A/N: The first chapter of the edited version of this story. Those of you, who have read it before the edition will see a lot of similarities, but that's because real, major changes will start appearing a little later. A huge thank you to byrhthelm for correcting my English. I hope that all of you, who decided to stick to this story will like this version and those, who will start reading for the first time, simply enjoy it.

CHAPTER 1

It was a middle of the night when Sarah MacKenzie found herself sitting on the bed and looking out of the window, thinking about all of the events, which had taken place in the previous week. She glanced to the side and her eyes fell at her fiancé; his regular breathing was a very clear indication that in contrast to her, he was sleeping peacefully. She smiled at the thought of their friends' reaction to the announcement of their engagement. Their shock was obvious, just like the fact that they hadn't expect it. Yet, the truth was that neither had she. Harriet's words, which had come with the blonde Lieutenant's congratulations, perfectly described her mood and thoughts during the last few days in DC after receiving her new orders, which reassigned her from the JAG headquarters.

"When Bud told me that you were going to San Diego and the Captain to London, I thought that the two of you would never have the chance to open your eyes, stop dancing around each other and be together now."

They were exactly the same thoughts as those which appeared in her mind after General Creswell gave them their new orders, informing them that they would be five and a half thousand miles apart. She had tried to talk to Harm, but he didn't seem to see any problem with it – but she did. She wasn't the kind of person, who believed in long-distance relationships and such a long distance wouldn't allow them even the slightest of chances to keep their friendship alive, much less any chance of having a serious relationship. She didn't know how to describe her thoughts and feelings to him, though; they had never been able to talk about what was between them and that hadn't changed even in a situation like this. It was only when she went to his apartment to say goodbye that they finally managed to talk honestly. She had absolutely no idea that he would propose – she would be perfectly satisfied if he simply said that he wanted them to work on keeping their friendship and maybe even starting something more. And, as much as she was shocked, she couldn't deny that proposing was the clearest way to show her that he wanted them to be together.

Now, in an indefinite future, she was going to be Mrs Rabb and share her whole life with Harm. The truth was, that they have already been sharing it since the moment they met; he had always been with her, whenever she needed it and no matter how bad things seemed to be between them, they always managed to reach an agreement, forgive each other and be the best of friends again. She was aware that over all those years she had hurt him repeatedly, but even after she had almost married another man and plainly told him that their relationship made no sense to her, and that it would never work, he was still there and it spoke volumes to the strength of his feelings and his commitment to her. He even refused to back away from her when she informed him that despite the deal they had made, it was highly probable that she would never be able to give him a child.

It made her feel horrible despite his constant reassurances that he was fine with it, that the four percent chance was still something and they could still make it happen. She couldn't imagine that Harm could never have children, especially that she was certain he would be a wonderful, loving father, ready to do everything for his son or daughter. She had always dreamed that one day she would get to have little Harmon Rabb the Third, who would probably often drive her crazy, but who she would love more than anything else in the world. Yes, in her mind their child was always a boy; the spitting image of his father, who would share his love for planes and flying, even if only the thought of it made her stomach twinge.

Right now, however, she was rejoicing in the fact that he was with her in San Diego, and he hadn't had to leave the Navy to make it happen. He was more than ready to hold on to their deal and do it, after the coin had landed with tails up. They were both glad that General Creswell had found an opportunity for him to be stationed in San Diego, in the very same building even, even if it meant that he had to become a judge. It wasn't the position of his dreams, but it still made him happy as it allowed him to be with Mac and stay in the Navy, as well as be in court. She could only wonder if he was still going to be so happy in a few months; he hadn't even been to the building, yet, not to mention meeting his co-workers or other lawyers with whom he was going to work.

Mac, on the other hand, had already been in her new office for a week, but still hadn't yet met everyone. It was a new office and not everyone had yet reported to their new Duty Station. In the morning she was supposed to meet three more officers, and two of them were to be the most experienced ones who were going to work in her unit. As at that moment, her staff consisted of Lieutenant Ashley Cooper, who had just finished law school, Lieutenant Walter Miles, who had only a little more experience and Lieutenant Ryan Smith, who had been a lawyer for five years. There was also her Yeoman, Petty Officer First Class Jennifer Coates, and a couple of other enlisted members of the Navy and Marines. Lack of experienced staff had been frustrating and she hoped that from this week, the office would really start working. She hoped that she was going to be able to create something similar to what Admiral Cheggwidden had created at JAG HQ – a family, in which everyone could trust each other and count on each other.

"Maac… It's the middle of the night. Go back to sleep." sounded Harm's sleepy voice.

She smiled to herself and felt his arms come around her waist and pull her close after she had laid down on her pillow. If she had known how happy it would make her to be with him, she would have never let them waste these nine years, but there was nothing she could do about that now. She could only try her best not to let this relationship get destroyed like all of her relationships in the past.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harm smiled to himself, when the elevator stopped on the floor where Mac's office was located. It was surely yet another advantage, that despite working in different units, they were still in the same building. He was sure that it was going to give him the opportunity to spend more time with her during the day, not only evenings at home, when they were both tired after work. All he needed to do was call and ask if she was available, and he could take her out for lunch or order something to one of their offices and eat it together.

He looked around, taking in the semi-empty room. Because of the lunch-time, most of the people were elsewhere and it gave him a good opportunity to watch the place carefully. She had already been working here for a week and he hadn't visited her yet. It reminded him a little of the bullpen back at JAG HQ, but was sunnier and more modern. It also had much better view through the window, at the palms growing alongside the water.

"Can I help you, Captain?"

He jumped slightly when a young, short, red-headed woman in a Navy uniform appeared in front of him with a friendly smile on her face. He easily guessed that she had to be Lieutenant Ashley Cooper. The JAG Corps Mill Rindes gave her away as a lawyer and he remembered his fiancée's comment that she had the reddest hair Mac had ever seen in her life; he definitely had to agree with her.

"I'm looking for Colonel MacKenzie."

She nodded and pointed to the side of the room, where he spotted the familiar face of Jennifer Coates. Just as it had been earlier discussed, she accompanied Mac and Harm to San Diego. Even though in theory it was a step back for her, since the office in DC had greater prestige than this one, she was very happy with the change. Ever since she was a little girl, she had always dreamed about living in California, although at that time her aim was to become a famous Hollywood actress. Even though she had only been in California for such a short time, she was more than certain that it was a good thing to come here. She loved everything about the Bear State – warm climate, beautiful landscapes, the atmosphere of the city… It could change in the future but for the time being, she felt that she had found the place where she belonged.

However, both Harm and Mac – and possibly to a lesser extent, Coates – were a little disappointed that Bud and Harriet decided to stay in DC despite the fact that they no longer had to choose between London and San Diego. Harm and Mac suspected that the initial hesitation on their side had been by an unwillingness to choose to choose which one of them to follow, without offending the other. They were surprised when the Roberts turned down the proposition down, but had no other choice but to accept their decision. If it was what they wanted, Harm and Mac would be fine with it.

Jen was sitting at her desk, looking for one particular item amongst all the paperwork which threatened to swamp her desk; she was so focused on searching that she didn't notice Harm's presence until he cleared his throat. Upon that, she immediately jumped out her chair and into a brace, and Harm could see a hint of relief in his eyes as she recognised him, knowing that he would let her slide on her lack of alertness where perhaps a strange officer would not.

"Captain Rabb! It's good to see you!" she smiled. "I'm afraid you have to wait a while, the Colonel has to…"

She paused, when the door to Mac's office opened. Two officers walked out of the room; a tall, black haired Lieutenant Commander and few inches shorter blonde haired Major, both in their late twenties or middle thirties.

"I think you can go in now, sir," Jen corrected herself with a further smile

He nodded and took a few steps forward. For a moment or two he simply stood in the doorway, watching his fiancée as she wrote something in the file lying on her desk. She looked up when he knocked gently and her face immediately grew a huge smile.

"You've got a perfect timing, Captain. I just was thinking about you." she stated when he closed the door behind himself and approached the desk.

"Good. What would you say to a lunch with me, somewhere nearby?" he said, flashing his famous Rabb smile and the initial thought to pretend that she was hesitating, quickly disappeared from her mind.

"How about this restaurant on the ground floor? I'm curious what they're serving."

It didn't take them long to get to the place which she was talking about. Most of the people inside were wearing Navy or Marines uniforms, so they didn't stand out. Still, they chose a small table in a corner, trying their best to ignore curious glances sent in their direction, especially by the people who knew them. It was a rather small restaurant and it didn't have any exclusive dishes in the menu, just casual lunches and dinners for people, who didn't have time to prepare something themselves. Harm didn't hesitate to order a salad and was shocked, when Mac informed him that she wanted a chicken salad.

"What?" she asked, looking at him with her eyebrows raised slightly. "Can't I take a salad?"

"Of course you can, but I sort of expected you to order the 'real meat' like the Marine I know."

"Next time, today I feel like a chicken salad."

"Starting with a chicken salad, maybe I will make a vegetarian of you…"

"Forget about that, Sailor. I won't eat like a rabbit!"

They laughed and talked about their respective days for a while until their food was brought to their table. They ate their lunch slowly and continued their light conversation.

"You really chose a good moment to come. I've just given Major Johnson and Commander Watson their first case and was about to call you."

"You gave them a case on their first day? They will hate you!"

"Remember my first day at JAG? I wasn't sitting behind my desk and getting familiar with the new place. How about you? Have you already gotten a case?"

"I have a preliminary hearing tomorrow morning. I'll get to meet more of your people; as for now, I have only talked to Lieutenant Cooper. I did however, received a phone call about Mattie."

"Oh? What did you find out?"

"Not much… They called at a time when I couldn't really talk but they're supposed to call me back later this afternoon."

And they did. Mac was lying on the bed and trying to read the book, while he was spoke to the people from social services in another room. She was curious to hear the news, but at the same time, didn't want to be intrusive and had retreated to the bedroom to give him space and privacy. She could hear his voice, but the words weren't clear enough for her to know what they were talking about. She glanced up, when she heard the door opening and saw his figure in the door.

"Harm?" she asked, placing the book to the side.

The way he was standing made it clear for her that something was wrong and she didn't hesitate to get off the bed and approach him. Her concerns were confirmed, when he did everything to avoid her gaze and she cupped his cheek, making him look at her. He was very intently fighting the tears, which were threatening to fill his eyes. He sighed and leaned down, wrapping his arms around her and hid his face in the crook of her neck.

"Mattie won't be joining us here. The court denied my petition for her guardianship," he mumbled after a while, when he managed to calm down.

"What? That's impossible!"

She stared at him in shock. She would never have thought that it was actually possible for him not to be assigned as Mattie's guardian, especially taking into account he had already been appointed in that capacity before the teenager decided to reconcile with her father. Mac was certain that there was no-one else better fitted for the task. Whenever she pictured her future with Harm, Mattie was an integral part of that image, and to suddenly be faced with such a negative decision - that Mattie wasn't going to be a part of their new family seemed like the most crushing disappointment in the world.

"Why would they do such thing?"

"They are concerned about her health… They believe that travelling the entire breadth of the continent might have a bad influence on her recovery… She would have to get accustomed to the new place, new doctors, practically everything in her life… And I couldn't hide that I want to have her moved here, so she would be closer…"

"But… That's the most arrant nonsense I've ever heard!" she exclaimed, unable to believe his words. "I can't deny that such a long travel might be difficult, but the rest of their arguments?! I don't see any difference in being treated here! Besides, she wants to come here, doesn't she?"

"She does, very much. Me, Jen, everyone she has is here…"

Mac sighed heavily, placing a loving kiss on top of his head. She really couldn't believe that they rejected his application for guardianship with such an explanation, it seemed impossible to her. She was certain that there had to be something more to it than what he related to her, and she knew him well enough to know that after he heard the main information, he didn't pay that much attention to the rest. She needed to find out everything.

"I'm sorry Mac, I…"

"No, Harm. Don't apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for. You're there for me, when I need someone to talk to or to give me support, and I want to be there for you."

"Thanks…"

He pulled her to the couch and they sat on it, cuddled together. From the outside they looked like they were watching TV, but neither one of them was paying any attention to what was on the screen. Both of them were thinking about Mattie; Harm was wondering how to break the news to the girl and Mac had already started to plan what they could do to change this decision.