Disclaimer: JAG is not mine, but this story is. I just wanted to see what it would feel like to own them, so I borrowed Harm and Mac. So far, it has been nice.

Summary: Rabb vs. Webb. Who's the better man? Harm decides to fight for what's his, but what if his efforts just fall short? Set after Paraguay but before Mac and Webb slept together. Lets just say that they have been on a few dates and that because I am TPTB for this one, Webb has been away- A LOT- and so Harm has a chance to "state his intentions".

A/N: This is my first JAG fanfic. I'm attempting to right what went terribly wrong. Please read and review. Thanks.

Wars.

They are started and lost due to the ignorance of man, due to our inability to simply let an offense go unacknowledged. He said something that he should not have said and must be punished. He did something that he should not have done and must learn a lesson. There is but one credible cause for the incitation of a war, and it is as simple as it is complicated. Love. Love of self, love of country….

Or the love of a woman.

This is, indeed, a war.

And it will, no doubt, escalate before it dissipates.

I DECLARE WAR

If you can call bitter rivals friends, then I guess that you can say she's in love with a friend of mine. As much as it kills me to call what I see happening love, I just might have to give in and, once again, pretend to be happy that the love of my life is…

In love?

Okay, so maybe that's a little bit too strong of a term. After all, they are only dating. He's never around long enough for it to be love. Is he?

I should check on that.

I peek through by blinds and watch as she makes her way over to my office, files tucked under one arm, a coffee mug in each of her hands. It might be the fact that I'm in love with her, or it could be that the lighting in here just does amazing things for her, but for some reason, she seems to be all aglow. Her hair shimmers, her eyes sparkle, and her olive skin shines just enough that I can't help but smile.

She looks happy.

As much as it kills my soul to admit this, she's happy. She's happy with him, but she's happy, and no matter how much I want to be the one to put that love light in her eyes, I never will be that man, that man that she's with, really with. Here lately, I am not with her at all, and try as I may, I just can't figure out why we can't at least make our friendship work.

She's halfway to my office before it hits me that she's looking at me, that she's watching me watch her.

I should look away.

But just like I know that my name is Harmon Rabb Jr., so help me God, I know that I just can't look away from her. She's beautiful, stunning even, and I can't tear my eyes away from her. Beauty like that beckons the soul, captures the heart, and I simply cannot look away.

We make eye contact, and even though my face is hidden behind the blinds, I know she knows that I am smiling. It's sometimes a blessing and a curse that I have a smile that reaches my eyes when it's genuine. She knows me well enough to read me, but right now, I'm not sure if she wants to turn the pages of the book I have been writing lately.

Flashing me a smile that does me in, she nods her head towards the door, motioning for me to let her in.

Opening the door, I start to reach for the cup that I know is mine, but instead, I decide to go for the files, my hand lightly brushing against her side as I grab them. She looks down at my hand then up at me, and the look that's in her eyes is unfamiliar. If I had to label it, I might go so far as to say that for a split second, desire lashed out at me from behind those chocolate brown depths.

Her smile retreats but her eyes are still full of something I cannot quite name.

"Ah, what can I do for you, Mac?" I ask, walking over to sit down at my desk as she settles into a chair across from me and places a cup of coffee in front of me.

"No confinement, he makes restitution, and this doesn't ruin an excellent Marine's career." She says, smiling sweetly at me.

"You think a cup of coffee's going to get you what you want?" I ask, laughing as she glares at me. "Tell you what, coffee and we do lunch… then I'll think about it." I add, already knowing that I'll give her what she wants but wanting to see just how much she's willing to let me get away with.

"If I have to eat lunch with you, then you're buying… and I want something good. No vegetables, and no noodles. Beltway Burgers. I want real food. And a milkshake." She says, taking a sip of her coffee, then tossing a small smile at me from behind her mug.

Weighing my options, I take a sip of my coffee and smile.

"Whoa, Marine… this is actually good… And is there cream in here? And sugar?" I ask, teasing her, enjoying the sudden bout of playfulness that is here now but has managed to elude us for the past few months.

"I made a fresh pot. I figured that I needed to be armed and dangerous when negotiating with a stubborn Squid. I guess you've gone soft on me after all these years. The Great Harmon Rabb Jr., tossing away his will to fight over a cup of coffee and lunch with some Marine. I never thought I'd see the day…" She says jokingly, and I look up from the file I've been skimming over.

"If you prefer a challenge, if you want to do this the hard way, then we could always take this one to court. But, Mac, this is some seriously good coffee… and you're not just some Marine." I say, shamelessly looking her over, too far gone to realize that she might kick my six for groping her with my eyes like I happen to be doing at this moment.

Once again, she is watching me watch her, and to my surprise, a small smile plays across her lips as she studies me. My eyes travel from her shoes, to her legs, to the curve of her hips, and up to the swell of her breasts, where they linger for a few seconds before finally traveling up to meet her gaze.

"Would you rather have dinner with me tonight?" She asks, then pauses, uncertainty tarnishing her beautiful features. "If you don't have plans… I mean, it would give us time to go over the case a little more." She adds, her eyes no longer locked on mine.

I toss the file onto my desk and stand up, making my way over to her. Her head is down, and with my index finger beneath her chin, I gently bring her gaze back up to mine.

"I'd love to have dinner with you, Sarah." I tell her, and the fact that she just shuddered is not lost on me. My voice lower than usual, I add, "But I want the coffee, lunch… and tonight with you."

What I have just said could be taken so many different ways, and how she chooses to take it is completely up to her.

"If that's what it takes… fine. But I'm not kidding, Harm. I want Beltway Burgers for lunch… and whatever you decide to cook for us tonight, I'm sure I'll love it." She says, on her way out of my office.

I watch her leave and as she shuts the door behind her, I smile to myself.

She is with him. She, in no uncertain terms, has told me that I have no chance with her. Never… that's what she said. We would never work…

Five letters and here I am, still not ready to give up on her, on us.

I'm in love with her, and for some reason, the gentleman in me just can't bring himself to back down, to bow out gracefully, to take no for an answer. This isn't about the fact that she's with someone else. It's about the fact that she is not with me. It has nothing to do with Webb. Other than almost getting me and Mac killed a few times, I have nothing against him. Well, I have nothing against him except for the fact that he happens to be dating the woman I love. Other than that, I'm sure he's a great guy.

If I lose her, it won't be because I didn't put up a fight.

I declare war.