JAG Headquarters
Next Day
0850

Mac was sitting in her office quietly drinking a cup of coffee before her meeting with the Admiral. To say that her entrance into JAG five minutes ago was uncomfortable was like saying the Arctic was a little chilly.

Hoping to slip into her office unnoticed, she had kept her head down as she walked towards her office, only to be greeted loudly by Lieutenant Singer. “Good morning Ma’am. How are you today? I hope your day today is better than yesterday.”

Silence had fallen over the bullpen at Singer’s not so subtle reference to yesterday’s nightmare. Embarrassed and irritated by the junior officer’s impertinence, Mac had not taken it lying down. “Good Morning Lieutenant. I am fine, thank you for asking, and if you don’t want a taste of what happened yesterday to happen to you than I suggest you stay out of my way.” Giving the lieutenant a glare that apparently intimidated her, Mac extended the glare to everyone around the bullpen. Immediately everyone fell back to work and Singer faded back into the woodwork as Mac continued on to her office.

A knock at the door forced her to break out of her embarrassment. “Enter.”

Looking apprehensive, Harriet entered the office. “Ma’am, I don’t mean to intrude, but I wanted to know if…if…I can get you anything.” Harriet was struggling to avoid mentioning yesterday’s incident, but wanted to offer her support to her friend.

Shooting her a short smile, Mac tried to set her at ease, as she knew Harriet was trying to be nice. “Thanks Harriet, but no, there is nothing you can get me. I appreciate it though.”

Setting her coffee down, she rose and straightened her already immaculate uniform. “I have to go see the Admiral.”

Risking Mac’s wrath again, Harriet again conveyed her support and caring as best she could. “Good luck Ma’am.”

Mac took a deep breath and gestured to Harriet to precede her out of the office. As she shut the door she murmured quietly to Harriet, “Thanks. I’m going to need it.”

Then, she straightened her shoulders and walked calmly through the bullpen, aware of the eyes that followed her, but ignoring them.

Tiner was at his desk and rose as she approached. “I believe the Admiral is expecting me Tiner.”

“Yes Ma’am. He said for you to go right in.”

“Thank you Tiner.”

She heard the Admiral’s gruff “Enter” after she knocked at his door. Coming to attention in front of his desk she reported in. “Colonel Mackenzie reporting as ordered Sir.”

The Admiral looked up at the woman in front of him. He was pleased to note that she seemed calm and in control.

“Have a seat Mac.”

Gracefully she sat on the edge of the chair and waited for him to speak. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he leaned back in his chair, still trying to decide the best way to begin.

“Mac, what happened yesterday in this office was a disgrace. My Chief of Staff and Senior Attorney almost coming to blows is NOT something I ever want to see again.”

There was no change of expression on her face. “I understand Sir.”

“I’m glad you do. However, the only way to avoid this happening again is for you and Rabb to work out your differences. I intend to make sure that happens. Are you amenable to this?” He wanted to make sure she would at least give Harm a chance.

“Sir, I can only say that I would prefer that it not happen again either, and will do my utmost to ensure that it won’t.” She was not going to be the one fix this mess. She didn’t start it, and she sure wasn’t about to make it easy for the man who had trampled on her heart one two many times.

“That doesn’t answer my question Mac. I want a direct answer from you about this.”

“I don’t know Sir. I cannot say until I discuss the matter with him. If I cannot resolve those differences, I will be requesting a transfer Sir. I promise you I will not be responsible for disrupting this office with unprofessional behavior again.” This decision had been reached in the wee hours of the morning. She would not stay and subject herself to anymore indignity or torture at the hands of Harmon Rabb. This truly was his last chance.

Shocked, he stared at her, then decided to nip this idea in the bud. “Colonel, any transfer request would have to be approved by me. I have no intention of losing either one of you, so you had better concentrate on mending fences.”

“With all due respect Sir, it’s not up to me to mend fences. I am willing to do so, but it is not up to me. Commander Rabb has too…” She broke off, unwilling to finish the sentence, but he knew what she meant. Softening his tone, he attempted one more time to reach her. “Mac, you and he have been through a lot together. Don’t throw that all away.”

Stone-faced, she answered him. “I didn’t Sir. He did.”

He paused, considering her last statement. He couldn’t argue with her. “All I’m asking Mac is that you try.”

Finally she gave in an inch. “I am willing to listen Sir. And to do my part.”

He had to be satisfied with that. Glancing at his watch he saw that it was 0935. Hitting the intercom he asked, “Tiner, is Commander Rabb here?”

He noticed Mac stiffen.

“Aye Sir. He’s waiting to speak to you.”

“Send him in.”

Harm entered and stood at attention, only taking a seat after AJ waved him down.

Neither officer acknowledged the other one. The tension in the air was palpable. AJ looked at his officers, both sitting stiffly in their respective chairs, neither one looking at the other. Heaving a sigh, he started.

“I am not going to have another scene like yesterday’s in this office again, do you understand me?”

“Yes Sir.” Mac and Harm answered in unison.

“In view of the fact that this issue is between the two of you, I am expecting you two to resolve it. And I mean today. I have an appointment with the SecNav this morning at 1000 hours. I will be out of the office for at least two hours. When I get back, I expect this matter to be resolved and you two no longer at odds. You have the use of this office for the duration of my absence.”

AJ rose and picked up his cover. “I have also given orders that you two are not to be disturbed. There will, of course, be disciplinary action taken for that display yesterday. That will be discussed when I return.”

Giving both of his officers a stern look he turned to leave. At the door he looked back. “Do not mess with me about this. Have things worked out so that you can work together. I mean it.”

He turned again and walked out the door leaving the two officers alone together.

The silence continued. Harm wanted to speak, but didn’t know where to start. All last night he had rehearsed a speech as he tried to sleep, only to forget every single word of it now that he was here with Mac. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

Mac, for her part, was getting impatient, and the silence was getting to her. What the hell was she supposed to do? Just tell him it was okay and forget about it? She couldn’t. He had to make some gesture of apology at least. Then at least she could try to at least work with him, but he had to make some kind of gesture first. She wouldn’t accept anything less.

Finally Harm opened his mouth. “Mac?”

She turned to look at him. His eyes conveyed his fear, and his sorrow. The way he said her name, with such longing, almost undid her. She reminded herself to be strong, not to give in to those pleading eyes. That was what always got her into trouble with this man.

He began to speak, but she cut him off. “Before you say a word, there’s one thing you better know. I will not stand for you or anybody else to talk to me like you did yesterday. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that you didn’t mean it, that you didn’t realize what you were saying. But Harm, you basically stood there in my office and called me a whore. I took that crap enough in my life, and I don’t have to anymore.”

Immediately defensive, he leaped to his feet. “Hold on a minute Mac. I didn’t call you a whore.”

“You implied it.” The rage began to simmer again and her voice got louder.

Irritation with her crept into Harm. This was difficult enough without her blowing things out of proportion. His tone became steely as he paced back and forth in front of her. “I most certainly did not imply it. If I wanted to call you a whore, I’d come right out and say it, not dance around the issue. And I never even associated that word with you, so don’t put words in my mouth.”

“You dance around issues all the time! You always have! And I am not putting words in your mouth! I couldn’t get a word in your mouth because your foot is always there!” Rising quickly, she got right in his face, her temper getting the better of her.

“I’m SICK of dancing around issues! I’m sick of you treating me like…like…” Anger made her fumble for an analogy. Finally inspiration struck. “Like I’m a dirty old bone and you’re a dog. You don’t want the bone, but god forbid anyone else take it from you!

His own anger welled up at her harsh words. “I don’t treat you like a dirty old bone! And I tried to call an end to this dance, remember? It was YOU that couldn’t finish the conversation, it was YOU that ran away!” Furious with her now, he practically yelled at her.

Not giving an inch in the face of his fury, she yelled right back at him. “Oh that’s right. Blame me. It’s all my fault that we’re in this situation. It has nothing to do with the fact that if I brought up the subject, YOU weren’t ready for it. You were too busy chasing your blonde bimbos!”

Outside the office, their raised voices could be heard, although the words could not be understood.

A nervous Tiner looked up at Sturgis, who was giving him a file for the Admiral. “Don’t you think you should check on them Sir?”

Looking at the door from whence the raised voices were issuing from, Sturgis returned his glance to Tiner with a smile. “I don’t think I want to go in there, Tiner. Do you?”

“No Sir.”

Inside the Admiral’s office, the battle raged on.

“I never chased blonde bimbos! And they weren’t bimbos!” Thoroughly incensed now, he pointed his finger at her as he shouted, “Damn it, I came back from flying for you. All I wanted to do was try to make things right with you, and you had replaced me with Brumby!”

Resisting the urge to grab his finger and break it, she fought back just as loudly. “Oh don’t give me that. For the record, when you came back from flying Mic and I were just friends, we were not involved at all. And I walked in your office to find you calling Jordan, trying to make up to her! She was the bim…” Smirking at him, she changed the word. “LADY you came back for. You didn’t come back for me, and don’t try to snow me with a line like that!”

The anger drained from him when he remembered that time. Everything had been so awkward. He couldn’t seem to connect with Mac, and reaching out to Jordan had seemed the easier thing to do.

His voice lowered as his anger faded. “Mac, I did come back for you. But everything was so crazy, you were different, hell, I was different. I couldn’t fit in.” He turned away from her, trying to diffuse their confrontation. “I really thought you were involved with Brumby then. And I just needed someone to take my mind off it. That’s why I called Jordan.”

Struggling to soften her tone to match his, she asked, “Then why did you back away? In Australia?”

Looking like a 6 year old digging his toe in the ground, Harm didn’t meet her gaze. “Because I was scared. I just needed a little time to sort things out. I wanted you, but at the same time I couldn’t reach out to you. I needed to be in control of my life before I started anything with you.”

Despite her attempts, her voice started to go up again. “You were in control enough to start something with Renee.”

“Mac, it just happened. It was a knee-jerk reaction to your wearing Brumby’s ring. I never meant for it to go as far as it did.” He looked up from the floor. “I tried to put away those feelings after you got engaged. She seemed the easiest way to forget them.”

Damn him. He always seemed to be able to get to her. She tried to hold on to her anger, to remember that he was flirting with the architect just a few days ago.

“It’s all water under the bridge anyway Harm.” Leaning against the Admiral’s desk, she looked up at the ceiling as she crossed her arms. “None of that changes where we are now. Which is nowhere. You can flirt, date, or marry any blonde bimbo you want, you don’t need my permission. All I ask is that you accord me the same respect. And for the record again, I am not involved with John. But there is a small chance that someday, somewhere, someone might actually want me. And I don’t need you to screw that up for me just because you don’t think I merit actually being with someone.”

Shocked, he again faced her head on. “Is that what you think? That I don’t think you’re good enough?”

Determinedly she met his gaze. “What else am I supposed to think? You certainly don’t think I’m good enough for you, look how easily you gave up on us. And apparently everyone else that looks at me is too good for me too.”

Gently he reached up to touch her cheek. “Mac, I never…” Jerking her head away, she turned and walked to the fireplace, staring into the burning logs. “Don’t Harm. I can’t play these games anymore, they’re too painful.”

“Mac, in my wildest dreams I never thought you weren’t good enough, for me or anyone else.” Coming up behind her, he took her arm to gently turn her. When she wouldn’t turn, he simply put his arms around her from behind her, hugging her tenderly. “I always thought the men you wanted weren’t good enough for you, me included.”

Unbidden, the tears welled up. She choked them back as she pulled away from him, unwilling to trust, unwilling to give up the anger. “Don’t Harm.”

Unfazed, he followed her few steps, but didn’t touch her. “Why Mac? Let’s get it all out in the open. For once.”

Whirling, she startled him as she shouted at him again. “All out in the open? OK, you asked for it. How long is this little episode of ‘comforting Mac’ going to last? One week? Two? Until your next date with the blonde…” She stopped herself from the word bimbo. “… architect? Or until she fixes your screwed up plumbing?”

Unseen by either of them, the Admiral quietly poked his head in the door without knocking. At Mac’s loud question, he smiled to himself and withdrew his head. At least they were talking. It was about time.

Recognizing the jealousy and hurt for what it was, Harm didn’t rise to the bait this time. He kept his tone quiet and even. “Mac, there are so many things I need to apologize to you for. Caroline is only one of them.” Mac’s eyes flashed at the sound of the architect’s name, but she kept quiet. Barely.

“First, I’m sorry for all the pain I’ve ever caused you. Believe me, it was never my intention to hurt you. There are so many times I’ve wanted to reach out to you, to just love you with every part of my being, but I couldn’t. And eventually, it became a habit to back away, to not face uncomfortable situations and to deny everything I felt for you.”

Smiling gently at her shocked expression, he again reached for her cheek to gently cup it. This time she didn’t move away. “I didn’t want to go out with Caroline, Mac. I got trapped into it. That’s no excuse, but it is the truth. It’s you I want. It’s you I love. And it’s you that I need. I love you Sarah.”

Her chocolate eyes opened wide at his admission. As tenderly and gently as he knew how, he leaned over and touched his lips to hers, praying all the while that she wouldn’t pull away or fight him.

The shock of his revelation left her dumfounded. Completely unprepared for his declaration of love, she did the only thing she was capable of at that moment. Nothing.

The touch of his lips to hers induced her eyes to close automatically, the sweet persuasion of his mouth momentarily overwhelming her. It was a brief kiss, but when the warmth of his mouth left hers she almost whimpered from the sudden loss.

“Sarah?” The sound of her name whispered in his husky voice caused her eyes to flutter open. He was staring at her, worry all over his face.

And Harm really was worried. Maybe he had really overstepped this time. Maybe it was too late for them. As her eyes fluttered open, his heart, already racing from the kiss, started doing double time in his chest. The look of wonder in her eyes made his hopes soar sky high.

When the wonder changed to doubt, his hopes plummeted.

“Harm, do you mean it?” How could she not know? Everyone in this office knew, hell, probably everyone that had ever seen them together knew. How could she not know?

Resolving to settle this once and for all, he took her small hand in both of his and pressed it against his chest. “I’ve never meant anything more in my life Sarah.”

His heart was beating erratically under her fingers and she could see the uncertainty still written on his face. As much as she wanted to erase his fears, it was a heady feeling to know that she was the cause of it all. After all the doubts and fears of her own, it was a relief to know he felt the same way.

“Sarah?” When she didn’t say anything more, fear began to wash over him. Maybe it really was too late.

Looking into her eyes once more, he saw the instant the doubt faded. For the first time, she allowed all the love she had ever held for this man to shine through her expressive brown eyes. Before she said a word, a slow smile spread across his face.

Not his cocky “flyboy” grin. Not the arrogant “I’m the best lawyer” grin. It was the shy hopeful smile of a man in love who thought he might be loved in return, one she had never seen on him before.

She withdrew her hand from his chest and reached up to touch his face, one finger delicately traced the lips that had just kissed her. “I love you Harm. I always have.”

“Oh god, Sarah.” Before he could get another word out, she was in his arms. This kiss was not the anguished kiss of good bye that the Norfolk kiss had been. Nor was it the tortured kiss of chances unrealized that the kiss on the Admiral’s porch had been. It was not the sweet kiss of friendship renewed that their mistletoe kiss had been. This was the first kiss of love declared.

Mac wrapped her arms around Harm’s neck and held on tightly, her knees buckling under the onslaught of passion that caught her unaware. The feel of his lips, the taste of his mouth, the way he whispered her name as he feathered kisses down her neck threatened her hold on reality. Her mind spun as she realized she was finally in his embrace.

The feel of Mac pressed against him had Harm’s mind in a whirl as well. The silkiness of her hair as he ran his fingers through it, the satin of her skin has his lips glided over it, the passionate response to his kisses proved to be his undoing. He had wanted this for so long, and now she was ultimately his.

Passion overwhelmed both of them, making them forget where they were. The little sounds Mac made in the back of her throat; his own gasps of pleasure were the only sounds in the room as they continued the burning embrace.

Outside the Admiral’s Office

Tiner watched in wonder as the Admiral paced back and forth in front of his office, not sure what he should do in this situation. The Admiral had been pacing for twenty minutes, and Tiner was at his wit’s end.

The loud angry voices had continued for a few minutes after AJ had looked in his office before finally fading. Now, no sound was issuing forth and he was anxious to get in there. He had work to do.

Finally he decided to take another look. Surely they were done fighting by now. Quietly the Admiral again opened the door, this time to a much different scene. His Chief of Staff and Senior Attorney were definitely not fighting anymore; they were locked in a passionate embrace. It also looked like it was going to go a lot further unless he interrupted them very soon. He made a quick decision and closed the door quietly.

“Tiner!” He barked loudly at his startled Yeoman.

“Yes Sir?” Why was the Admiral yelling? He was sitting right in front of him.

“Get me some coffee please. I’ll be in my office. Have Rabb and Mackenzie come out yet?”

“Uh…No Sir. They haven’t.” Tiner thought it best not to question the Admiral, just go along with whatever he wanted. He’d learned a long time ago that life was easier that way.

AJ opened his door again to find both of his errant attorneys calmly sitting in front of his desk. They both rose as he entered the room and he waved them back down. Harm was especially grateful for this, as he had not managed to "calm down” completely. Hopefully, his jacket would cover up any residual side affects of his meeting with Mac.

AJ, in the meantime, looked his officers over carefully as he sat down. Mac’s hair was out of place and her eyes were a little glazed over, but looked none the worse for wear. Harm, on the other hand, had lipstick all over him.

Rubbing his hand over his face to hide his grin, AJ finally managed to get a stern look worked up. “I trust that you two have resolved your differences?”

The look that passed between them would have melted Alaska. Mac answered for both of them, as Harm seemed a little befuddled. “Yes Sir. We have.”

“Good. Then there will be no more scenes like yesterday’s?”

AJ could almost see the current of electricity between them as they again exchanged glances. “No Sir.” Harm finally had found his voice.

“Then there is only the matter of disciplinary action to be taken care of.” This time the look the two shared was apprehensive.

“The file room needs reorganizing. All of the 2000 files need to be boxed up and sent to storage, and the remaining 2001 files need to be moved to the back files. This is an excellent weekend job for two attorneys, don’t you agree?”

“Yes Sir.” Both of them repeated dutifully, now exchanging a look of dismay. The files were massive and dusty. It was a dirty job, usually assigned to the lowest ranking petty officers.

“Now, both of you missed most of yesterday, I expect you to be back at work today going full steam. You both have cases to work on, do you not?”

“Yes Sir.” In unison this time, with no accompanying look.

“Good. Dismissed.”

They both rose to leave. Almost unconsciously, Harm’s hand caressed her back as they headed toward the door.

“Oh Commander, a word with you please.”

Both of them stopped as Mac turned her head to look up at Harm. Her eyes took on a look of alarm as she looked closely at his face, but she could say nothing. Thinking she was worried about their earlier revelations, he smiled reassuringly at her.

There was nothing she could do; it was too late. Thankfully, she, at least, seemed to be escaping the Admiral’s reprimand, but she felt sorry for Harm. She continued out the door, heading for her office.

Harm turned back to the Admiral. “Yes Sir?”

“Have a seat Harm.” The Admiral gestured again to one of the chairs, preparing to enjoy himself hugely at his officer’s expense.

“I’m glad to see you’ve resolved your differences Harm. I take it she accepted your apology?”

“Not without some argument and a lot of persuasion, Sir.” To his credit, Harm smothered the grin that threatened to take over as he thought about the ‘persuasion’ and managed to maintain a somewhat professional demeanor. At least as professional as a lipstick covered face allowed him to appear.

“I see.”

A long pause. Harm shifted uncomfortably as the Admiral gazed at him, his expression stern though amusement lurked in his eyes.

“You do realize, Commander, that there are certain standards of behavior that I expect you to adhere to, even if your…ah… persuasion…is successful?

Puzzled, Harm could only query his CO. “Sir?”

“Wipe your face, Commander.” AJ tossed his handkerchief across the desk to Harm, his visage stern.

Mystified, but now slightly nervous, Harm took the handkerchief and wiped his face thoroughly. A deep flush came over his face as he looked at the now lipstick covered handkerchief. Chagrined, he realized now what the look of alarm on Mac’s face had been about.

The Admiral’s deep laugh did nothing to assuage his embarrassment. AJ simply could not hold it in. It was too funny. The more he looked at Harm, still sitting there embarrassed, the more he laughed.

The humor of the situation finally struck Harm and allowed him to share his CO’s amusement, although with some trepidation. The Admiral really could make life difficult for them if he wanted to.

Finally the Admiral stopped laughing, although he seemed to have a difficult time not giving back into it. AJ eventually noticed Harm’s dismay, and managed to pull himself together. “Relax Harm, I didn’t go through all that last night to throw you in the brig today! Just keep it out of the office, for God’s sake.” AJ turned serious for a moment. “I mean it Harm. As much as I am your friend, I am also responsible for making sure this office runs smoothly. The personal life, fights and all, stays out of the office. Don’t try me on this. I don’t want to have to send a chaperone to the library with you two. Is that understood?”

“Yes Sir.” Harm knew when to shut his mouth.

“Very well. Dismissed.”

The Admiral’s laughter followed him out the door.

JAG Headquarters
Mac’s Office

Mac was seated at her desk, ostensibly looking over a file as she waited for Harm to escape the confines of the Admiral’s office. The morning’s events had turned her life upside down. She had not expected anything like what had happened to actually occur. He had actually said he loved her.

Harm loved her.

With a few simple words and a helluva kiss, he had managed to completely undo her. She realized that in spite of the years of misunderstandings and hurt feelings they both had, she was ready to trust him completely. Sturgis had been right last night, there had been to many good things that Harm had done for her ever to really mistrust him. Not when he had declared himself so eloquently. She smiled as she thought of the morning’s events again.

“You know, you could have warned me.” Harm’s low voice broke into her thoughts and sent a tingle all the way to her toes.

Leaning against the door frame of her office, he was looking her with what she could only think of as “bedroom” eyes. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him, and she had to remind herself to breathe.

“How?” she replied with a grin. “I only noticed as we were leaving the office, and by then it was too late.” Trying to look sympathetic, she asked, “Was it bad?”

He entered the office and sat down as he replied. “It was very embarrassing, but all in all I think it was worth it.” He smiled at her, but there was definitely some ‘heat’ behind the smile. “I’d take much worse punishment for the reward I got this morning.”

Blushing, she still managed to meet his gaze with a sexy look of her own. “Oh really?”

A knock at the door interrupted them. It was Sturgis. “Just checking to see if you two have killed each other yet. Is it safe to be around you?” He looked the still blushing Mac and the very cocky pilot. Shooting a grin at them both, he continued, “Ah…maybe it’s not safe to be around you.”

Mac’s face got even redder. “Sturgis!” Harm merely returned the grin and propped his feet up on Mac’s desk, looking more arrogant than ever.

“Did you just come in here to embarrass us, or is there another reason for this visit?” Mac’s voice was firm and her blush was finally fading. A warning glare to Harm caused him to hastily put his feet back down and straighten up in his chair. Sturgis hid the smile as the term ‘whipped’ popped into his mind. He never thought he’d see the day.

“Actually yes, Colonel. The Commander and I had a meeting scheduled in about three minutes with his client. I was just making sure he would be able to attend.”

“Yeah, hang on Sturgis. I just have to grab the file off my desk.” Out of the line of sight of Sturgis, Harm winked at her as he followed Sturgis out of the office.

Once in the hall, he stopped. “Wait Sturgis, I forgot something. Be right back.”

He stuck his head back in Mac’s office, his eyes drinking in the sight of his beautiful marine. “Sarah, you are having dinner with me, right?”

The simmering look she gave him almost caused him to forget where they were. “I was hoping you would ask, Flyboy.”

“Does this mean you are?” He didn’t want to assume anything. That had gotten him into trouble more than once.

“Try and stop me, Sailor. I’m looking forward to having you for dinner.” A saucy smile graced her face as she teased him.

His heart started racing again at her words, and blood began to flow south. “Mac. Don’t do that.” He groaned as he withdrew from her office, taking a deep breath to gain control over his body before rejoining Sturgis.

Her laughter followed him, bringing a smile to his face. It was going to be a long day, but he was sure it was going to finish up a great one.

JAG Headquarters
1710 Local

Harm hurried through the bullpen scanning for Mac. Her office was closed and dark, and he couldn’t see her anywhere in the offices. Disappointed, he headed for his office, hoping there was a message from her. His meeting with Sturgis had taken longer than he thought, and then his client had demanded to discuss the case in detail. Normally, this would not have been any problem, but he was anxious to meet Mac and firm up their date for tonight.

As he sat down at his desk, an envelope with his name on it caught his eye. Eagerly he ripped it open, feeling slightly ridiculous at the way his heart leaped when he recognized Mac’s flowing script.

Harm-

Sorry to miss you, but the Admiral gave me a new case and I have to go to Baltimore. I should be back around 1900. Shall we just meet at your place? I’ll call when I leave Baltimore to let you know how late I’m going to be.

Mac

PS. Looking forward to "dinner" tonight. (smile)

Remembering her last comment about having "him" for dinner tonight, he just had to laugh. A thrill of excitement shot through him as he thought about all that dinner might entail. Maybe he should just have dinner waiting for her; she’d be tired after the drive from Baltimore and probably wouldn’t want to go out.

‘Yeah right. Rationalization at it’s best,’ he thought to himself. ‘What you mean is that you would like to be alone with her with no chance of interruption.’ Warmth flowed through him as he considered this, knowing that an evening alone with Mac was something he had looked forward to for a long time. A smile crept across his face as he contemplated the evening ahead.

Snapping out of the daydream, he looked at his watch. Just enough time to stop at the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner. Making a mental list of everything he would need, he picked up his briefcase and cover as headed out the door.

Harm’s Apartment
North of Union Station
1825 Local

Harm struggled with opening the door; his arms loaded with groceries. Damn beltway traffic. He’s sat for 25 minutes waiting for an accident to clear. The grocery store had been crowded and the lines had been long.

Setting the groceries down on the counter, he checked his watch again. He just had time to get everything ready. Concerned that he hadn’t heard from Mac, he checked his cell phone. God damn it! The battery was dead. In the rush to the store and the irritating wait in traffic, he hadn’t thought to check it. The light on his answering machine was blinking.

He pushed the play button, hoping it was a message from Mac. It was. Her familiar warm voice sounded wonderful to him. "Flyboy, I tried your cell but had no luck. Did you forget to charge the battery again?" The teasing tone had him smiling. "Anyway, things went a little longer here than I planned, so I won’t be there until around 1930." There was a pause and he could hear the insecurity creep in. "Um…if you’ve made other plans or it’s not convenient, just let me know. I have my cell with me. Talk to you later."

Knowing Mac as well as he did, he knew that the time away from him without talking had let the doubts back in. He immediately picked up the phone to call her, wanting to dispel those doubts and reassure her that all he wanted to do was be with her. The phone rang and rang before her voice mail picked up. "Seems like I’m not the only one who forgot to charge the cell phone battery. Mac, I’ll be waiting here for you with dinner ready. Of course I haven’t made other plans; I’ve been looking forward to spending the evening alone with you. Call me, please? I’m waiting here at home to hear your voice."

She never forgot to charge her cell phone. For someone who’s office looked like a wrecking crew had just been through it, she was amazingly organized.

He shook off the feeling of apprehension that took hold of him. Nothing had happened to her, she just forgot to charge the battery. It wasn’t like her though.

As he went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, he thought about all the ways he could tease her about not charging her cell phone. His thought drifted to other ways he could tease her as he chopped vegetables for the pasta.

Harm’s Apartment
North of Union Station
1945 Local

The table was set and the dinner was prepared. Pasta Primavera with a shrimp salad. The non-alcoholic wine was chilled and ready to be opened. The lit candles all around the apartment cast a romantic light. Sensuous jazz music played softly in the background, contributing to the air of romance he wanted to share with her.

Harm was not enjoying the romantic atmosphere. He was pacing back and forth. It wasn’t like her to be late. It wasn’t like her not to call. Anxiously he checked his watch again, comparing it to the wall clock, hoping his watch was fast and she was not really late. The watch and the wall clock had the same time.

He had tried several times to reach her, but had always gotten her voice mail. The bad feeling in the pit of his stomach kept getting worse as the minutes ticked by. He grabbed his car keys, intending to go look for her, but put them back on the hook by the door. Where would he look?

Thirty minutes and two unsuccessful phone calls to Mac later he decided to try the Admiral. Maybe she had gotten delayed on the case and notified him. He knew he was grasping at straws, but anything was better than just sitting here waiting. God, when he got his hands on her for worrying him like this…

Picking up the phone again, he dialed the Admiral’s number.

"Chegwidden."

"Admiral, it’s Commander Rabb." Harm was a little nervous. He didn’t want to sound like an overprotective boyfriend, but he felt strongly there was some reason to worry.

"Harm? I would have thought you had better things to do tonight than call me."

AJ’s teasing tone almost made him smile until he realized that it meant that the Admiral hadn’t heard from Mac.

"Sorry to bother you Sir, but have you heard from Colonel Mackenzie?" Harm tried to keep the worry out of his voice, but failed completely.

AJ’s tone changed to concern instantly. "No, why? What’s wrong?"

Harm filled him in on the situation as quickly as he could, panic beginning to set in.

"Calm down Harm. I’m sure there’s a good reason for all of this. She’s probably stuck in traffic or had some car trouble. We’ll all probably laugh about this later." Harm could tell the Admiral was just mouthing the words. AJ was as worried as he was.

"I’m going to go look for her, Sir. I’m going crazy just sitting here."

There was a short pause as the AJ considered the best course of action. "No. Sit tight for now. Keep trying her cell. I have some friends in the DC Police Department and the Maryland State Troopers. I’ll give them a call and have them trace the major routes from Baltimore to DC." AJ was decisive and firm, as always coming up with a plan of action that made sense.

"You’ll call me Sir?" He knew AJ was right, but he still wanted to go look for her. The waiting had gotten to him; he wasn’t use to it. Whenever there was a problem, he wanted to act, not wait.

"I’ll call you back as soon as I get a report from the police. They’ll find her Harm. Don’t worry." AJ tried to reassure Harm with all the confidence he could muster, but underneath it he was worried about Mac himself. She was punctual to a fault with that amazing sense of time.

"Yes Sir,” Harm responded automatically. Twenty five minutes later he tried her cell phone for the third time since talking with the Admiral.

His heart leaped when the ring was interrupted with a click, only to sink when a man’s voice answered

"Hello."

Not sure if he dialed the right number, Harm asked for Mac. "May I speak with Sarah Mackenzie please?"

"Who is this?"

"My name is Commander Harmon Rabb. Who are you?"

"Commander, I’m Officer Connor with the Maryland State Patrol. We were just getting ready to call Admiral Chegwidden."

Fear clutched his heart, almost overwhelming him. "Why are you answering Mac’s phone?"

"I don’t know how to tell you this except straight out Commander. We’ve located Ms. Mackenzie’s car. It was on the side of the road with the keys still in it, her purse and cell phone were on the passenger seat. There is no sign of Ms. Mackenzie."

Harm clutched the phone tightly, his knuckles turning white. "Where are you?" he bit out shortly, terror for Mac making him tremble.

Officer Connor named a location a few miles from Harm’s apartment. "I’m on my way."

As fast as was humanly possible Harm snatched up his keys and cell phone (which he had recharged) and raced for the car. There had to be some clue as to her whereabouts; he was determined to find it.

Halfway to Mac’s car, the cell phone rang. Again his heart leaped as he answered, praying it was Mac.

“Rabb.”

“Harm, I just got off the phone with Officer Connor. I’m on my way. Stay cool, keep your head. We won’t be any good to her if we can’t think straight.”

“Yes Sir.” Panic had set in, keeping his answers short as he fought to control it.

“I’ll see you in five, Commander.”

Harm pulled the SUV off the road on the opposite side of Mac’s car. It was obvious she had been headed to his place. There was no apparent damage to the car that he could see. Stepping out of the car, he walked slowly up the corvette, almost fearing what he would find.

“Commander Rabb? I’m Officer Connor.” The older man seemed friendly, but was also aware of the seriousness of the situation.

“Have you found anything Officer?” Harm got straight to the point.

“No, we haven’t. There is no sign of physical resistance, and there’s no sign of what might have happened. I have an officer dusting for prints, but from the looks of things I doubt he’ll find anything significant.”

The Admiral pulled up in his SUV at the moment. He also cut to the chase. Looking at Harm, he asked pointedly, “Anything?”

Harm shook his head. “This is Officer Connor.”

As AJ and the Officer exchanged greetings and information, Harm walked over and looked at the corvette. Just as the officer said, Mac’s purse was on the passenger seat. The cell phone was next to it. Officer Connor must have put it back after speaking to Harm.

Looking around the area, he noticed that it was basically deserted and rural. House lights shone in the distance, but none were close enough to offer witnesses. The grass around the roadside was tall and damp, and had not been disturbed recently. There were no trails to follow.

Walking along the edge of the road, Harm continued to scan the area looking for clues. For anything that would help him find Mac. His shoe crunched on something that didn’t feel like a piece of rock, whatever it was had some give in it. He moved his foot and bent down to look. It looked like a small plastic dart of some type.

A cold chill ran down his back as thought about what that might mean. Careful to handle the dart by the edges, he picked it up and slipped it in his pocket. Maybe Webb would know what it was and what was in it.

Standing up, he inspected the area and the car again, finding nothing more. AJ looked with him, but both men were silent, lost in their thoughts.

Finally Harm stood up and looked out across the dark landscape. “Mac,” his anguished whisper cut through the quiet night. “Where in hell are you?’

AJ came and stood beside him, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder.

JAG Headquarters
2150 Local

It was a tense group in the conference room. Webb, Sturgis, and Bud had joined the Admiral and Harm to start an investigation into the whereabouts of Mac. All the men maintained calm professional exteriors, but the worry was evident in their eyes, especially Harm’s. He was hanging onto that professional façade by a hair.

The atmosphere in the room was overwhelming anger and determination. Anger that something like this could happen to one of their own, and someone they all cared about and respected. Determination to get to the bottom of this; to find Mac and punish whoever had taken her. Any other outcome was not even considered.

“So there you have it gentlemen. The police are doing a grid search of the surrounding area.” He did not say they were looking for a body; he couldn’t bring himself to say that. “It’s not much to go on, but it’s all we have.”

“There’s one more thing Admiral.” Harm’s stoic demeanor belied the raging emotions underneath. He knew what the police were searching for as well as the rest of them did. “There’s this.” He pulled out the dart he had found near Mac’s car and laid it on the table. He had placed it in a plastic evidence bag. “I found it a few feet from Mac’s car.”

Harm noticed a look of surprise on Webb’s face. “What is it Clay? Do you recognize it?”

Clay picked up the bag and carefully examined the dart inside. “It’s a kind of dart normally used by the CIA. I’m not aware of any other branch of the government that uses it. It’s definitely not an easy thing for a criminal to obtain.”

“What’s in it?” Harm was terse, stress making him short and to the point.

“Could be any number of tranquilizers. I’ll take to one of our labs and get it analyzed.” Clay put the bag in his inside coat pocket.

“Admiral, what kind of case was Mac on in Baltimore? Could her disappearance be related to it?” Sturgis asked. “And has she worked on any cases involving the CIA recently?”

“It was a simple DDO case. Nothing that should have triggered this kind of action. But we should follow up on that. Why don’t you and Bud look into it?” The Admiral replied. “And, no, she has not been involved with the CIA recently, at least, not that I know of.” He shot an inquiring look at Webb.

“None that I know of AJ, but I’ll check into that.” Webb didn’t look like he was concealing anything, but you couldn’t be sure.

AJ eyed him suspiciously before continuing. “In fact, we should do a review of all the Colonel’s cases, at least for the last year. Start with the most recent high-profile cases, and work your way back. I don’t remember anything that could shed light on this, but double-checking could give us some type of lead. Harm, you can take the lead on that. Round up anybody you think might help.”

There were nods of agreement all around and a round of “Yes Sir”.

“Now, can anyone think of something else to follow up on?” There was a short silence as everyone tried to think of anything else to help.

AJ looked uncomfortable for a moment. Glancing at Harm in an almost apologetic manner, he continued his remarks. “As unpalatable as this is, we have to face facts. Mac has been working on several cases, and has court scheduled for tomorrow. I will reassign the cases in the morning. Whichever case you receive, ask for a continuance. Hopefully the Colonel will have returned by then.”

Harm’s face had paled, his expression stricken at the Admiral’s words.

“We have to handle it Harm. Regardless of when we find Mac, business has to be taken care of.”

Harm said nothing, knowing the Admiral was right. But he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all.

In spite of the late hour, all of them got to work. They all knew that the first 24 hours were the most critical. The more time it took to find someone, the less likely you would find him or her alive.

Rural Virginia, about 80 miles from DC
0545 Local

The first thing Mac became aware of was that her head hurt, and she was nauseous. Opening one eye cautiously, she realized she was alone. The room spun as she sat up, but she forced herself anyway.

As her vision settled down, she took in the surroundings. She was in a small room with no windows. The small cot she was sitting on was the only item of furniture, but there was a toilet and sink in the corner. Other than that, there was nothing. The walls were bare of pictures, but there was one metal door in the opposite wall.

Checking her internal clock, she almost groaned when she realized the time. She had been out of it for almost twelve hours. Harm would be going crazy by now.

She was a little comforted by that thought. She knew Harm would not stop searching for her until she was found. As her mind cleared of the effects of whatever drug she’d been given, she tried to remember what happened. The last thing she remembered clearly was the blow out of her tire. Her brow furrowed in concentration, she thought back to the previous evening.

The blow out had forced her to pull over. She had gotten out of the car to check it when a car had pulled up behind her. Aware that the road around her was deserted, she had started back to get in the car when she heard a muffled gunshot and felt a sharp pain in her left arm. When her hand went to the ache automatically, it had encountered some kind of dart, which she had pulled out and dropped on the ground.

Almost immediately, she had felt dizzy and had stumbled. She had managed to open the car door, but before she could get in and lock the door two men had grabbed her. She’d tried to fight them, but the drug was too strong. As they dragged her away, she tried to question them. The drug reduced her to incoherence, and they ignored her anyway.

As they threw her into the back seat of their car, she tried to look at their faces, to get some kind of idea of who they were. They were completely unfamiliar. As everything faded to black, she remembered trying to figure out why they were doing this.

Again she looked around the room, looking for a way out. Getting up and crossing to the door, she tried to open it. As expected, it was locked. Sighing, she couldn’t see any way out of this situation yet.

A sound behind the door caused her to back away and settle on her back on the bed. Closing her eyes, she pretended to still be asleep, hoping to catch her captors unawares.

The door creaked as it opened, and the sound of footsteps neared her. Her heart pounding, she mentally prepared herself to attack.

“Is she awake yet?” A man’s voice sounded from across the room. Mac decided to wait until she was sure they were both close.

“Doesn’t look like it. Are you sure of the dose that was in that dart?” The second man’s voice was right next to her.

More footsteps crossed the room. “Yeah, she’ll be awake soon. She’s a looker, isn’t she?” Mac definitely did not like the man’s tone as he said that. She blocked off thoughts of them handling her unconscious body; there was nothing she could do about that now.

The second man’s voice answered him. “Yeah, but you know what the boss said. Look, but don’t touch. And I, for one, am not going to cross him. He’s not a good guy to have angry at you.” Mac felt a moment’s relief at that revelation.

The first man started to argue when Mac sprang into action. Approximating where both men stood from the sound of their voices, she leapt up on the bed. She hit one in the nose with the base of her palm, hearing a satisfying crunch and a curse.

The second man was startled, staring at her with his mouth open and eyes wide as she turned and gave him a roundhouse kick to the head. The first man was holding his bloody nose as he turned back to her. He was too close for a kick, but she seized the opportunity to give him another punch in the nose, this time with her fist.

As both men were temporarily disabled, she made a dash for the door. It was still open, and she made a mad dash out of it.

Her brief freedom ended as abruptly as it began. Sitting in a chair with a gun, was a third man. He was pointing the gun at her. “Nicely done Colonel. You almost made it.”

Realizing that he had the upper hand, she stopped. Another man she could not identify. “What the hell do you want with me?”

The man was in his late forties and balding, but appeared more intelligent than the two thugs she had just incapacitated. “You’ll find out soon enough. Please be so kind as to go back to your room. Now.”

Faced with no other choice, she turned to go back into the little room as the two men stumbled out. “You bitch!” The one with the bloody nose grabbed her arm and lifted his hand to hit her.

Unafraid, she glared at him. “Stinson.” The man with the gun’s quiet voice interrupted him. “Leave her alone.”

“But she…” The second man was holding his head as he argued, a nice bruise forming on his cheek.

“Leave her alone.” The man didn’t raise his voice, but his authority was unmistakable.

Not another word was said as they shoved her roughly back in the room. She heard the definite click of the lock.

Her adrenaline still pumping, she paced the room anxiously. “What the hell did they want?”

JAG Headquarters
0630 Local

Harm, Bud, and Sturgis were seated around the conference room table, quietly going through files. Stacks of files covered the tables, but none of them had given them any viable leads. One short stack off the side were files that were “possibles”, but Harm didn’t think that any of them would pan out.

He threw the last file on the table. Rubbing his face with his hands, he finally got up to look out the window at the rising sun. No leads, no where to look. He wondered if Mac could see the sun wherever she was.

Rage overcame him as his helplessness to solve the situation really hit him. There was almost nothing he could do. Clenching his fists, he tried to hold himself back from punching the window out.

Sturgis’ hand on his shoulder startled him. “We’ll find her Harm.” His friend’s calm voice was meant to soothe him, he knew, but it only enraged him further.

“How do you know that? She could be anywhere! She could be hurt! She could be…” Unable to say the word, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

He continued in a lower voice, ragged with raw emotion. “It’s not fair Sturgis. When we finally have it all figured out. Things were going to be right for a change. It’s not fair, damn it.” He stopped abruptly as the tears came to his eyes, the stress, worry, and lack of sleep finally catching up with him.

Bud’s hand settled on his other shoulder. “Faith, Harm. How many times have I heard you say that? You’ve got to have faith. We WILL find her.”

Trying to reign in his emotions, Harm nodded, unable to articulate anything. Rubbing at his eyes with his hands again, he tried to wipe away the tears surreptitiously. Drawing a shaky breath, he acknowledged his friend’s support as best he could. “I know.”

“Come on, let’s get some coffee and give Webb a call. Maybe he’s got something for us.”

Nodding in acquiescence, Harm allowed his friends to lead him out of the conference room.

They had spent the night working, and the day stretched long before them, but they were not ready to sleep. They were used to working long hours, and were not about to give up yet.

Harm’s Apartment
North of Union Station
Next day
0400 Local

Harm was finishing shaving after a long night of sleeplessness. The Admiral had ordered them home at 22:30 last night, insisting they all get some rest. He thanked God for his friends, especially Sturgis who had insisted on following him home. When they entered Harm’s apartment, Sturgis’ eyes had immediately noticed the burned out candles and romantic setting, but he hadn’t said a word as he helped Harm clean up and throw away the now ruined dinner. Harm was grateful for his help, and for the silence. He couldn’t face discussing it without breaking down.

The only thing Sturgis had said when he left was the one thing Harm wanted to hear. “You know that she is top priority, Harm. We won’t stop until we have her back.”

“I know.” It was all he could get out.

Staring into the mirror, he noticed the haggard lines on his face. Worry about Mac had kept him from anything but the lightest doze. He knew he should have slept more, that Mac needed him to have all his wits about him, but every time he closed his eyes all he could see was her face. The one time he actually managed to doze he had awakened abruptly from a nightmare about Mac being murdered.

Pulling on his uniform, he shuddered as he remembered it. It had started out well, reminding him of the scene in the Admiral’s office when they had finally worked everything out. As the wonderful sensation of her body against his over took him, she was suddenly jerked from him. He was held back by unseen captors as she dragged away from him. As he struggled to get to her; fighting the arms that held him, he could hear her screams. There was then a terrible silence as he was released. He’d managed to find her, but he was too late. She was dead. He had awakened in a cold sweat, trembling. He couldn’t lose her, he just couldn’t. The loss of Diane to senseless violence had wounded him deeply. If he lost Mac this way, he knew he would never get over it.

He gave himself a mental shake. “Suck it up, Rabb, and get to work. You’re not gonna do her any good this way.”

He picked up his cover and headed out the door, determined that today would be the day he got her back.

JAG Headquarters
0430 Local

Harm pulled the SUV into his normal parking place. He noticed Bud’s mini-van already parked. As he started in to the building, Sturgis pulled up and parked, followed by the Admiral.

Harm waited by the steps as they both approached. “I see you two couldn’t sleep either.” The Admiral’s voice was grim, his expression unsurprised at finding them both there at this early hour.

“No Sir.” Both Sturgis and Harm replied simultaneously.

As they stepped into the bullpen, they could see Bud’s office was lit and he was industriously going over files. He looked up at their arrival, a tense look on his face. “Sirs! I think I may have found a new lead.”

Harm was the first in Bud’s office; the other two officers close on his heels. “What is it Bud?” The first glint of hope lifting his heart.

“Well Sir, do you remember two years ago when you and the Colonel worked on the Sullivan case?”

“Yeah, what about it, Bud? We wrapped that up. He’s serving time, in Leavenworth. He can’t have anything to do with this.” Harm’s heart sank as he spoke, desperately wanting the hope Bud seemed to offer.

“Yes Sir, he is still in Leavenworth. I checked. But he has a brother, Sir. A brother that worked for the CIA until Sullivan was convicted. After the conviction, he disappeared.”

“That still is not much, Bud. Lots of people work for the CIA.”

“Gentlemen. As some of us do not know the particulars of this case, I suggest we meet in the conference room to discuss this. Two minutes, gentlemen. Mr. Roberts, bring that case file with you.”

“Aye Sir.”

The Admiral headed off to his office to drop his cover and coat there. Sturgis laid his in Bud’s office and Harm just left his where he had dropped them.

Bud gathered up the papers and stuffed them in the file. The three men then headed towards the conference room to meet the Admiral.

“Is that all you’ve got, Bud? We can check it out, and we will, but it’s not that much of a lead.” Harm wanted to believe this was it, but he didn’t want to go down the wrong trail either.

“There’s more, Sir.” Bud’s enthusiasm waned noticeably.

Sturgis took a seat at the table while Bud remained standing. Harm began pacing nervously. “Well? What is it, Bud?” Harm was impatient, wanting to get on with it.

“Sullivan’s cell mate at Leavenworth, Sir. It’s Palmer.”

Visibly shaken, Harm dropped in a chair wordlessly, staring at Bud. Finally he managed to get out, “Are you sure Bud?”

Bud’s nod was tense, but emphatic. “Yes Sir, I checked on that too.”

“Who’s Palmer?” Sturgis was puzzled by Harm’s reaction.

The Admiral’s voice answered the question. “Palmer is a psychotic ex DSD agent who blames Mr. Rabb for all of his problems in life. Let’s just say Palmer has caused us all a lot of problems because of this.” Carefully AJ set down the tray of coffee he had brought in. It was unusual for him to bring the coffee, but these were unusual circumstances.

Handing the coffee to Sturgis and Bud, he acknowledged their surprised thanks with a nod. Setting a coffee down before the unmoving Harm, he continued his conversation. “Who is this Sullivan? The name sounds familiar, but I can’t place it.”

Bud answered him. “Lieutenant Commander Thomas Sullivan served aboard the USS Belknap, Sir. He was accused of dealing drugs. Commander Rabb and the Colonel prosecuted him and won. He was sentenced to 7 years in Leavenworth.”

“Hardly seems like a sentence worth kidnapping anyone for, Lieutenant. He’s been in two years, another year and a half he’s eligible for parole. Why would he take a chance and blow that?”

“Because last year he got into a fight. A man was killed, and Sullivan was blamed. There was another trial and conviction, Sir. He was sentenced to life without parole.”

There was a short silence before Sturgis asked, “And you think he blames Harm and Mac for this, Bud?”

“Well Sir, I can only guess, at this point. But I do remember his anger at his first trial. The Colonel was the one who investigated the case and charged him. He was pretty angry at her about that. And when the Colonel and the Commander prosecuted, Sullivan was very vocal in his threats before being taken off to Leavenworth.”

“And let’s not forget Palmer.” Harm’s voice broke in unexpectedly, his initial shock having been replaced by a cold rage. “He’s a master manipulator. He knows all the right buttons to push.” His tone was icy cold, and steady.

“That’s true Harm. Especially with you. If this is true, you’re going to have to keep your wits about you and not go off half cocked. We need to address this very carefully.” The Admiral’s voice and demeanor brooked no room for doubt. He wanted Harm to be in control, and not manipulated by Palmer. “What do we do next, Sir?” Sturgis broke in. “The way I see it, someone will have to go to Leavenworth to interrogate Sullivan and Palmer. And someone needs to investigate the whereabouts of Sullivan’s brother. Do we even know his full name?”

“His full name is Sean O’Reilly Sullivan.” Webb’s voice startled them all. “And I think I can help you locate him. I’m sure the CIA has kept track of him, even if he has left the Agency.”

Harm was not surprised that Webb was here. Over the years, he had learned that Webb was a good friend, despite evidence to the contrary. He knew Webb cared about Mac. “Do you know anything about him, Webb?”

“Not much. I know the name, and that he’s left the Agency, voluntarily. But I can do a little digging and come up with more info. I may need some help though, on the computer end.” Clay looked at Bud. “Sometimes the Agency doesn’t want to give up information.”

“I’ll do my best Sir. With the Admiral’s permission, of course.” Bud looked at the Admiral, who nodded in agreement.

“I found out the dart contained a tranquilizer. I’d give you the name, but I can’t pronounce it. At any rate, it lasts for about twelve hours before it wears off. There are no long-term side effects, although initial return to consciousness is usually unpleasant. Dizziness, nausea, etc., but they don’t last.”

Harm felt a great weight leave his shoulders at Clay’s words. At least she was still alive. But then a cold chill settled over his heart again. What did they want her alive for? What were they doing to her?

“OK people, let’s get to work. Bud, you’re with Clay. Rabb, you and Turner will go out to Leavenworth and interrogate Sullivan and Palmer. I’ll arrange a military transport as soon as possible. Find out what you can, and get back here as soon as possible.”

“Aye Sir.” All three officers answered as they snapped to attention.

“Let’s go Roberts.” Clay turned and strode from the room, followed by Bud. The Admiral left to make the arrangements, and Harm and Sturgis sat down to go through the Sullivan file.

Leavenworth
1330 Local

Harm and Sturgis waited for Sullivan to appear in the waiting room. They had decided to interview him first.

The guard brought Sullivan in, seating him at the table where they sat. Sullivan was in his thirties, dark hair, and would have been handsome if it had not been for the sullen, angry expression.

“What do you want, Rabb?” Sullivan’s tone matched his expression.

“I have a few questions for you, Sullivan. This is Commander Turner. We are investigating the disappearance of Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie.”

Surprise covered Sullivan’s face, before he lapsed back into his apparently normal expression. “Yeah, well, I don’t think I can tell you much. And my whereabouts are accounted for.”

His surprise was not lost on Harm or Sturgis. They exchanged a look, then Sturgis took over the questioning.

“You had a grudge against the Colonel, didn’t you Sullivan?”

“Yeah, me and a hundred other guys she prosecuted. You talking to everyone she ever put away? Or am I just the lucky one?”

“Where is your brother?” Sturgis kept his tone cool as he ignored the sarcasm.

Sullivan laughed heartily. “My brother isn’t exactly one of my biggest fans. I haven’t heard from him in over a year. If you think he did had something to do with this, good luck proving it.”

Again Sturgis and Harm exchanged a look. Maybe this was just a dead end.

“We can check phone records, you know. And there is a record of all mail going in and out of here.” Harm jumped in with a threat, just to see if they could shake him.

“Check away, guys. I didn’t do anything.” Sullivan laughed again, then sneered. “Maybe she was doing some guy who finally got tired of her dominatrix attitude. Decided to teach her a lesson.”

Before Sturgis could stop him, Harm lunged across the table and grabbed Sullivan by the shirt. “You worthless piece of shit, I will check everything out, believe me. And if I find that you had ANYTHING to do with her disappearance, even Leavenworth won’t keep you safe.”

Sturgis grabbed his arm and pulled, forcing him to release Sullivan.

Sullivan sank back into his chair, obviously shaken by Harm’s threats. “I’m telling you, I don’t know anything. I didn’t like her, but I didn’t do anything.”

“Get him out of here.” Harm was disgusted.

Sturgis gestured to the guard, who escorted Sullivan out.

“What do you think?” Harm’s voice was steady.

“I think it’s unlikely he had anything to do with it. We can double-check the records while we’re here, but he didn’t sound like he was lying.” As disappointed as Sturgis was, he knew Harm’s disappointment was far greater.

Harm’s shoulders slumped slightly. “I agree.” Straightening his shoulders, he took a deep breath before continuing. “But I still want to talk to Palmer.”

“Why? If Sullivan isn’t involved, it’s even more doubtful Palmer is.”

“Instinct. You don’t know Palmer, Sturgis. I do. He definitely could be behind all this. We’ve got to check it out.”

Sturgis considered everything Harm said, and didn’t say. Harm had filled him in on some of Palmer’s activities, including the whole wilderness of mirrors thing. Harm was right, they had to at least talk to him.

Leavenworth Prisoner Meeting Room 30 minutes later

Harm was waiting for Palmer. Sturgis was going to search Palmer’s cell while Harm interrogated him. They had decided Palmer might be more forthcoming with Harm alone. Sturgis had admonished Harm sharply to keep his cool before leaving the room.

“Well, well, this is a pleasant surprise, Commander.” Palmer’s sardonic tone was like fingernails on a chalkboard to Harm.

The guard helped Palmer to a chair as Palmer was still shackled. The warden didn’t allow anyone to meet with Palmer unless Palmer was shackled.

“And how is the lovely Colonel Mackenzie?” Palmer’s smirk almost sent Harm across the table, but he managed to restrain himself.

“She’s missing.” Harm didn’t see the point in playing games. “I think you had something to do with it.”

“How flattering. But I’m afraid that I have been detained here for some time. Although I would love to claim credit for her disappearance, I’m unable to do so. It’s a shame really; a lovely woman like that abducted from her car, leaving no clues. You know what probably happened to her.”

Harm clenched his fists under the table, struggling not to rise to the bait. “How did you know that?”

“Oh, scuttlebutt, Commander, scuttlebutt. There’s no other way I could have known, is there?” Palmer kept his smile fixed on Harm, egging him on.

“Why don’t we just cut to the chase, Palmer? Where is she? I’m going to find her. If you help, I’ll go easy on you.”

“Why Harm, you can’t really believe I had anything to do with it? I’ve been here in prison all this time. Feel free to check my cell if you think she’s there. Actually, I wish she were. She was an amazingly beautiful woman, and I get lonely in here.”

At Palmer’s use of the past tense in reference to Mac, Harm couldn’t help himself. Leaping to his feet, he quickly rounded the table to get right in Palmer’s face. Without laying a hand on the shackled man, he managed to convey every bit of rage he was feeling.

“You’d better hope I find her, Palmer, and that she is alive and well. Because if I don’t, or she is hurt in any way, I make you the same promise I made your buddy Sullivan. Even Leavenworth won’t be able to protect you.”

“Harmon, if I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were threatening me.” Palmer still didn’t seem intimidated.

“I’m promising you, Palmer.” Harm’s voice was steely.

“You can promise all you want, Rabb. There is nothing you can prove. Go ahead; check all the phone records. Check all correspondence records. There is nothing incriminating there, nothing that you can use to tie me to the lovely Colonel’s abduction. But take heart, when the time is right, I’m sure you’ll find her, or what’s left of her.” Palmer’s scathing tone and the way he phrased everything left no doubt in Harm’s mind that he knew something. But Harm also knew Palmer wouldn’t reveal his hand too soon.

A knock on the door interrupted their face off. Sturgis stuck his head in the room. “Harm, may I see you a minute?”

Casting a last derogatory look at Palmer, Harm nodded. “Yeah, I’m done here. Have somebody take the trash out, would you? It’s beginning to smell in here.”

Palmer didn’t rise to the insult, but the look he gave Harm spoke volumes. Harm met his look with one of his own before turning on his heel and walking out the door.

“What is it, Sturgis? Did you find anything?”

Sturgis faced him with a triumphant look. “Yeah, I’ll say. He has a cell phone. He can communicate with anybody he wants to on the outside. Of course, Sullivan can too.”

“Did you get it?”

“No, I decided to leave it and monitor the calls. No sense tipping our hand to that bastard. I already called the Admiral, he’s having Bud and Webb check out the cell phone’s records, and set up for monitoring. By the time we get back to DC, they should have all relevant information for us.”

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” For the first time, Harm felt a real sense of hope. At least they had a lead to follow. But underlying everything was that fear. Fear that he was too late, and the worst had already happened.

He didn’t know what he’d do if he lost Mac.

JAG Headquarters

Harm was sitting in his office attempting to review everything one more time. He had been doing this for over two hours, ever since the conclusion of the meeting. The Admiral, Webb, Sturgis, Bud, and himself and met after returning from Leavenworth. Although they were all convinced that Palmer and Sullivan were behind Mac’s disappearance, the hard facts were few and far between. And so far, there was nothing to lead them to Mac’s location. Sighing, he sipped the hundredth cup of coffee he’d had that day. The effort to distance himself and keep his emotions under control was getting to him. In an attempt to distract himself, he pulled out one of the cigars he had purchased at the airport. Rising from his chair, he left his office to go outside to smoke. He lit the cigar as he sat down on the front steps of JAG, not wanting to be to far from the bullpen if there was any news. His biggest hope was that Palmer would contact Sullivan’s brother, or whoever held Mac, and they would be able to trace it. Webb had two agents sitting outside Leavenworth monitoring any cell phone calls originating from there. Harm thanked God Sturgis had the presence of mind to leave the cell phone in Palmer’s cell.

The end of the cigar glowed brightly for a moment as he puffed on it. The cool Spring night sent a chill through him. He shivered slightly, remembering a time he had shared a cigar with Mac, another cold night. Resting his elbows on his knees, his head down, he allowed the memory of that night to come back to him in full.

She was so tough, tougher than any woman he had ever known. Shot in the leg, pursued by psychotic poachers, and having killed the guy who tried to rape her, the stress had finally gotten to her. As quickly as she broke down, crying and trying to get the man’s blood off her, she snapped back to normal. She even managed to tease and joke with him, calling him ‘stick-boy’.

Running his hand through his hair, he forced his mind back to the present. Again the cigar glowed briefly. Watching the smoke curl in the evening air, he again thought about the case.

There was no doubt that Palmer was exceptionally suspicious. There were no stored numbers on the cell phone, and all recent calls had been erased, so they had no phone numbers to track down. Bud was working on pulling the records from the cell phone company, but that would take time.

Of course, a check of the prison records had indicated that neither Palmer nor Sullivan had made or received any calls on the prison phones. No incoming or outgoing mail was recorded either.

Trying to keep his frustration at bay, he puffed again on the cigar.

Webb had managed to get a last known address on Sean Sullivan. It was normal CIA policy to keep current records on employees up to five years after their termination, longer if deemed necessary. Sullivan had left the CIA two years ago, around the time his brother was incarcerated.

Unfortunately, the last known address was in New York state, and a quick check there had revealed that Sullivan had left there over a year ago. It seems the CIA had screwed up and lost him. Webb had people looking for Sullivan, but if he didn’t want to be found it would take a while to locate him. As a former CIA officer, Sullivan was knowledgeable about disappearing.

The door behind him opened. “I thought you gave those up years ago.” The Admiral’s voice was almost teasing, but not quite.

“Sir.” Harm began to rise, but the Admiral waved him down and took a seat on the step next to him.

“Got another?”

Silently Harm withdrew one from his jacket pocket and handed it over. AJ lit it, and then stared out into the parking lot.

“Thanks.”

Harm responded with a nod.

Both cigars glowed and faded as they smoked, neither feeling the call to speak. Distant traffic was the only sound to be heard. The calm scene belied the tension both men felt.

At last AJ began talking quietly. He didn’t look at Harm, just stared out into the parking lot.

“It doesn’t seem possible that’s it been over six years since Mac was first assigned here.”

“I know, Sir.” Harm examined the cigar in his hand.

AJ started to laugh suddenly. “She sure had your number from the beginning, didn’t she?”

Despite himself, Harm had to smile. “Yes Sir, she sure did.”

“I remember the first case you two opposed each other on, the one where you shot the H and K off in court. I never saw two lawyers work so hard at messing with each other’s heads.”

Harm started to laugh along with AJ, his tension easing in the joy of talking about Mac. “Remember when you punished us for fighting by sending us on that submarine? You should have seen her dress down a couple of sailors who were disrespectful. I thought they were going to faint after she got through with them.”

AJ came back with Australia. “Ha, remember when I had to come down to Australia and separate you and Brumby? You broke Bud’s jaw fighting over her!” Both men laughed heartily at the idiocy of that situation.

Without warning, Harm felt the tears well up in the middle of his laughter. So many lost opportunities, so many dangerous situations, so much unneeded pain. Dropping the cigar, he covered his eyes with his hands, desperately struggling to control the anguish that he had so far managed to block out.

AJ said nothing as Harm cried silently, his shoulder shaking. He laid a gentle hand on Harm’s shoulder, silently offering whatever support he could. Knowing that nothing he could say would make it better, he still hoped that this would be some kind of relief for Harm. There was really nothing that would make it better except Mac’s return.

After a few moments Harm drew a ragged breath, rubbing his eyes. “I…I’m sorry, Sir. Everything just got away from me for a moment.”

“Nothing to be sorry for, son.”

Harm shakily lit another cigar. “She’d kill me for starting this again.”

“You can quit when we get her back.”

Both men resumed smoking, the quiet allowing Harm to get himself back under control.

The door opened behind them and Bud’s voice called out to them “Sirs, you’d better come back in. Webb got some news from the agents at Leavenworth. Palmer and Sullivan. They’re gone.”

Harm leaped to his feet and hurried inside, followed closely by the Admiral.

3/3

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