeting to discuss my statement in the Johns case.  Is that acceptable?"

"It is, Commander," she replied before turning and leaving the office, closing the door behind her. 

After she was gone, Harm let out a sigh of relief.  "I'm sorry about that," he said, "but I wanted to make sure she is aware of where I stand once and for all and that I mean business."

"Harm, I'm sure you realize that you just backed her into a corner," Mac said, taking one of his hands in hers across the desk.  "She may lash out."

"I know," he said, "but I have made her aware that if she does, I intend to lash back.  You know, back then I was a little bit flattered by the attention from her.  And it did occur to me that if I had reported her, it be a blow to my ego for people to think that I couldn't handle a woman.  But it's not just me involved this time.  You and our children are my life and what affects me affect you."

"Harm, you know I am behind you completely," Mac said.  "I just wish I was more confident that this is the right way to go." 

"I just hope Krennick will take the time to think about it," he said, "and decide that I am not worth risking her career over.  If I do have to go to the Admiral, it would very likely ruin her career since it would not simply be a case of he said/she said."

"You mean, because Bud knows about the harassment," she suggested. 

"Not only that," he told her, "but Meg told me yesterday at lunch about a conversation that she and Krennick once had when I was being held captive by the Chinese.   Of course, Krennick was too smart to say that she was harassing me, but she did admit to Meg that she wanted me."

"In and of itself, not really damning," Mac mused, "but combined with yours and Bud's stories of the actual harassment. . . ."

"It would bury her," he finished.

WEDNESDAY, 30 AUGUST
1620 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Mac wearily sank into her office chair after court recessed for lunch, kicking off her shoes underneath the desk and flexing her ankles.  She idly wondered if anyone would notice if she just closed her office door for a couple of hours and took a nap.  She could let Bud handle the prosecution in the Lawson case and she could rest her aching and tired body. 

“And I have to go through this for almost six more months?” she muttered to herself.

“Sorry, Ma’am?” Harriet asked from the doorway.

“Just talking to myself,” Mac said, motioning her into the office and towards a chair.  “I didn’t see you there.  Did you need something, Harriet?”

“I just wanted to see if you would like to have lunch with me, Colonel,” Harriet said as she sat down.  “Bud got called into the Admiral’s office just now and I noticed that Commander Rabb is nowhere around.”

“I must be more tired than I thought,” Mac said, noticing for the first time that from her vantage point, it was obvious the lights in Harm’s office were off.  “I hadn’t even noticed that Harm wasn’t here.”  She looked down at her desk and found a folded sheet of paper.  She unfolded it and quickly read the brief note.

“’Got called to Bobbi’s office.  Will try to be back in time for lunch.  Love you, H.,’” she read aloud to Harriet.  “Since he obviously has not made it back yet, I think I will have lunch with you.  Maybe you can give me some tips on making through the next six months.”

“I don’t know how much advice I can offer, Ma’am,” Harriet said as Mac slowly rose from her chair and grabbed her cover.  “I mean, I’m sure having one baby at a time is a lot different from having two.”

“Harriet, one baby or two, I’ve never done this before,” she reminded her friend as they headed for the kitchen.  “On that score, you know a lot more about pregnancy than I do.”

“I guess so, Ma’am,” Harriet replied as they entered the kitchen. 

Mac opened the fridge and looked for the lunch that Harm had put away that morning.  Spotting it, she put a hand on her hip and sighed, “Only a man. . . .”

“Ma’am?”

Mac gestured towards the open fridge.  “Only a man would put a pregnant woman’s lunch on the bottom shelf,” she completed the thought.  Carefully, she stooped and pulled her lunch container out of the fridge then slowly straightened back up.

“Ma’am, you know I love Bud,” Harriet said, “and I know you love Commander Rabb.  But if we were to wait for them to be considerate all the time about our conditions, we’d be waiting a long time.  I mean, a few months ago, when I was trying on dresses for the Surface Warfare Ball and nothing fit, Bud commented that because I was pregnant, I was supposed to look fat.”

Mac looked at her for a moment, trying to determine if she was serious.  “Bud said that?” she asked, incredulous.  “Harm has actually been the opposite in that regard.  He’s been trying his hardest to reassure me that I look beautiful, not fat.”

“Maybe he could give Bud some pointers,” Harriet said whistfully as she reached around Mac to get her own lunch off the top shelf in the fridge.

The two women took their lunches downstairs and found an empty table in the courtyard to sit at.  Harriet was surprised when Mac pulled out a salad.  “Did you grab Commander Rabb’s lunch by mistake, Ma’am?” she asked.

“No, but Harm did pack this for me,” Mac replied.  “With the babies on the way, he’s trying to get me to lay off the Beltway Burgers.  But how I’m supposed to eat four thousand calories a day on this stuff, I’ll never know.”

“Four thousand calories, Ma’am?”  Harriet asked.

“Dr. Calder said that a daily intake of about four thousand calories helps insure a good birth weight for the babies,” Mac explained.  “She said that low birth weight can be a result of the mother not eating enough, especially in twins.”  She paused for a moment, laughing.  “You should have seen the look on Harm’s face when she said that food high in protein should be a big part of my diet, such as meat.  But I did agree to try and cut down on the fat and the junk food.”

“Except for the chocolate,” Harriet added, laughing.

Mac nodded.  “I need one vice,” she said.  “I’ve given up caffeine – only decaf coffee or tea for me.  I’m cutting down on fat and junk food.  I think I’m entitled to one little bad habit.”

“But chocolate has caffeine,” Harriet pointed out.

“Okay, so I’m not giving up caffeine completely,” Mac defended herself.  “It’s the babies’ fault.  I never was much of a chocolate eater before I got pregnant.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” Harriet agreed.  Then she smiled slyly.   “Or we could always blame the men who put us in this position.  After all, they don’t have to be pregnant for nine months, do they?”

Mac laughed loudly at that, causing everyone within earshot to turn and look at her.  She covered her mouth, trying to stop laughing, as Harm walked up to their table, briefcase in hand.  “What’s so funny, Marine?” he asked.

Mac only laughed harder, shaking her head as Harriet said, trying not to laugh herself, “Just girl talk, Commander.”

“Girl talk.  Uh huh,” he said in disbelief as he grabbed a chair from a nearby table and pulled it up to their table, sitting down.

"So how was your meeting with Congresswoman Latham, Commander?" Harriet asked, trying to divert his attention while Mac attempted to calm herself.

"Fine, Harriet," he replied, distracted, staring at Mac intently.  "Sarah?"

Mac finally managed to bring herself somewhat under control.  Still smiling, she replied, "I'm fine.  Just having a good laugh.  There hasn't been much to laugh about recently."

"I guess," he replied, still curious about what exactly it was that had amused her so much. 

Mac was saved from explaining more when she caught sight of Kate walking in their direction.  “Kate, would you like to join us?” she asked once the other woman was within earshot.

“Actually,” Kate replied, “I was looking for you and Harm, anyway.  I need to talk to you about the Hodges case.”

“Maybe I should go back inside and see if Bud is finished with the Admiral,” Harriet suggested as she started to get up.

“No need to leave on my account,” Kate assured her.  “I just wanted to discuss with Harm and Mac the plea bargain the defense has suggested.”

“What kind of plea bargain?” Harm asked, a slight edge to his voice.

“Reduced charges, Hodge goes to a psych hospital instead of back to Leavenworth,” Kate told them, “and we don’t tack on the remainder of his sentence from the previous charges.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve already agreed to this?” Harm said, the edge to his voice even more intense. 

“Harm,” Mac said soothingly, putting a hand on his arm, “let Kate finish.”

“It’s okay,” Kate said.  “I think I can understand why Harm feels the way he does.  And no, Meg and I have not agreed to this.  We both did agree that we wanted to talk to you about this first before we decided anything.”

“Let’s see if I’ve got this straight,” Mac interjected.  “Hodge goes to a psych ward for treatment, in a few years he is declared cured and released instead of going back to Leavenworth to serve out the remainder of his sentence for the previous charges from the Watertown.”

“Well,” Kate said, “his attorney’s argument is that he was lawfully released from Leavenworth.”

“Released because of a clerical error on some paperwork,” Harm said angrily. 

“I know,” Kate sighed.  “And believe me, after going over the case file from the Watertown and talking to Mac last week, I’d like nothing more than for him to go back to Leavenworth and serve the rest of his original sentence.  But I don’t know if it is that simple.  He was released because of a mistake the military made.  The UCMJ doesn’t really cover this type of situation.”

“Kate,” Mac said, trying to be the voice of reason, “I think it would be one thing if, after Hodge had been released, he had gone on the straight and narrow.  But he didn’t.  He falsified records to get a job at Bethesda and created situations where he could play the hero.  There were – what? – three other patients besides me where hospital officials suspect him of tampering with their medications or equipment.”

Harm looked at Mac curiously.  He had never told her all the details of his conversation with the Admiral, where he had found out how Hodge had been released from Leavenworth and about the other suspected incidents at Bethesda. 

“That is true,” Kate admitted, “but a lot of the evidence against Hodge in the other cases besides yours is circumstantial at best.  He got really good at covering his tracks.  Be honest.  If you hadn’t recognized Hodge, despite his changed appearance, would you have suspected Nurse Eustis of having tampered with your ventilator?”

“Probably not,” she replied softly.  “If this were my case to prosecute, I could see the difficulties.  Your major evidence against Hodge is my ID of him.  The oxygen tank he removed from my room was never found and no one saw him enter or leave the room.  In addition, no one would have suspected any of the other incidents if it weren’t for the similarities to what happened to me.  But none of that negates the fact that Hodge did not serve his full term in his first case.”

“Which leads me to my thoughts on a plea,” Kate said.  “We agree to the reduced charges and the psych hospital in the current case but insist that when he is released from the hospital, he return to Leavenworth to serve the rest of his sentence on the original charges that he has already been convicted of.”

“The defense would never go for it,” Harm said, his voice calmer.  “Not if he thinks he can successfully argue that Hodge shouldn’t be penalized because of a mistake the military made.”  

“I know, it’s a long shot,” Kate said, “which is why I need some help doing research.  I’d like to find some cases, military or civilian, where this type of situation has been dealt with before.  If we can go into negotiations with some cases that back up our position, it would give us the upper hand.”  

“I can help with that,” Mac said.  “My case load is still pretty light.  The Lawson trial is nearly over and the Admiral hasn’t given me any new cases yet.  Anyway, I have a vested interest in making sure Hodge pays for what he has done.”

“I can help, too,” Harriet offered.  “I help Bud with a lot of the research for his cases.  I’m sure Gunny would be willing to help, also.  He is really good at finding things out.” 

“Thanks,” Kate said.  “I appreciate the offer of help and I’m sure Meg will, too.”

“On that note,” Mac said, pushing her chair out from the table, “I really should get back.  Court starts up again in thirteen minutes.  Harriet, maybe we should get together with Gunny later and decide how to divide up the research.”

She took one of Harm’s hands in hers and squeezed gently, smiling at him.  Leaning over, she whispered, “Try not to worry.”  Releasing his hand, she headed for the building.

“I really should go, also,” Harriet said with a slight grimace.  “I promised Lieutenant Singer some help with researching her current case.”  She got up and left, leaving Harm and Kate alone.

“From that look on Harriet’s face,” Kate commented, “I gather she doesn’t really care for Lieutenant Singer.”

Harm smiled grimly.  “No one really cares for Lieutenant Singer,” he explained.  “Her ambition is to be the first female JAG and she’s not particular about who she has to step on to do it.” 

“But what about Mac and Commander Imes?  They both outrank her,” Kate pointed out.  Harm was silent and Kate added, “Or has she already tried something underhanded?  With Mac perhaps?”

“Is it that obvious?” Harm asked.

“I wouldn’t say obvious,” Kate replied, “but it seems a logical conclusion given what you just said and the look on your face.”

“I’ve never told anyone this, not even Mac,” Harm said quietly.  “A few months ago, Mac was prosecuting someone Singer and Bud were defending.  Part B of the mishap report in the case somehow found its way onto the front seat of Mac’s car.  When it came out that Mac had seen the report, however inadvertently, she was thrown off the case.  If our CO had been anyone besides Chegwidden, she probably would have been thrown out of JAG.”

“And you suspected Singer of planting the report,” Kate guessed.

“Exactly,” he replied.  “After the Admiral chewed her out over it, she took some leave to think things through.  I didn’t see the point, at the time, of upsetting her further by telling her what I suspected.”

“But I can’t imagine you just let it drop,” Kate said, “not with Mac’s career on the line.”

“I did suggest to Singer that if I ever found proof of who put the report in Mac’s car, that I would destroy that person,” he said firmly.

“You really love her a lot, don’t you?” Kate said softly, staring at him intently.

“Kate,” he said, looking away from her, “I’m sorry if this upsets you.”

Kate shook her head, smiling, “No, I’m not upset.  You and I had fun together, but I never thought that it would become serious.  You and Mac have something special.  It was obvious Saturday at the game and picnic.”

Harm looked at her and smiled, “Meg said pretty much the same thing when we had lunch Sunday."

"She's right," Kate said.  "Having never been there myself, I'm not sure I can explain it very well, but. . . ."

Harm interrupted, grinning, "I am there and I can't explain it very well."

Kate laughed a little at that.  She had never seen him so relaxed and at ease with himself and the world around him.  As an ex-lover who still considered him to be a good friend, she was happy for him.  She had meant it when she'd said that she had never thought they would become serious.  She had been attracted to that grin of his that could melt a woman's insides, his looks and of course the dress whites and gold wings.  But the most they'd ever had between them had been lust.  They'd just been fortunate in that they had remained friends after it had ended.  "I guess the best way I can explain it is that she completes you," she said. "And you her."

Harm looked at her thoughtfully.  "That sounds familiar," he said, "and I guess that's as good a way to explain it as any."

"It's a line from Jerry Macguire," she explained.

"Ah," he said, understanding dawning.  "Maybe it's because she knows me so well, and I her.  We've told each other things that we've never told anyone else.  And we've been there for each other through some of the worst times of our lives.  When I returned to flying and I didn't see her for five months, it was as if a part of me was missing."

"You know what?" Kate said, smiling.  "If I ever find a guy who loves me half as much as you obviously love Mac, I'll be one of the luckiest women in the world."

"Thank you," Harm said, "although I guess I'm a little surprised."

"Why, because I'm an ex-lover?" Kate asked.  At Harm's shrug, she continued, "Like I said before, I never thought that we would become serious.  But I still do consider you a dear friend.  And as a friend, I'm very happy for you."

"I guess it's just that the women I've dated since I've known Sarah have tended to be a little jealous of the close friendship we have," he explained.  "One even suggested that I was secretly in love with her."

"Maybe they all saw something that you didn't," Kate suggested.  "From what I've heard about you two, everyone figured out that you two were made for each other long before you two ever did."

Harm grinned.  "Do you know how many times I've heard that over the last few months?" he asked. 

Kate laughed, "I can imagine."  She stood to leave, then added, "I need to go give Hodge's attorney a call and let him know about our counter offer.  Be happy, Harmon Rabb."

Harm watched her leave, thoughtful.  He was grateful that Meg and Kate were both happy for him.  Even though he hadn't seen them in years, he still considered them good friends.  Now if he could just keep Krennick off his back for the next four and a half weeks, everything would be perfect.  

1910 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Harm was heading for his office when Gunny stopped him.  "Sir, there's a call for the Colonel," he said.  He paused for a moment, then added, "It's from Bethesda."

Probably the amnio results, Harm thought, suddenly nervous.  "Mac's still in court," he said.  "I'll take the call.  Please transfer it into my office."

Harm headed for his office, entering just as the phone rang.  Sitting down at his desk, he picked up the phone and said, "This is Commander Rabb."

"Hello, Harm, it's Doctor Calder," she said.  "Is Sarah available?"

"Sarah's still in court," he said.  "I'm not sure when she will be free."

"I really need to go over these test results with her," Calder said.  "And before you ask, I can't just tell you.  Even if you are the babies' father, Sarah is the patient."

"Doctor-patient confidentiality," he said.  "As I lawyer, I understand, unfortunately.  I can have her call you back as soon as she. . . . hold on a minute, I see her coming."  Setting down the phone and getting up, he went to the doorway of his office and motioned to Mac.

She turned and headed in his direction.  "What is it?" she asked.

He took one of her hands and led her into his office, closing the door behind them.  "Dr. Calder's on the phone," he told her.  "She has your test results."

Mac took a deep breath and Harm could feel her hand trembling in his.  "I'm sure it will be fine," he said.  "If it was bad news, don't you think she'd tell us in person and not over the phone?"

Mac nodded hesitantly.  "You right," she said softly.  "If it was bad, she wouldn't do this over the phone." 

Harm gestured for her to sit in his chair.  She did and picked up the phone lying in the middle of the desk.  "Dr. Calder, it's Sarah," she said.  "Are my babies okay?"

"The babies are fine, Sarah," Calder reassured her.  "The amnio found no abnormalities.  Are you ready to hear the sex of the other baby?"

Mac looked at Harm and smiled, silently letting him know that everything was fine.  He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.  "Yes," she said, "I'm ready."

"As you know from the ultrasound," Calder said, "twin A is a girl and the amnio confirmed that.  As for twin B. . . ."

As she remembered the ultrasound, an idea came to Mac and she suddenly interrupted, "Dr. Calder, before you say any more, I have an idea.  Since Harm couldn't be with me when I had the ultrasound and found out the sex of the first baby, I want you to tell him the sex of the other."  She paused as Harm looked at her, surprised.  "I think it's fair," she explained, as much to Harm as to the doctor.  "I was the first to find out the sex of the first baby, so I want him to be the first to find out about the other one."

She handed the phone to Harm as he mouthed the question 'Are you sure?'  At her nod, he took the phone and said, "Dr. Calder, it's Harm."  He nodded, then added, "Thank you, Doctor.  We'll see you next week at Sarah's appointment.  Goodbye."

He reached around Mac to hand up the phone, then pulled a chair around the desk and sat down next to her.  He took her hands in his, fiddling with the engagement ring on her left hand. 

His silence was beginning to unnerve Mac, despite the knowledge that everything was fine with the twins.  "Harm, we're not talking life and death here," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.  "Just tell me, are we having a boy or a girl?"

Harm chuckled a little.  "Sorry, it's just – I'm suddenly overwhelmed," he tried to explain.  "When we first made that deal last year, I never expected it to feel like this."

Mac smiled as she remembered their deal and how she had told him about the sex of the first baby.  "Well, how about this," she asked, "is he going to have my looks and your brains or are we having another one with your looks and my brain?"

Harm grinned at her and took a deep breath.  "Let's just say," he said, "that he'll be perfect."

"He?" Mac echoed, dazed.

Harm nodded.  "We're going to have a son," he whispered.

Tears in her eyes, Mac repeated softly, "We're going to have a son."  Suddenly, she cried out in excitement, throwing herself into his arms.

Outside Harm's office, everyone within earshot stopped and turned towards the closed door, curious.  Gunny, who had an idea what the call had been about, rushed in to allow the couple their privacy.  "Come on, people," he said.  "There's nothing to see here."

Everyone gathered in the bullpen turned and looked at him, about to protest, until they all noticed the Admiral standing behind him.  Suddenly, everyone found other things to do and other places to be, scattering.  Gunny turned around and looked at the Admiral, who in turn was looking at the closed office door.

"Gunny, any idea?" he asked, nodding towards the door.

"Colonel Mackenzie got a call from Bethesda," he explained quietly so that no one else would overhear.  "I believe it was from her OB."

AJ nodded, thoughtful.  "I hope everything is okay," he said as the office door opened.  One look at Harm and Mac and AJ knew that all was well.  Both were smiling and Harm's hand was resting on Mac's shoulder.

"Since I'm sure everyone is curious," Harm said as everyone stopped and turned to look at them, "we have an announcement to make."  He looked around the bullpen before continuing.  "Are Bud and Harriet around?"

Lauren, standing at the edge of the bullpen, went to Bud's office.  She found Bud at his desk, looking through a file.  "Bud, where's Harriet?" she asked.  "Commander Rabb and Colonel Mackenzie said they have an announcement to make and they asked for both of you."

"I think she went to the bathroom," Bud said.

"I'll go get her," Lauren said.  "You head out to the bullpen."

Bud went to the bullpen to find most of the staff gathered.  A moment later, Lauren and Harriet entered the bullpen, coming to stand behind him.

Harm looked around and satisfied that everyone important to them was present, he continued, "Last week, we found out the sex of one of our babies, but we wanted to wait until we knew what the other one is going to be before we made an announcement." 

He looked at Mac and she continued, "I just got a call with the results of the amnio that I had last week.  First, the babies are fine.  There are no problems due to the shooting or the surgery."  She paused as everyone expressed their relief at that news. 

After a few moments, everyone quieted and looked back at her and Harm expectantly.  "As Harm said, last week we found out from an ultrasound the sex of one of the babies, which is a girl," she went on, excited.  "The other baby, we just found out from the amnio results, is a boy."

"We're going to have one of each," Harm finished, smiling widely.

"That's wonderful, Sir, Ma'am," Harriet said excitedly as she walked up to them.  "I'm so happy for both of you."

"Thank you, Harriet," Mac said as all their friends gathered around to offer their congratulations.  

As Kate and Meg were offering their good wishes, Harm looked past them to see Allison standing at the edge of the bullpen, watching with an unreadable expression on her face.  Noticing Harm's eyes on her, she turned suddenly and walked away.

Harm wasn't the only one who had noticed Allison's reaction to the news.  Watching while everyone else offered their best wishes, AJ was looking around the bullpen when he saw Allison turn and leave.  He knew that Allison and Harm had their problems professionally before she had transferred to Hawaii, but he didn't understand why Harm and Mac's news apparently upset her enough that she left so suddenly.

Pushing his concerns aside for now, AJ let the commotion continue for a few moments before he said loudly, "Let's get back to work, people."  Everyone moved off, going back to their work.  

AJ looked at Harm and Mac and smiled before heading back into his own office.  "Hoo rah," he said, just loud enough for Harm and Mac to hear.

FRIDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER
2135 ZULU
BABIES R US
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

"You know, we still have almost six months before they will even be here," Harm pointed out as he and Mac began exploring the store.  "But we are getting married four weeks from tomorrow.  We should be concentrating on that right now."

"Maybe they'll be here in six months, maybe not," she reminded him.  "Anyway, the wedding is coming together just fine with all our friends' help.  So I want to spend an evening concentrating on our babies."

"The nursery isn't anywhere near being ready to start putting furniture in there yet," he said.  "I still need to paint in there and put up wallpaper, if we want it."

"Harm, there is nothing wrong with looking and planning," Mac said, beginning to sound exasperated.  "We are going to have twins, meaning we have to buy double of everything.  Not to mention the fact that we are having a boy and a girl, meaning we have to buy for both sexes.  That is going to take planning.  In addition, we probably should have paint and wallpaper picked out before you do that, shouldn't we?"

Harm held up his hands in surrender.  "Okay, point taken," he said, hoping to calm her down.  "We can look and think about what we need to buy.  Did you talk to Harriet?"

"Yes," Mac said, pulling a folded sheet of paper out of her purse and handing it to him, "and she gave me this.  It's something Bud pulled off the internet when they were expecting AJ.  It's a checklist of things to buy."

Harm unfolded the paper and glanced at it, his mouth dropping open in surprise.  "They need all this?" he asked.

"Yes, they do," Mac said, taking the list back from him.  "And we need double of everything, remember?"

"We could almost send them to college on what we're going to have to spend on them," he said, stunned, "and they're not even here yet."

"Harm, these are our children and money is no object," she said, glaring at him.

Oh, no, he thought.  Time for a hasty retreat.  "Sarah, I didn't mean it like that," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders.  "Come on.  What do you want to look at first?"

"Why don't we start with cribs?" she suggested, calmer now.  "They're going to be spending quite a bit of their time there."  She led him towards the display of cribs as she added, "Harriet suggested getting a convertible crib."

"Convertible?  Sounds like a car," he said, confused.

"It's a crib that can grow with the baby," she explained.  "As the baby outgrows the crib, it can convert to a toddler bed, then to a headboard for a double bed.  Saves having to buy a new bed as they get bigger."

"That sounds reasonable," he said as they separated and began looking at the hang tags on various cribs. 

After a few minutes, Mac waved him over to where she was.  "Here's one," she said.  

He joined her and looked the crib over, shaking it.  At her puzzled look, he said, "Bud suggested it, to check for sturdiness.  We don't want a crib that will fall apart."  He then looked at the tag.  "Almost four hundred dollars for a crib?!" he exclaimed. 

Mac took a deep breath before replying, "I know, it's a little on the expensive side.  But do we want to spend less money now and have to spend hundreds more dollars in a year or two for a new ed, or spend more money now on a piece of furniture that we can use for years."

Harm shrugged.  "When you put it that way," he said, "it sounds more reasonable.  But that's eight hundred dollars for two.  I don't think my – correction, our bed – cost that much."

"That's because you made the headboard when you were remodeling your apartment," she pointed out.  "All you had to buy were the mattress, box spring and rails."

"Here, Iet's write down the information on the crib," he suggested.  "Then we can do some comparison shopping before we actually buy anything."

Mac dug a pen out of her purse and wrote down the manufacturer, model number and price for the crib on the back of her checklist.  "We need to look at mattresses next," she said. 

"For that price, shouldn't it come with the crib?" he asked, incredulous.  Having spent half his adult life on various Naval vessels, he was used to not needing a lot.  Even watching Bud and Harriet have AJ, it had never really occurred to him just how much babies needed.

Mac pointed at the tag.  "It says 'mattress not included'," she said.  They walked over to the mattresses, looking for the dimentions mentioned on the crib's tag.  As they looked, Mac asked, "Have you given any thought to baby names since we found out we're having one of each?"

"Well, I'm not sure I want a Harm III," he said, "but other than that, I haven't really thought about boy's names.  There is one name I've kind of always had in mind for a girl, but I'm not sure what you're going to think."  As he looked over the mattresses, he commented, "Couldn't they standardize the size on these, as they do for adult beds?"

"Why?  That would make sense," Mac shot back.  "So what's this name you have in mind?" 

"Sarah Patricia," he said, "after my grandmother and mother."

"Don't you have enough Sarahs in your life?" she teased.  "How about Patricia Sarah?"  

"I don't know," he replied, "I just thought Sarah Patricia Rabb sounded better to my ears than Patricia Sarah Rabb.  Anyway, what can I say?  Sarah has always been a favorite name of mine." He shot her a dazzling grin.

"No," she said, pointing a finger at his chest and shaking her head, even as she felt a familiar warmth spread through her.  "I am not letting that flyboy grin of yours get to me.  No way."  

He looked at her with his best puppy dog eyes and she sighed.  He knew just how to make her weak in the knees.  It was a good thing he wasn't wearing his dress whites or she'd be agreeing with anything he said.  "Then I want Harmon for our son," she said as he started shaking his head.  "For your father," she added.

"What about Matthew?" he countered.  "I would have thought you would want to name a boy after your uncle."

"I can," she said, leaning closer to him.  "I think Harmon Matthew Rabb has a nice ring to it.  And since he would have a different middle name, he wouldn't technically be Harm III."

"What about Matthew Harmon Rabb?" he asked, even as he knew he would probably give in to her, especially if he wanted her to go along with his name suggestion.

"As someone already said," she pointed out, smiling, "I think Harmon Matthew sounds better to my ears."

Harm sighed.  "We don't have to decide now," he said, even as he knew that their children would end up being Sarah Patricia and Harmon Matthew Rabb.  "We still have almost six months."

SATURDAY, 2 SEPTEMBER
1505 ZULU
HARM AND MAC'S HOUSE
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA

"So, have you given any thought to your married name?" Sydney asked asked as the JAG women all sat around the living room, chatting while they waited for the pizzas they had ordered for lunch to arrive.  Aside from the bridal party, who had come to have their measurements taken for their dresses by Rachel Carlisle, the designer Trish had found, Mac had also invited Lauren, Meg and Kate for a girls' day together.  Everyone, even Lauren, was getting along very well together.

Harm had invited AJ, Bud and Alan to the airfield, promising all of them rides in 'Sarah'.  Bud, who hadn't been up in the Stearman in a while, and Alan and AJ, who had never been up, had all jumped at the chance.  Harriet had brought little AJ with her and after a while of being happily passed around from lap to lap, he had gotten tired and Mac had offered her bed for him to take a nap in.

"I was playing around with it the other day," Mac replied, taking a sip of her glass of milk.  Mac had never really cared for it as a drink – unless it was chocolate – but Harm had started insisting that she drink several glasses a day.  Sometimes, she was tempted to hide all the baby books from him.  She loved him, but sometimes he could be exasperating going on about all the things that he thought she needed to be doing while pregnant.  "I got bored during lunch and wrote out several possibilities, trying to decide which one sounded best."

"Well, you have made a name for yourself in the military as Sarah Mackenzie," Harriet pointed out.  "That's one of the reasons I decided to keep my maiden name professionally.  That, and all the paperwork that has to be filled out to change your name."

"Of course, some women hyphenate their maiden and married names," Carolyn pointed out.  

"I thought of both of those," Mac said, "and, of course, Sarah Rabb.  Then, I also considered whether I wanted to go by different names professionally and socially or just use one name."  

"Sometimes makes you wonder why men can't change their names," Jackie joked as everyone chuckled.

"Finally," Mac continued, "I decided to go for the old-fashioned approach and change my name.  I don't think it will make a difference in how I do my job if I go by Sarah Mackenzie or Sarah Rabb.  No offense, Harriet."

"None taken," she replied, smiling.

"Anyway, I would be proud to take Harm's name," Mac said.  "I also think Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Rabb has nice ring to it.  I talked to Gunny yesterday about getting together the paperwork that I will need to change my name on all my military records and to get a new ID card.  He has also placed an order for a new sign for my office and business cards.  On Monday, I'll order new name tags for my uniforms."

"Well, this will definitely make things easier on the Admiral," Carolyn joked.  "Now, instead of asking for Rabb and Mackenzie when he wants to talk to you, he can just yell for Rabb."  

Harriet laughed as she added, "I can already hear him now – 'Get me Rabb!'"

Everyone laughed as Lauren jumped in, "At least you have different ranks.  If anyone wants to differentiate, they can just append Commander or Colonel in front of the name."

"Can you imagine if they were both Navy?" Meg asked.  "Then it would be 'Get me Commander Rabb.  No, the other Commander Rabb.'"

"Speaking of names, Harriet," Mac said, "have you and Bud thought about names for your baby?"

"Actually, we decided on a name several weeks ago," she said.  "We were going to announce it, but then everything happened. . . ."  She trailed off, reluctant to bring up the shooting when everyone was having fun.

"So, don't keep us in suspense, Harriet," Carolyn urged, drawing her attention back to the topic at hand.  "What is it?"

"Well, when I was pregnant before, we decided we wanted to name the baby after someone important to both of us," Harriet explained, "which is how we came up with AJ.  So we decided to do the same thing with this one."

"Okay, so is it going to be Sarah or Harmony?" Carolyn asked.  No one was surprised.  Everyone knew that aside from being mentors, Harm and Mac were Bud and Harriet's best friends.  

Harriet smiled.  "Actually," she replied, "both.  We decided on Sarah Harmony Roberts."

"Oh, Harriet," Mac said, tears in her eyes, "I'm honored and I'm sure Harm will be, too."  Suddenly, she started laughing, drawing puzzled glances from everyone in the room.

"Mac?" Sydney asked.

"Sorry," Mac said, wiping her eyes, "it's just funny and maybe a little ironic.  Harm and I were discussing possible names last night at Babies R Us.  Harm said that he has always wanted to name a daughter after his grandmother."

While most everyone looked at her, not sure how that related to Harriet's name choice, Meg and Kate started laughing.  "That is funny," Meg agreed.  "I guess you could say great minds think alike."

"What is Harm's grandmother's name?" Carolyn asked, curious.

"Sarah," Mac replied, eliciting laughter from everyone else.

"Well, Sarah is a popular name," Jackie pointed out.  "I guess if Harm can live with having both a wife and daughter named Sarah, then there's nothing wrong with having both a Sarah Rabb and a Sarah Roberts."

"As was pointed out earlier," Lauren said, "if you want both of them, you only have to call one name."

"So, is this a definite name or are you still thinking about it?" Kate asked.

"Well, nothing is definite yet," Mac replied, "but I have a feeling that we will go with our first choices for names.  Harm wants Sarah Patricia for his grandmother and mother and I suggested Harmon Matthew after Harm's father and my uncle."

"So your babies will be named after you and Harm, but not really," Sydney said, amused.  "Of course, you could always call them by their middle names to avoid confusion, except that most people call you Mac, so I guess that would cut down on the confusion."

"Except that since we have been together, Harm has taken to calling me Sarah," Mac pointed out, "and I'm not about to suggest he go back to calling me Mac.  I really like hearing him call me Sarah."  She smiled, remembering how hearing her given name on his lips made her weak in the knees and warm inside.

"You could always swap the names completely," Jackie suggested, "go with Patricia Sarah and Matthew Harmon."

"That idea was discussed, also," Mac replied.  "When he first suggested Sarah Patricia, I suggested reversing the names, but Harm is really close to his grandmother, perhaps closer than he is to his mother.  After his crash, he spent his time recovering at her farm and she helped him decide to go to law school.  I can understand why he would want to name a daughter after her.  He suggested the same thing when I said I wanted Harmon Matthew for our son.  I told him that if he was going to insist on Sarah for our daughter, then I was going to insist on Harmon for our son."  

"Which mean that despite Mac's saying that nothing is definite," Sydney concluded, "we will be welcoming Sarah Patricia Rabb and Harmon Matthew Rabb into the world in about six months."

2150 ZULU
HARM AND MAC'S HOUSE
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA

"Hey, is it safe to come in?" Harm called out, smiling, as he entered the house from the garage.  He was in a good mood.  He had just spent the day flying and it had felt good to be up in the air again, to feel the wind in his hair.  And Bud, AJ and Alan had all enjoyed themselves also.   It had been a very good day.

He nearly tripped over Jingo stretched out on his side on the floor of the foyer.  At the disturbance, the dog lifted his head to look at Harm with tired eyes.  Satisfied that nothing was wrong and Harm belonged there, Jingo laid his head back down and closed his eyes.

Harm continued into the living room and found Mac stretched out on the couch asleep, her head resting on her outstretched arm.  She looked so peaceful in sleep, he reflected, as if she didn't have a care in the world.  He leaned over and brushed a stray lock of hair away from her cheek, brushing a finger across the satin smoothness of her skin.  Straightening, he turned to leave, not wanting to disturb her.

"Harm?" Mac asked sleepily, propping herself up on an elbow.  Harm turned back to look at her.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's okay," she assured him, pushing herself into a sitting position as she rubbed her eyes.  "I should get up anyway.  I've been asleep for two hours and fourteen minutes."

Harm sat down next to her on the couch, gently rubbing her shoulders and back.  "Did you fall asleep after everyone left?" he asked.

Mac nodded.  "We had fun today, just sitting around and talking about the wedding and stuff," she explained, "but it was a little tiring, too.  I thought I'd lay down and rest a little bit before I cleaned up, but I guess I was more tired than I thought."

As she spoke, Harm stood and started straightening the living room, picking up the papers and notebooks scattered around.  "Harm, you don't have to do that," Mac insisted.  "I'll take care of it." 

"It's not a problem," he said as he put all the papers in a neat stack on the coffee table.  "You want to get some more sleep?  You could go upstairs and lie down for a while longer."

"No, I really don't want to lie down," she said, stifling a yawn.  "So how was your day?  Did you and the guys have fun flying?"

"Yes," he replied with a grin.  "Bud was happy to go back up again and the Admiral and Mattoni enjoyed it, also.  They can't wait to go up again."

"I'm glad everyone had a good time," she said.  "I know you haven't been able to go flying as much recently, and I'm. . . ."

"No, don't say you're sorry," he insisted, walking over to her and placing a finger over her lips.  "I don't mind having other things to occupy my time.  As much fun as I had flying today, it's not as much fun doing things without you.  I missed having you around today."

"Tell me that after we've been married for years," she teased with a chuckle, "and you're just dying to get away from the ball and chain."

"'Ball and chain', huh?" Harm echoed.  "I'll never think that."

"So you say," she shot back with a grin.  "I'm glad you had a good time today.  We did, too.  Even Lauren was on her best behavior and I think Meg and Kate were happy to be included, also."  

"That's definitely a noteworthy event," he commented.  "So can I ask what you ladies talked about or is it something men aren't supposed to know?"

"Well, we talked about the wedding, of course," she replied, leaning against his chest as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.  "Everyone is happy with the dress designs and the colors I picked out.  Rachel Carlisle, the designer your mom found, is really great and she doesn't have a problem being available at the last minute to make sure Harriet's and my dresses fit.  We're going to get together next Saturday morning for the first fitting of the actual dresses."  

"I'm sure Bud, Mattoni and the Admiral will be happy to go flying again," he joked.

"I'm sure they will be," she said.  "We also discussed whether I'm going to change my name after we get married."

"Well, are you?" he asked.  "I mean, do you want to?  I've never brought it up before because I thought it should be your decision.  I didn't want it to seem like I was trying to influence you one way or the other."

"Actually," she said, "it wasn't much of a decision to make.  After everything that has happened in my life and between us, I really want this to be a new beginning – not just for the two of us and our family, but for me, too."  She shrugged.  "I don't know if this is making any sense to you, but so much has happened in my life that I'm not proud of.  Now, I can make a fresh start and try to put everything bad that's ever happened behind me."

"Sarah, I know you've had a lot of bad things happen in your life," he said, kissing the top of her head, "but going through all those things – and surviving them – has made you into the person you are today.  They've made you the woman I fell in love with."

"I know, but I've been carrying around so much baggage for so long," she tried to explain, "that I want to try and start my – our new life together with a clean slate."

"Changing your name or not changing your name isn't going to change who you are," he pointed out.

"I know that," she said, "and it's not just that.  Maybe it sounds a little old fashioned, but I would be proud to take your name.  I don't feel that I have to keep going by Sarah Mackenzie to have a separate identity.  I don't know.  This probably isn't making much sense."

"No, I think I understand," he said.  "So you want to change your name to Rabb, professionally as well as personally?"

"I've already asked Gunny to get together all the paperwork I need to change my name on my military records and to apply for a new ID card," she replied.  "He's also ordered a new sign for my office door.  Anyway, I think 'Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Rabb' has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" She finished by flashing him a bright smile.

"No more so than 'Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Mackenzie'," he pointed out with a smile, "but it's your decision.  Changing your name won't change who you are."

"You know, we also talked about names for the babies," she said.  "I told them about the discussion we had last night."

"And what did everyone have to say?" he asked.

"Everyone agreed that they thought we would end up going with our first choices for names," she replied, "Sarah Patricia and Harmon Matthew.  There's just one thing.  I mean, it's not really that big a deal; it's just interesting.  Has Bud talked about his and Harriet's baby to you?"

"Well, he did make some comments this morning about not being sure how to handle a daughter," he said.  "You know, about not being able to teach a daughter the same things you would teach a son, that kind of thing."

"Who says you can't do the same things with a girl that you do with a boy?" she mused.  "I mean, I'm a girl and I can kickbox.  I can also field strip a weapon and am an expert marksman.  So what's the big deal?"

"Well, I told him that I was planning to teach both our kids to fly," Harm pointed out with a grin.   "Maybe after almost a year and a half with AJ, he's just used to having a boy around."  

"I guess you two could learn together," she said, laughing.  "Before you know it, those girls will have their daddies wrapped around their little fingers.  Anyway, Bud didn't mention anything about potential names?"

"No," Harm said.  "I take it Harriet did?"

"Well," she explained, "Harriet said they thought about doing the same thing they did with AJ and naming their child after someone important to them – in this case, two someones."

"And?"

"They decided on Sarah Harmony Roberts as a name," she revealed.

"I don't know what to say," he said hesitantly.  "I'm certainly honored that they would want. . . ." he trailed off, realizing what she was getting at.  "So our daughters would have the same first name." 

"Looks that way," she said.  "I don't really see what the big deal would be and everyone else agreed.  Sarah is a popular name – unless I can talk you out of naming our daughter Sarah."  She laughed so that he would know she was teasing him.  "Anyway, I didn't think it would be right to suggest that Harriet and Bud name their baby something else."

"If Bud and Harriet don't mind our babies having the same name, I don't either," he told her.  "Does that mean that you've reconciled yourself to naming our daughter Sarah?"

"Well," she said, "I still think Patricia Sarah would sound just as good, but I do understand why you would want to name a daughter after your grandmother."

"I don't know what I would have done without her after my crash," he said quietly.  "She really helped me pick up the pieces and move on with my life in the Navy.  I can't imagine naming my little princess anything else."

"'My little princess'," Mac echoed.  "Not even born and she's already Daddy's little girl."

"Actually, that would be her name," Harm explained.  "Didn't you know that?  Sarah means 'princess'."

"I don't know if that really applies to me," she said with a trace of sadness in her voice.  "Anyway, where did you find that out?"

Harm got up from the couch and pulled a book out of the bookshelf on the other side of the room.  Sitting back down, he handed the book to her. 

"You've been reading a book of baby names?" she asked.

"I got this before we found out that we were going to have a boy and a girl," he explained.  "In fact, I bought it before we even knew we were having two.  I was having a little trouble coming up with ideas for boy's names – aside from Matthew, obviously – so I thought this would come in handy.  By the way, don't sell yourself short.  You're my princess."

"Flatterer," she teased, playfully swatting him with the book.  She flipped through the book until she found the listing for her name.  "'Sarah' comes from Hebrew and means 'a princess'.  Okay, smarty, what does 'Patricia' mean?"

"As I recall," he replied, "it has something to do with nobility also.  It definitely fits with 'Sarah'"  

Mac found the name.  "It comes from Latin and means 'of noble birth'," she read aloud.  "They do fit together as names."  She flipped through the book again.  "Hm, 'Catherine' means 'pure'.  Yeah, right.  That one doesn't really apply to me."

"Sarah," he said, rubbing her back.  "Don't knock yourself.  That's the woman I love you're talking about."

She decided to change the subject.  "So, I wonder what Harmon means?" she mused, flipping pages again.

"I wouldn't know," he said with a shrug.

"Like you didn't look it up. . . .here it is," she said.  "From the Greek or Latin and it means 'peace'."  She started laughing.

"It's not that funny," he complained. 

"I wonder what the Admiral would say," she said through her laughter.  "Shooting off automatic weapons in court isn't very peaceable, now is it?"

"Very funny," he deadpanned.  "I looked up 'Matthew'.  It means 'gift of God'."

"Yes it does," she agreed once she found it in the book.  "My uncle definitely was that for me."  She turned back until she found Harm's middle name.  "'David' means is Hebrew for 'beloved one'.  I think that definitely fits you."

"So, does this mean you're willing to go with 'Sarah Patricia'?" he asked, rubbing her swollen tummy with his free hand.

"Are you willing to go with 'Harmon Matthew'?" she countered.

"Weren't you the one who once said that one Harmon Rabb in your life was enough?" he pointed out.

"But that was Clark Palmer pretending to be you," she reminded him.  "Besides, if he's anything like his daddy, I'll have my hands full with him no matter what his name is.  All he'll have to do is look at me, flash that smile and I'll melt."

"Really?" he mused, pulling her across his lap.  "So I make you melt?"

"You know you do," she said softly, brushing his lips with hers.

"So does this mean we can name our daughter 'Sarah'?" he repeated hopefully.

"You don't give up, do you?" she teased, playfully swatting him.  "Our daughter will be Sarah if our son is Harmon.  If we want to avoid confusion, we could call them by a nickname or their middle names."

"I could see us calling our son 'Matt'," he mused.  "I don't know about our daughter.  I'm kind of stuck on the name 'Sarah'."

"Obviously," she laughed.  "When was the last time I heard you call me 'Mac'?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, shifting her in his lap so that her back was against his chest so he could massage her belly in slow circles.

"I don't think I've heard you call me 'Mac' since we've been involved," she stated, leaning back into his embrace.  "You've been calling me 'Sarah' all the time."

"Have I?" he asked idly.  "I hadn't thought about it.  I guess it's because I see you differently now – or I admit that I see you differently now.  You're not just my best friend. . . .is this making any sense?  Do you want me to go back to calling you 'Mac?"

"It makes some sense," she replied, "and as for what you call me, I like hearing you call me 'Sarah'.  I don't know, it sounds special when you say it."

"You are special, Sarah," he said earnestly, reminded of when she had been doubting her self-worth, both in the past and a few minutes earlier.  "And I don't want you to forget it." 

TUESDAY, 5 SEPTEMBER
1420 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

"Good morning, Harm," Clay said as he entered Harm's office and sat down.

"Don't you ever knock, Clay?" Harm asked, looking up from the report he was reading.  "What can I do for you today?"

"'Hello, Clay.  How are you doing today?'" Clay mimicked.  Harm stared at him and Clay shrugged.  "Actually, it's what I can do for you.  Remember, I was supposed to be finding your old Academy roommate for you?"

"So, where is he?" he asked shortly.

"Geez, Rabb, what is with you today?" Clay asked, a little exasperated with his friend.  Do a favor for a man. . . .

Harm dropped onto the desk the pen he had been fiddling with and sighed.  "The attorneys are giving their opening statements in the Johns trial today," he explained.

"I'm sorry, Harm," Clay said, genuinely remorseful.  "I'm surprised you're not in there."

"I can't be," he replied.  "As a witness, I'm not allowed in the courtroom until they call me to the stand."

"I see," Clay said.  He knew Harm was a man of action who didn't like sitting on the sidelines, waiting.  He decided to change the subject back to the reason for his visit.  "To answer your earlier question, Keeter is  - and I don't think I have to remind you that this is classified – running air recon missions over Central America, looking for drug runners."

"Since when does Keeter do recon in drug cases?" Harm asked. 

"Since we wanted someone who has worked with us before who can handle themselves if things get dicey," Clay pointed out.

"'Us' meaning the CIA," Harm said.  "I don't know why Keeter keeps working for you."

The same reason you do, Harm," Clay reminded him.  "He does his duty and he has a hard time staying away from the action.   I haven't been in direct contact with him, but I have passed on the message that he will be pulled temporarily from his current assignment in a few weeks.  We've already got someone ready to take his place while he's here."

"Thank you, Clay."

"See, that wasn't so hard, Rabb," Clay said.  "I didn't tell him why he was being pulled – mission security, you know.  And I thought you'd want to be the one to break the news to Keeter yourself."

"Since when is my wedding a threat to mission security?" Harm asked.

"Since no one is supposed to know Keeter is there," Clay explained patiently.  "If we tell Keeter he's leaving for a wedding, the wrong people might start putting two and two together."

Harm shook his head.  Sometimes, the Agency seemed a little too paranoid about security.  "When is he supposed to get here?" he asked.

"I won't know for sure until I receive confirmation that he has received the message," Clay replied, standing, "but we're looking at pulling him out the weekend before.  I've got a meeting at the Pentagon, so I'll see you later.  Oh, and Mother said to tell you that she received the invitation and is looking forward to attending the wedding."

"We look forward to seeing both of you there," Harm said.  "Thanks, Clay."

Harm watched Clay leave, a thoughtful expression on his face.  He'd been turning something over in his mind for a while now, but he wasn't sure how Mac was going to feel about it.  It couldn't hurt to look into it, he decided, picking up his phone.

"Gunny, can you come in here for a moment?" he asked, then hung up the phone.

A few seconds later, Gunny was standing just inside his doorway at attention.  "You wanted to see me, Sir?" he asked.

"Take a seat, Gunny," he said.  "I need a personal favor.  I need you to get some information on this person."  He wrote out some information on a piece of paper and handed it to Gunny.  "And don't say anything to the Colonel.  I'm not sure if I'm going to contact this person.  I'd just like to know how to get in touch if I decide to."

Gunny looked down at the name on the paper and nodded.  "Do you have any other information for me, Sir?" he asked.  "Last known location, anything like that?"

"Not really," Harm admitted.  "All I know that she was at her ex-husband's deathbed in California in the spring of 1999, which was the first time the Colonel had contact with this person since she was fifteen.  I wrote down her husband's name, date and location of death.  Maybe you can trace where she went from there.  I'm sorry I don't have more for you, but the Colonel doesn't really know much, either."

"I'll get on this as soon as possible," Gunny said.

"Thank you, Gunny," Harm replied.  "Dismissed."

After Gunny left the office, Harm turned in his chair to look out the window.  He hoped he was making the right decision.  He still wasn't sure that he was going to contact her, especially if it was going to upset Mac.  But maybe with her talk of new beginnings, maybe Mac would be willing to see her mother again.

1625 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

"Hello, Colonel," Jon Williams greeted Mac as he and Allison entered the JAG kitchen after court broke for lunch.

"Commander, Major," Mac returned, stirring her tea idly.  "How is the trial going so far?"

"It's going very well, Colonel," Allison replied confidently as she poured herself a cup of coffee.  "As I'm sure you're aware, the defense is going for the temporary insanity angle, but given this man's history, it will be a tough sell with the jury."

"I suppose," Mac said idly, her mind not really on the conversation.  She was just ready for it all to be over. 

"Well, I'll see you back in court, Commander," Jon said.  "Colonel, it was good to see you again."  He nodded towards Mac as he left the kitchen.

"I really need to go, too," Mac said, picking up her mug of tea and turning to leave the kitchen.  

"You don't like me much, do you, Colonel?" Allison suggested calmly, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Whether I like you or not is irrelevant," Mac pointed out just as calmly, determined that she wasn't going to let Allison get to her.  "You're not here to be liked, you're here to prosecute Sergeant Johns."

"Touché," Allison said.  "But you would rather have someone else prosecuting this case."

"That's not true," Mac said.  "From what Harm tells me, you're one of the best prosecutors in the Navy and this is a high profile case.  It makes sense that the Navy would assign its best to this case."

"I wonder what else Harm has told you about me," Allison mused with a smile.

"I don't really think JAG headquarters is the place for this discussion," Mac pointed out. 

"No, you're right," Allison agreed.  "Especially since what was between Harm and me went beyond work."

Mac was silent, realizing that Allison was trying to get to her.  She knew there had never been anything more than work between Harm and Allison.   "Good luck in court, Commander," Mac said as she left the kitchen.

In the hallway, Mac nearly bumped into AJ just outside he kitchen.  "Sorry, Sir," she apologized.  "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"That alright, Colonel," AJ said.  "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

Wondering if he had heard the conversation in the kitchen, Mac followed him to the elevator.  Both officers were silent until they were outside the building.  AJ began walking around the grounds and Mac followed.

"How is everything, Mac?" AJ asked.

"Fine, Sir," she replied carefully.  She was on guard at his use of her name.  It was rare for the Admiral to discuss personal business at work.  "The trial started today, so I guess I am a little concerned about that, plus things are a little hectic with all the wedding preparations right now.  But I'm okay."

"Mac, I'm saying this as your friend and not your commanding officer," AJ assured her.  "If there was a problem, you would let me know, wouldn't you?"

"Of course, Sir," she agreed, trying to keep the reluctance out of her voice.  "I would let you know if there was something to be concerned about."

"Sometimes," AJ continued, "people think that because I am in command, I don't see some of the things that are going on with the people below me.  But I see more than people think I do."  

"Sir, I don't know. . . ." Mac began.

"Let me finish, Mac," AJ interrupted.  "People usually don't think that a two-star Admiral would, for instance, notice that two of his people spent four years fighting their feelings for each other.  Or that the tension between two officers who used to work together has less to do with work than other things.  Just because I'm an Admiral doesn't mean I don't notice things or hear the scuttlebutt."

"Of course not, Sir," she agreed, beginning to see where he was headed.

"Sometimes a commander has to walk a fine line," he explained.  "For instance, an incident might appear to one person to be harassment, but the person actually involved in the situation might not see it that way, or they might think they can handle the situation on their own without getting anyone else involved."

"I suppose so, Sir," she said noncommittally.

"As a commander," he continued, "I have to decide whether this is a situation I need to get involved in or do I trust my officers to tell me they are being harassed."

"I can see how that would be a tough decision to make," she replied softly.

AJ stopped and looked her in the eye as he added, "Mac, the day the prosecutors arrived, I thought I saw something in your eyes when I suggested that Harm might appreciate a heads up on their presence. I didn't think it was my place to say more, especially since I didn't know how much you knew.  The other day, when you two made your announcement about the babies, I saw that someone was less than thrilled about your news.  And word at the softball game was that Harm was a little tense when a certain name was mentioned.  When I thought back to some things I noticed four years ago. . . ."

"Sir, we are handling it," she said, deciding not to pretend that she didn't know what he was talking about.  "Harm has explained everything that did – and didn't – happen four years ago.  She's only going to be here for this trial then she's gone.  We'll get through it."

"I'm sure you will, Mac," he agreed, "but I don't want you taking on more than you should.  If something happens, I want you to know that you can come to me.  Especially if you feel she is harassing you or Harm."

"Sir, I hope it will not come to that," she said.

2205 ZULU
HARM AND MAC'S HOUSE
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA

"You told him about Krennick?" Harm asked, incredulous.  She had filled him in on her conversation with AJ on the drive home from work.

"No, I didn't," Mac insisted as she unbuttoned her uniform blouse.  "He figured it out, he said.  According to him, he noticed some things both four years ago and since she has been here this time and put two and two together.  Anyway, Krennick is sinking herself.  She is the one who approached me at lunch today, suggesting that I didn't like her because you two once shared something that went beyond work.  The Admiral overheard and that's why he approached me."  

Harm shook his head as he sat down on the edge of the bed.  He was silent as he began removing his own uniform blouse, carefully laying it on the bed.  Mac watched him out of the corner of her eye as she picked up his blouse and carefully hung it in the closet.

"Harm, talk to me," she pleaded.  "Are you mad because I had this discussion with the Admiral?  He approached me.  Anyway, I thought you were the one who said you were going to go to him if she didn't back off."

"I'm not mad," he insisted, with a hint of frustration in his voice.  "I was just hoping that it wouldn't come to this.  You don't need the added stress right now."

"I know that," she said, pulling a pair of shorts and a t-shirt out of the dresser after hanging her own uniform in the closet.  "I'm the one who is pregnant.  I'm the one who got shot.  But you know what?  This isn't just about me.  You don't need the stress either.  You are the one she was harassing four years ago.  And Krennick doesn't strike me as the type to readily take 'no' for an answer."

"I'm fine," he said, standing to remove his uniform pants.  "You're the one I'm worried about.  On top of everything else, you'll be testifying in the Johns trial in a few days."

"I know," she said quietly as she sat down on the bed, watching as he changed clothes.  "Major Williams said that they're planning to put me on last, for the emotional impact.  Not that I can tell them much that the rest of you can't.  But the pregnant victim testifying is sure to impact the jury."  

"I spoke with Williams today, also," Harm told her, taking one of her hands in his as he sat back down.  "I'm going on right before you.  At least, since I will have already testified, I'll get to be in the courtroom when you take the stand."

"I'm glad," she said simply, looking down at their intertwined fingers.  "I just wish this was all over.  I wish the wedding was over and that we could settle down and get on with our lives."  She paused, then added, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded, about the wedding being over.  I just. . . ."

"I know what you meant," he said, looking at her with concern.  "There's a lot going on right now."  He had been debating whether or not to mention that he was trying to track down her mother, but decided that he should wait at least until after they testified at the trial.  She didn't need even more stress.  But he did have an idea or two about trying to ease some of the stress.  He'd have to work on that one tomorrow.

Mac noticed his concern and the fact that he had managed to change the subject away from Krennick and her harassment.  But how could they get through everything that was going on without something blowing up in their faces?

Continued in SECTION III