TITLE: Eternally Yours

AUTHOR: Clairisant

CLASSIFICATION/RATING: AJ/Mac, Albert/Sarah, Andrew/Suzanne, Alvin/Shannon, Adam/Shelia /PG 13

FEEDBACK: Would love to hear both good and bad feedback but please try to be kind and constructive. Clairisant

Eternally Yours

Chapter 1

Friday, 5 December 2003

0745 EST

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Colonel Mackenzie and Admiral Chegwidden were alone in the break room early that morning as usual. They were always the fist two in and normally shared a pot of very strong coffee before anyone else got to the office.

Mac did not know why she had the overwhelming need to tell the Admiral about the desk that Harriett had given her for her birthday, but she did. "Admiral, you like old things, right?" She wondered at the startled look on his face until he answered her.

"Mac, that might not be the best opening line, if you are trying to fix me up with another one of your friends," he said, with a sardonic look.

"Oh, no! Sir, I did not mean that at all! I would never fix you up with someone old anyway. You are way too vir….Um, I was talking about this antique Captain's Desk Harriett gave me last night for my birthday. I just thought that since you had some great pieces at your home you might like to see this one. It is in incredible shape."

"Oh, Mac! I'm sorry that I missed your birthday! But, I would love to see the desk. When would be a good time for me to stop by?"

"Why don't you come by after work, and I could throw together something for dinner, too?"

"Mac, I have tasted your cooking, remember? I will come to dinner if you let me do the cooking!"

"I am hurt! Crushed! Devastated! … Willing to let you cook!" she laughed. "Would you want to go home and change out of your uniform before coming over?" Mac asked, hoping he would say 'yes' so she would have time to stop at the grocery store on her way home.

"The hour and a half turn around trip seems a bit much, as long as you don't mind casual attire. I have clothes in my emergency bag in the Escalade."

"Oh, casual is fine, Sir!" she said, but was thinking 'drat!'.

Noticing the look on her face and interpreting it correctly, AJ asked, "Should I stop at the store on the way over?"

"No, Sir, but I'd appreciate it if you gave me enough time to do so!" she grinned sheepishly.

He laughed, drawing attention from some of the staff in the bullpen who were just arriving that morning. The Admiral laughing was not a sound they often heard. They were wondering just what Colonel Mackenzie had said to him to get him to laugh in such a carefree manner.

"How about if we meet at the store and we can choose what we want then?"

Mac sighed, happy at the resolution, but also a bit unsettled that he found her unprepared for any eventuality. 'A Marine should always be ready for anything!' she told herself. "That sounds fine. Linlainu's at 1800?" she asked.

"Sounds like a plan," he said and left the break room smiling.

She spent the rest of the day wondering what had possessed her to invite the Admiral over for dinner?! What in the world had she been thinking? How would she find something to talk with him about for that long? You could only talk about a wooden desk for so long! And just when she thought she was totally going to freak out, Harm dropped by her office to ask if she wanted to go and get a pizza that night. He looked at her oddly when she stumbled and stammered over her excuses for not going. Mac did NOT want him to know that she was having dinner with the Admiral in her home. Even though the evening was totally innocent, she knew that Harm would find some way to twist it, or at the very least tease her about in endlessly.

Packing up her briefcase so she could leave herself exactly fourteen minutes to get to Linlainu's market right on time. Mac again wondered what had possessed her to issue the invitation for tonight to AJ. But no matter how she tried to tell herself that it was wrong, she just had this overwhelming feeling of rightness.

To be continued….