A Tangled Love

by messersmontana

My version and tag to A Tangled Webb

A TANGLED LOVE

Story reposted from my other account. Originally posted on 9/24/2003

Tag to A TAngled Webb, my take.

July 12, 2003 Alexandria General Hospital Emergency Room

Mac sat stunned on the hospital bed. "Are you sure Dr. Keith?" she asked.

"Yes, Colonel MacKenzie. You're nine weeks pregnant." He gauged her reaction. "I'm assuming that this wasn't a planned pregnancy?" asked her.

Mac was still in shock, but his question brought her back. "No this wasn't a planned pregnancy. I'm taking birth control pills." She paused for a second then asked, "Is there anyway that the results could be wrong?" She was still a little dazed.

He smiled at her and replied, "No, the results aren't wrong. Birth control pills are only 99% effective. We did blood tests and you are defiantly pregnant. You're going to be a mother right around Valentine's Day;, in fact that isthat's your due date. Is this a wanted pregnancy?" He watched her nod in the affirmative, then looked to see if it had sunk in yet. As he continued to let her know when she would have to come in for an ultrasound and other appointments she would have to make, he failed to see that she was lost in thought. She was thinking back to nine weeks earlier.

Nine Weeks Earlier May 10, 2003 Paraguay

Mac was, once again, having trouble sleeping, due to Webb's snoring. He didn't even budge in his sleep as she rolled over and nudged him. She propped herself up, gazed at him, and watched him sleep. She was struck by how peaceful he looked as he slept, even if he was making so much noise as he snored. He looked so calm and youthful, almost like he had no cares in the world. She could almost imagine what he'd looked like as a child. Then she thought how handsome, or beautiful, his children would look someday. Oh, how she wished she could have children with him. But she knew she was kidding herself; why would he want someone like her, he was so out of her league."

She ran her eyes over his face, and down to the hair on his chest, above his open collar line. Not for the first time, she wondered how it would feel to run her hand through his chest hair. She looked up at the top of his head. She had to admit to herself that she loved the way that stubborn piece of hair always fell over his brow. And the way his eyes would twinkle when he thought something was funny, or when he made Harm and the Admiral mad.

She'd known him for almost eight years now, and he had grown on her. She didn't consider him the pain in the butt CIA agent or spy anymore. To her, he was Clay, and she couldn't remember when that happened, it just did. One day, she looked into his eyes and she was lost, and knew that there would never be anyone else.

It was those same eyes that were now staring into her eyes. She had been caught, and she blushed from it.

"Hello, Sweetheart," he said to her as he rolled onto his side to face her. They were so close; he could feel the heat coming off of her.

She'd been so lost in thought that she didn't notice when his snoring had stopped. "Beast," she replied, as she playfully swatted at him. But he caught her hand, and brought it up close to his heart, never losing eye contact with her.

Mac could feel his heat all the way to her core, just from the contact of his hand holding hers. But when he started rubbing her hand with his thumb, she almost came out of her skin. She could tell that she was getting redder by the minute.

It felt like they'd been staring at each other for hours, when in fact it was only seconds before he spoke. "I like waking up and seeing you next to me. I wish it could always be like this."

She pulled her hand out of his, and moved his hair off of his brow. "I'd probably kill you in the first week. You snore too loud."

"It's your boss's fault for breaking my nose in Russia." He grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows.

Then, she did something that she thought she'd never have the courage to do. She leaned down to kiss him. She had only meant it as a quick kiss, but he reached out and held her there. The kiss lasted for a few minutes until they had to come up for air.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," he said. "I'm only sorry it took me until now to do it." He saw her face flush and took it wrong. "I am sorry Sarah, I shouldn't have done that. I wasn't thinking."

She tried to interrupt him, but he wasn't letting her get a word in. So, she got up and pinned him down with her body. "Will you let me talk here?" She noticed how warm her body was where it came in contact with his, and she blushed again. "Listen, Clay. I was the one who kissed you, and I'm not sorry you kissed me back. I've wanted to do that for a long time, too."

He was in shock. He thought to himself, 'this must be a dream.' But out loud he said, "What about Rabb?"

"What about Harm?" she asked. "He has nothing to do with this. I'm a big girl, I can kiss whoever I want to without asking his permission. And, I want to kiss you." With that, she leaned down to kiss him again.

0530 May 10, 2003 Paraguay (continued)

When Mac awoke in Clay's arms, she was confused at first. Then she remembered what had happened the night before. They had slept very little during the night hours; and, between the times they were making love, they had talked. He told her about his experiences in Suriname; she talked of the happenings at JAG while he was gone. She told him of Harriet's pregnancy, and Bud's continued recovery and return to duty. She also told him about Singer's death, and Harm's trial. Then she told him of how, about six months ago, she came to realize that she hadn't been in love with Harm for a long time. Oh, she still loved him, but she wasn't *in* love with him.

They never spoke words of love to each other, or of a long life together; that would wait until this assignment was over. They'd both agreed to wait for that conversation. Mac already knew she was falling in love with Webb, and falling hard. She'd actually been falling deeper and deeper in love with him for the past two years. She just wasn't sure about his feelings for her. Oh, she knew he desired her, but she wasn't sure if he loved her. But she hoped that he did.

Mac noted that it was 0530, and that they had an hour before they had to get up to start getting ready for the day's events. So, she rolled over in Clay's arms, and started kissing him all over his face.

When he awoke, she looked deep into his passion filled eyes, and knew he was ready for her too. "Make love to me one more time before we have to get up," she said, as she pulled him to her.

1302 Zulu July 12, 2003 A park in Alexandria, VA

Mac had been walking for the last two and a half hours, but didn't know how long she'd been in the park. She found a bench, and sat down. At first, she'd been shocked, then frightened, and now she was slowly accepting, and looking forward to, having a baby; Clay's baby.

'How would he react to the news that he was going to be a father?' she worried. Then she wondered, not for the first time in the last seven weeks, where he was. She hadn't heard from him since he and Gunny had driven off, in the hopes of reaching medical help. When she and Harm had gotten themselves to a nearby village after the crash, they'd been able to get a hold of Admiral Chegwidden, and got a transport home.

Mac had called Webb's office twice a week for the first month, until his secretary finally told her that she would call as soon as she heard from him, or at least where he was.

She'd even been in contact with Porter Webb, and had been told by the woman that she didn't even know where Clay was. Porter wasn't very happy about being left out of the loop when it came to the whereabouts of her son.

Mac made a mental note to give her a call tonight to see if she had any news. It'd been a few days since she last saw Porter.

She glanced over to the play area and watched some children on the swings and the jungle gym. Mac imagined what it would be like to see her son or daughter playing there. She let herself daydream about sitting on this bench watching her child. She wondered if Clay would be sitting here with her. She also wondered if he would be a part of their child's life, or hers, for that matter. She hoped he would.

Finally, Mac got up and decided to get going on her errands, and then get some dinner on the way home.

1900 Zulu July 12, 2003 Mac's Apartment

Mac checked her answering machine as she closed her door. Only two messages. One from Harm, who wanted to know if she would go to lunch with him tomorrow; and the other, from Doctor Keith. He was just checking in to make sure she was okay, because he could tell she had been in shock. He also gave her a date and time for her first ultrasound and other appointments.

She didn't want to deal with Harm right now, and it was too late to call Doctor Keith; she'd return both calls tomorrow. She grabbed her address book and sat on the couch so she would be comfortable while she talked to Porter.

Mac was surprised when Porter answered the phone, instead of letting Harrison pick it up. "Hello my dear, it's so nice to hear from you. And before you ask, no I haven't heard from Clayton yet."

Mac sighed and answered, "Have you talked to anyone at the Agency yet?"

"As a matter of fact, I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon with the Kershaw." Porter paused to let the information sink in. "How would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow, then you can be there when I meet with Kershaw."

Mac was quick to answer. "Mrs. Webb, I'd love to have lunch with you. But do you think Watts will tell you anything with me there?"

She could hear the smile in the older woman's voice. "First, please call me Porter. Second, I will simply inform Kershaw that he will tell both of us where Clayton is. After all you, as his fiancée, have the right to know where he is."

Mac gasped. "Why would he think that I'm Clay's fiancée?" she asked.

Porter laughed, "Because I let it slip to Kershaw last week that you were, that we needed to know where he was, and that we were worried. I know that you care for my son, and it was the only explanation I could think of for you to be informed as well. He only told me to let you know that Clayton was alive and recovering, but that was all he could say."

Mac just laughed. She wondered if she should tell Porter about the baby, then thought that she'd wait until after tomorrow's meeting.

They made arrangements for Mac to pick Porter up at 11:00 the next morning, and hung up.

Mac decided it was time to get some sleep, since she suddenly felt tired. She was silently praying that Kershaw would tell them where Clay was; she desperately needed to see and touch him. She knew Clay had a long road ahead of him, and she wanted to be there to help him through it.

As she fell asleep, Mac's thoughts were of the last time she'd laid eyes on Clay, and the kiss they had shared. It wasn't a kiss of passion, like the ones they exchanged the night they made love, but one of promise. It was a tender kiss. Clay had told her that he needed her; she was praying that he meant he loved her. She was hoping that it was what he kept trying to tell her that day. There was no doubt in her mind that she was in love with him. She fell asleep on that thought.

1058 Local July 13, 2003 Porter Webb's house Great Falls, VA

Mac got out of her car and stepped up to the door. She was nervous, but not about her lunch date with Porter; Mac had spent some time with her since her return from Paraguay, and had seen Porter on a couple of occasions prior to their op in Paraguay. No, Mac wasn't sure it was a good idea to gang up on the CIA, but if anyone could do it, she knew Porter could.

Porter met her at the door and invited her in. "Would you like to have lunch here, or at the restaurant where the meeting is taking place, my dear?"

Mac smiled at her and replied, "We probably should eat where the meeting will be, that way we won't be late. And please, call me Sarah or Mac, whichever is more comfortable for you."

Porter touched her hand, "I'll call you Sarah, you are a woman, and not a man. Mac is a man's name." As she spoke, Porter squeezed Mac's hand.

Porter grabbed her purse and a light coat before they left the house, got into Mac's car, and drove off.

1200 Local The Crystal Inn Restaurant

As they sat down to eat, Mac noticed how secluded they were from the rest of the patrons in the restaurant. "What time will Kershaw be getting here?" she asked.

Porter laughed, "Very astute Sarah, you noticed our seclusion. He'll be here at 1:00. That will give us enough time to have ourselves a nice lunch." They ordered their lunch and chatted as they waited for their food. Once the food arrived, the talking subsided, but not completely. Mac was finding it so very easy to talk to Porter. She'd always liked the older woman, and thought that now was the time to tell her about the baby. She hoped that Porter would be happy to hear that she would be a grandmother.

Just as she was about to reveal her news, Harm walked up to the table. "Hello Mac, Mrs. Webb. What brings you here today?"

Porter looked at him. "Commander Rabb, it's nice to see you again. Sarah and I are having lunch, isn't it obvious?" She glanced at Mac and smiled.

Harm turned to Mac. "I see. I guess you didn't get my message last night. I had asked if you wanted to grab a bite to eat today. Looks like the answer is no. That's okay, I'm meeting with the SecNav to see if I can get my commission back." He sat down without being invited.

Mac was getting mad, and she was afraid that Kershaw wouldn't show up if Harm was sitting with them. "Harm, we were having a private conversation. I will call you later, I promise."

He wasn't ready to leave; he had time to kill before the SecNav got there. "What's wrong Mac, afraid you'll say something that will shock me?" He laughed at his own joke, and didn't notice when the ladies didn't join in.

"Harm, please just leave. I *will* call you later." Mac knew they were running out of time.

He got up and turned, saying, "Fine. I guess I'll talk to you later. I see the SecNav is here anyway." And he stormed off.

Mac turned to the older woman, "I'm so sorry Porter, he's been a royal ass since our return from Paraguay. He's still blaming Clay for the mess we were in. I keep telling him that it was as much my fault as it was Clay's. Clay wouldn't have been tortured if I hadn't been so gung ho to rescue Gunny." She was almost in tears as Porter patted her hand. 'Damn these hormones.'

"I know Clayton wouldn't have let you go in there alone, no matter what. He's always protective of those he loves." She held Mac's hand and looked her in the eye.

Mac saw that Porter believed what she was saying. "What makes you think that he's in love with me?"

"Because Sarah, Clayton has been talking about you to me for years, and a mother knows when her son is in love. When I tell him to ask you out, his excuse has always been that you were in love with Commander Rabb." She laughed. "But I can tell that you're in love with my son, not the Commander. Which is why I told Kershaw that you were engaged instead of his girlfriend." As Porter said all of this to Mac, she kept eye contact. Then she added, "So, now, I ask you, when were you going to tell me about the baby?"

Mac gasped. "How did you know?"

Porter grinned, "Sarah, I'm a woman and a mother. I know the signs of pregnancy. You're glowing, and whenever a woman has walked by, carrying a baby, you get this dreamy look in your eye. I've noticed it all through lunch." Mac blushed and covered her face with her hands, then looked back at the older, wiser woman. "I just found out yesterday. I'm not even sure how to tell Clay once we find him. We didn't get the chance to discuss our feelings, let alone children."

Before anything else could be said on the subject, Porter saw Kershaw coming their way. "We'll finish this discussion later, Kershaw is here. Feel free to step in anytime you want. I think if we gang up on him, we may find out where they have Clayton." Porter held out her hand as the CIA official stepped up to the table.

From across the room, Harm noticed that Kershaw was sitting down with the ladies. He would make a point to head over there after he and the SecNav were done with their meeting. Harm turned his attention back to the man sitting across from him.

Kershaw took Porter's hand as he sat down. "I thought this was a meeting just between the two of us. You didn't tell me that Colonel MacKenzie was going to be here too. What I have to say is need to know. I shouldn't even tell you, let alone the Colonel here." He turned to Mac, "It's nothing personal Colonel." Then he turned back to Porter. "This is a sensitive issue, and I wouldn't be telling you if I didn't owe you. But once this is done, we're even." Mac was curious about that statement but knew better than to ask. She was about to say that she was Clay's fiancee and had the right to know, but Porter beat her to it.

"She is need to know, she's going to marry my son. You will tell us both where Clayton is. I want to know, and I want to know now. Or do I have to start calling in favors?" She sounded convincing to Mac.

Kershaw looked from Porter to Mac. He actually looked a little frightened of the older woman. Mac was starting to relax, she was sure that by the end of lunch they would know where Clay was. She spoke up at last, "I have some very important news to tell Clay, and I want to tell him in person. I want to see him and know for myself that he's okay. It's been almost two months and no one has told us anything more than 'he's recovering.' He needs me by his side, and he needs his mother." She was really getting into this. "Is he conscious or in a coma? Is he being well cared for?"

Kershaw looked from one woman to the other and held up his hands. "Okay, I'll tell you what I can, but I can't say where he is. He was in a coma up until a few weeks ago. It was like he shut down so his body could heal. His injuries were pretty bad. He had internal bleeding but they got it all. He has a long road ahead of him; he has to go through extensive physical therapy. He's getting the best care in the world, and the best doctors are taking care of him. I haven't seen him, so I can't tell you anymore. That's all I can reveal. I don't even know where he is. Only the DCI knows his whereabouts."

"Unacceptable." Porter sharply said. "We want to be taken to him, and we want to be taken there as soon as possible. So you'd better get on your phone with Watts, and tell him that heads will roll if this isn't done, and done now."

Kershaw got up, clearly defeated by Porter's unwillingness to give up, and said, "Hold on, let me make a call." And he walked away to the hall. Mac turned to Porter. "Do you think he'll take us to where Clay is?"

The older woman leaned in closer. "If he knows what's good for him, he will."

Just then, Harm came back to the table. "Well it looks like I'm back at JAG, the SecNav said I could have my commission back." He looked from Porter to Mac. "So, what was Kershaw doing here?"

Mac got up and pulled Harm away from the table. "Excuse us Porter, I'll be right back."

As she dragged him to the door, Mac informed him, "Harm, it's none of your business. Porter had a meeting with him and it just happened to be here at this restaurant after our lunch date. Now, I told you I'd call you later tonight, and I will. Please, just go home." As she turned to rejoin Porter, he stopped her, by grabbing her arm.

"What's so important that you're brushing me off? I thought we were friends." He said, as he made her look at him.

"Harm, we are friends. Porter and I are trying to find out where they have Clay hidden away. Now please, just go home so we can get the information we need." She looked at him pleadingly.

"Fine." He said, and stormed off, mumbling to himself.

Mac was just getting back to the table, as Kershaw was sitting down. "We'll take you to him by private jet, I still don't know where he is, but you can go to him. I'll pick you both up at Mrs. Webb's house at 6:00 this evening. Until then, ladies." He said as he got up and left.

When Kershaw was gone, Mac and Porter stood up and hugged each other, both feeling relief. "That's one hurdle passed. Now, I think it best if you were to call Admiral Chegwidden and get some leave. You can drop me off at my house, and go home yourself to pack. I'll have Harrison make us a nice dinner before we leave tonight. You can meet me back at my house at 4:30. Does that sound all right with you, my dear?"

Mac shook her head yes, she couldn't talk. In just a few hours she would be on her way to where Clay was.

1500 Local July 13, 2003 Mac's apartment

Mac packed her suitcase and wondered, not for the first time that day, what she should bring with her. She didn't know if she should pack a sweater or a coat, so she decided on a sweater instead. She figured if she needed a jacket after they arrived, she would splurge and go buy herself one.

She had her suitcase and overnight bag packed in record time. As a Marine, Mac had learned to pack quickly over the years. When she got back from dropping Porter off at home, she called the Admiral at home. He told her that she was entitled to some vacation time. And had mentioned something about hoping she would stop acting like a zombie when she came back. Mac promised to be back to normal when she returned. She thought of telling him about the baby, but wanted to tell Clay first. Besides, when she told Harm and the rest of the office, she wanted it to be from her and Clay, not through the gossip grapevine.

Before walking out the door, Mac called Dr. Keith and told him that she'd be going out of town for a few days, and asked him what she could do for morning sickness. He suggested some crackers and soda water until she could make an appointment with him or her regular doctor.

When all of this was done, she closed her door and went to her neighbor, Mrs. Bennett's door. She was the neighbor who took in Mac's mail when she was out of town, and had been doing it for the past few years. Mac left her mailbox key with Mrs. Bennett, and told her she'd be gone for a week or so, and would call if anything changed. Mac liked Mrs. Bennett, and trusted her. She was like the grandmother Mac never had. Saying her goodbyes, Mac headed out to her car.

As she finished loading the car, Mac pulled her cell phone out and dialed Harm's number. She was almost relieved when his answering machine picked up; though, she knew she was choosing the chicken way out. "Hey Harm, it's Mac. I have to go out of town for a few days. I don't know how long I'll be gone, or if I'll be anyplace where my phone will work. But I promise to call you as soon as I can. The Admiral will fill you in, if you give him a call. I'll see you when I get back. Bye." She got in her car as she hung up, and drove off towards Porter's.

1630 Local July 13, 2003 Porter Webb's House

Mac parked her car and grabbed her bags from the trunk. As she walked up to the door, she noticed that Harrison was already holding it open for her. "Mrs. Webb thought that you might be early, and asked me to watch for you." He took her bags from her. "She's in the drawing room waiting for you. Dinner will be ready in half an hour." He placed her bags next to Porter's, by the front door.

"Thank you Harrison, I'll go in and see her right away." Mac then left him to join Porter. This was the one room that Mac knew well, she had met with Porter in this room every time she'd come here in the last two months.

The two women sat and chatted for a while as they waited for dinner. Porter asked Mac about her childhood; it was something she'd been wondering about the woman whom her son loved. Mac found it easy to talk to the older woman. She told her about her parents and her marriage to Chris.

Harrison announced dinner, and Porter led her into the most exquisite dinning room Mac had ever seen. "This is beautiful; whoever designed this room had great taste."

Porter beamed proudly, "Thank you, my dear. I decorated this room. In fact, I decorated every room in this house, but one."

Mac was curious. "Which room is that?"

Porter laughed. "That would be Clayton's room. He decorated his room as a teenager and hasn't changed a thing in it since then. Maybe you could talk that son of mine into showing it to you someday." They ate the rest of their meal in silence.

1800 Local As they finished their meal, the clock chimed six. Mac and Porter exchanged nervous glances; they were anxious to get going. When the doorbell rang, Harrison went to answer the door. He announced Mr. Kershaw, then went back to help the driver load the bags into the car.

"Colonel MacKenzie, Mrs. Webb, if you're ready to go." Kershaw gestured towards the front door.

Once in the car, Mac asked, "When can someone tell us where Clay is?"

Kershaw looked from her to Porter. "I still don't know where he is. Watts has given his pilot the flight plan and someone will meet you at the airport. Evidently Watts doesn't trust anyone in the Agency, not even me. He hasn't told anyone where Webb is." Kershaw actually looked upset.

"Does that mean you won't be joining us?" Porter asked him.

"No, Watts wants me here, and has assigned me to go over Colonel MacKenzie's and Gunnery Sergeant Galindez's briefs to find out who the leak could be." He gave a shake of his head. "Did Webb happen to mention to you who the leak could be, Colonel?"

Mac shook her head. "I put everything I could remember in the brief. You might want to talk to Commander Rabb and see if he has anything he can add."

Kershaw gave her a smirk. "He's already been assigned to me to help go over the briefs. Not even the SecNav could get him out of this. He's TDY to me until this is solved." They rode the rest of the way in silence. Mac and Porter thanked Kershaw as they turned to climb into Watts' personal private jet. As they taxied out, Porter turned to Mac. "It might end up being a long flight, we should get some sleep."

Mac agreed, laid her seat back, and closed her eyes. As she drifted off to sleep she dreamed of she Clay sitting on a park bench, watching their daughter play. When Porter noticed the lovely smile on the younger woman's face, she was finally able to drift off to sleep herself.

July 14, 2003 Russian Airport

Porter and Mac walked through the terminal towards baggage claim. Mac spoke first. "Why would they have Clay in Russia?" She placed the bags on a cart.

"If Watts didn't trust anyone in the Agency, he may have turned to an outside source for help," was the only thing Porter could come up with.

"Hello, beautiful Colonel." They heard behind them.

Mac turned around with a confused smile on her face. "Alexi? Let me guess, you were told to pick us up. Am I right?"

Alexi smiled at both women. "Not only beautiful, but smart, too." He took the cart from Mac, and led them out to his car. On the way, Mac introduced Alexi to her traveling companion.

While in the car, Alexi told Porter of the trip he and Mac took to Chechnya. Porter laughed when he got to the part where Mac changed the flat tire. Mac, however, was glad when they finally got to the American Embassy, and he couldn't tell anymore stories.

As they entered the building, the three of them were greeted by Mark Sokol. "Hello, Sarah. It's good to see you again. I was surprised to hear that you were coming here with Webb's mother. You're looking lovely as usual."

"Hello, Mark. Porter, this is Major Mark Sokol. Mark, this is Porter Webb." She turned to look at Porter. "Mark and I have worked together before.

"Mrs. Webb, it's nice to meet you. I'll be taking you both to see Webb in a few hours. We have to make sure we can leave here and get to the safe-house without being followed. I was told to give you time to clean up and get some rest first. Come, I'll show you where you ladies can freshen up." He led them up stairs.

Mac waited until they were outside the doors to their rooms. "Mark, why is Clayton Webb in Russia? And more importantly, why is he in your care?"

He turned to look at her, and lowered his voice. "Mr. Watts of the CIA told my superiors that he needed their help. He said they had a leak in his Agency, and he needed someplace to put Webb until he was feeling better. Webb is the only one who can tell them who the leak is. Watts couldn't trust anyone from the Agency, and decided to let us help him, and give us the chance to be friends again. I was assigned to him because we've worked together before."

Porter was impatient, she wanted to know where her son was. "Speaking of Clayton, what is his prognosis?"

"He's resting right now; he's been medicated to keep him from being in too much pain. He was in a coma up until a few weeks ago. He's slowly healing, but he had internal bleeding and a couple of broken ribs; his feet and hands are wrapped, and he has a long road to recovery. He'll have to go through some physical therapy also." Mark placed their bags at their doors. "Why don't you clean up and take a nap, I'll be back in three hours to take you to him."

Porter grabbed his arm. "What about the doctor who's caring for him?"

Mark turned back to her. "He's being cared for by Watts' personal physician. A man that he can trust; he's been with him for years. He hasn't let anyone see Webb yet, I don't know how bad he looks. They're afraid if he is doped up too much, he might give some secrets away to us, I guess." Mark laughed and walked off.

Three hours later Still in Russia

Mark and Alexi picked Porter and Mac up as promised. Mac had taken a bottle of club soda and some soda crackers with her because she wasn't feeling well, but that wasn't going to stop her from seeing Clay now, after coming all this way. Still, she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of her two old friends.

Alexi drove through the streets easily, but kept a lookout around him. He knew the routine: if there's a tail, do what you can to loose it. So far, there hadn't been anyone following them. Since having Webb in their custody, they'd only been followed once, and Alexi lost them with ease. He thought at first that it was too easy to loose his tail, so he chose different routes every time he had to take Sokol to Webb's location.

When Mac finally spoke, Mark turned around from his place in the front seat. "Has Clay said anything to you?" She asked.

He looked first at Porter, then at Mac. "No, the doctor's been the only one allowed to speak with him, on Watts' orders. No one but Alexi and I know where he is; not even the good doctor knows where they are." He shrugged. "I figured if the doctor needed to get any information to Watts, he'd have to wait until I got there so he could use my satellite phone. We want to make sure no one can give away Webb's position."

Porter looked at him and spoke. "Does my son know that I'm coming, or that I brought Sarah with me?"

Mark was still a little confused as to why Sarah was with Mrs. Webb. He could come up with no reason that she should be here, unless it was moral support for the older woman. He was surprised that Rabb would let his girlfriend come to Russia without him. He didn't even know Sarah was going to be here until Watts called this morning. "No, I told the doctor that he had some visitors coming from the United States, and to make sure that he wasn't too medicated today."

They rode the rest of the way in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

The Safe House Undisclosed Location Russia

Alexi held the door open and helped Porter out of the car, while Mark did the same for Mac. He could see that she didn't look well, and the dark circles under her eyes didn't help. "Are you okay, Sarah?" he asked her.

Startled, she looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. I've just been trying to find Clay since I got back to DC, and now that I'm about to see him, I'm a little anxious. That, and I haven't had a good night's sleep since the last time I saw him. I'm sure I look a sight."

Mark shook his head and replied. "You could never look anything but lovely, Sarah."

She blushed as Porter took her hand and gave it a little squeeze. "It's okay, my dear, you don't need to tell him right away. Let's just make sure for ourselves that he's alive and getting better. All right?"

Mac stopped and hugged the older woman. 'What would I do without this woman right now?' she thought to herself; then she knew the answer. 'I'd probably sit on the floor, start crying, and fall apart.' When they separated, she replied, "Thank you, Porter. You know just what to say, and when to say it, don't you?"

Porter just smiled back at her, she already knew that she loved Sarah and wanted her for a daughter-in-law, and she decided if her son didn't ask this woman to marry him, she'd disown him. But then again, she didn't think she had to worry about that. Porter had known a lot longer than Clay had, just how much he loved Sarah.

Just then, the doctor walked up and greeted them. "Hello, I'm Doctor Seaver." He held out his hand to Porter, then to Mac.

"I'm Colonel Sarah MacKenzie, and this is Mrs. Porter Webb, Clay's mother." She said as she shook his hand.

Doctor Seaver looked at the two women in surprise. "I wasn't told that his mother was going to be here. I'd assumed that the two people coming to see him would be from the Agency." He turned to Porter first. "You may go in and see him." He then turned to Mac. "But Colonel MacKenzie, you'll have to remain out here. I'm sorry but I don't think he should have too many visitors right away. I hope that you understand, Colonel."

Porter pulled Mac next to her and didn't let go of her hand. "Unacceptable. She will also be going in to see my son. After all, she's going to marry him."

Neither woman saw the shocked look on Mark's face or the smirk on Alexi's.

Doctor Seaver was adamant. "But she isn't married to him yet, I still must insist that he only see you right now." Boy was he stubborn.

But, Porter could be stubborn too. "Well then, how is she going to tell him that he's going to be a father, if she can't go in and see him?"

Alexi grabbed Mac and hugged her. "Congratulations, beautiful Colonel. Why did you not say anything, I could've brought a pillow for your back in the car." Mark just stood there with his mouth open.

Mac looked from Alexi to Mark, and blushed. "I didn't say anything because I wanted to tell Clay first." She turned back to the doctor. "I just want to see him with my own eyes for a minute. I promise not to disturb him."

Porter huffed and said, "Of course she won't disturb him. She just needs to put her mind at ease, as do I, that he's really alive."

Mac looked to Porter. "Maybe I should wait a few days before I tell him about the baby. I'd hate to cause a setback." They both turned to the doctor.

He finally gave in. "Oh, very well, but only for a few minutes. He tires very easily."

The doctor stayed in the hall with Mark and Alexi as Porter took Mac's hand and they approached the door. They slowly crept up to Clay's bed, and saw the IV's in his arm. Mac gasped as she noted all the bandages on him. His ribs were wrapped, his hands and feet were bandaged, and there was some gauze in his right ear. The bruises and cuts on his face were not as dark as they had been the last time she'd seen him. The blood had been washed off of his face, and his eyes and lips weren't puffy like they had been two months ago. To her, he looked wonderful; she'd missed him so much.

Porter let Mac get closer, as she waited at the foot of the bed. She was content to wait her turn now that she'd seen him with her own eyes. She would let the two young lovers have their reunion first.

Mac reached out and moved the stubborn lock of hair off his forehead. He moaned at her touch and opened his eyes. "Sarah?" he asked. "Am I dreaming again?"

"It's really me, Clay, and your mother is here too." She bent down and kissed his lips as he looked at his mother at the end of his bed. "Do you think if I'm careful I could give you a hug?" She asked.

He gave her one of his trademark smiles. "I'd love to get a hug from you. I've been dreaming of having your arms around me." He paused for a second. "This isn't a dream is it?" he asked again.

He got his answer when she put her arms around him. She hugged him as gently as she could under the circumstances. "Does this feel like a dream?"

He winced as he chuckled. "No, this feels so much better than my dreams." With the hand that wasn't holding Mac's, he reached out to his mother. "Hello Mother. Are you going to come closer or not?"

Porter walked the rest of the way to his bedside, and took his outstretched hand. "Sarah and I have been trying to find you for the past two months. She's been relentless."

Mac blushed at her comment. "Your mother had to threaten Kershaw and Watts to get them to bring us here. She also had to tell them I was your fiancée, just so they'd let me come too."

Clay winced as he laughed out at that. "I'll bet that really went over well with them. I suppose I have a lot to answer for when I get back, for taking my fiancée on an assignment, huh?"

Porter laughed too. "I'm sure you can charm your way out of it." She looked closer at her son. "How are you really doing, Clayton? We already know what the doctor had to say, but I want to know how you feel."

He looked at her and answered as truthfully as he could. "I'm doing better than I thought I would be. I still hurt and have awful nightmares, but I think the best medicine walked through that door ten minutes ago."

Porter seemed content with this answer. She looked over to Mac and smiled. "Well my dear, maybe now would be a good time to tell him."

Clay could see how scared Mac looked when his mother made the statement. "What's wrong, Sarah? Did something happen to you? Please tell me, sweetheart, if something happened." He was getting worried.

Mac looked from Porter, who gave her an encouraging nod, to Clay. She took his hand and watched his face. "Well, I guess you could say something happened. Clay, I'm almost ten weeks pregnant." She waited for his reaction.

She didn't have long to wait. "I'm going to be a father?" He asked quietly; she nodded, but didn't smile.

He looked like he was going to pass out, and she was becoming concerned. "Clay, are you all right? Do you want me to get Doctor Seaver?" She turned to go for the doctor.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. "Sarah, don't go." When he had collected his thoughts, he looked back at her. "I'm sorry, it's just the last thing I expected to hear. Are you sure you want to have a child with me? Are you sure our child is going to want me as a dad?" He looked so scared that she wanted to cry.

She took his hand and said, "I told you that I wanted kids when I found the right man. I think, no, I'm sure I have the right man." She kissed him again, this time a little longer. When she came up for air, she turned to Porter and smiled, then looked back at Clay. "We can talk about this later. First, you need to get better so we can find that leak in the Agency. I don't intend to have our child in Russia, and I am not leaving your side now that I've found you."

Porter got their attention. "Listen children, I'm going to talk to the doctor and find out exactly what's ahead of us." She looked to Mac. "Sarah, why don't you keep Clayton company." She walked out the door, leaving the two lovers alone.

Mac climbed onto the bed, held Clay as best she could, and fell into the best sleep she'd had in the last two months. He listened to her breath for a few more minutes before sleep overtook him also.

0400 hours July 15, 2003 Safehouse Russia The hall outside Webb's room

Porter sat in the chair outside her son's room and talked quietly with Alexi, Mark, and Doctor Seaver. Doctor Seaver was telling them that Mac needed to leave Webb's room so he could get some rest, and Porter was putting her foot down. "I'm sorry Doctor Seaver, but Sarah's going to stay right where she is. She hasn't had much sleep in the past two months, and that's not good for her or the baby." She stood up, pulled the door closed, placed her chair in front of it, and sat down again. "She isn't hurting Clayton, and I think you will notice how much better he's been doing since she walked into his room."

Doctor Seaver walked off in a huff, mumbling something about it not being his fault if his patient had a setback.

Porter looked back to Mark and Alexi, and smiled. "He obviously doesn't know either of them. Sarah would never do anything to harm Clayton, and he's always done everything in his power to keep her from getting hurt. That is, if he could prevent it. It's taken many obstacles for them to finally get to the point where they are together." She folded her hands in her lap.

Mark sat down in the chair across from her. "I'm a little confused. The last time I saw Sarah, she was engaged to that guy, Brumby. And I'm pretty sure she was still hoping that Rabb would come to his senses and stop the wedding. So, what happened?"

Porter shrugged her shoulders and replied. "I'm not sure exactly what happened. Sarah and I didn't discuss it. We spent most of our time talking about her childhood, and Clayton's childhood. We also talked about when she started falling in love with my son."

Alexi sat there listening to them talk, and couldn't help thinking to himself, 'I'm happy that Colonel MacKenzie is finally going to be happy, she deserves it.' To them he said, "I never thought that Commander Rabb was good enough for her. She deserves to be happy, and he didn't seem to make her happy at all."

Mark couldn't help but agree with him. "She looked happy to me when I poked my head into that room a few moments ago." He looked at Porter, and she nodded. "Your son seems to be the one to make her happy. I didn't like Rabb, and from what I'd seen of Brumby, he wasn't good for her, either."

Porter silently agreed as she sighed and closed her eyes. She would sit here and wait until Sarah was ready to leave Clayton's room. She was acting like a mother hen to Sarah, as well as her son, but they both needed the rest, and she would make sure they got it.

Mark and Alexi took her closed eyes as the end of their conversation. They silently agreed to sit by her side and help keep the doctor out of the room, for now.

Mark was lost in his own thoughts, anyway. He wondered what Rabb had finally done to turn Sarah away from him. He knew that she had feelings for Rabb the last time he'd seen her. Yeah, she'd been engaged to that Brumby guy, but anyone with eyes could tell that it was Rabb she was in love with. Now, after almost two years later, he sees her and she's pregnant with Webb's child. Go figure. He wondered if Rabb had broken her heart, or if she'd just gotten tired of waiting for him. At least she's happy now, and that made him happy for her.

Meanwhile, in Webb's room

Mac awoke to the feeling of an arm wrapped around her. The last time she'd woken up that way was the morning after they'd made love. She adored waking up like this, and wished for it to be this way for the rest of her life. She opened her eyes and looked up at the face of the man sleeping next to her, and everything came back to her. She'd finally found him after two long months of searching. She felt safe for the first time in those two months.

Gazing at the face of the man she loved so much, she wondered to herself, 'What lies ahead of us? Will we be able to find the leak in the Agency? Will we ever become a family? How does he feel about the baby? How does he feel about me? Will he give up field work or keep putting himself in danger like this? Will he even be happy with a desk job? And, finally, what will the Admiral and Harm say when we tell them about us and the baby?'

Mac took her hand and moved that stubborn lock of hair off of his forehead again. He moaned and opened his eyes. "Hello, darling. I thought I was dreaming again. I was afraid that if I opened my eyes you'd be gone, like always." He moved her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm.

"How are you feeling this morning? Do you need me to get Doctor Seaver to give you a pain killer?" She started to get up, but he pulled her back down to him. "Clay, I'm too heavy for you. I'll hurt you."

He kissed her nose. "You could never hurt me, Sarah. I just want to spend a little longer with you like this. I've been longing to have you with me like this for a long time." He paused for a second. "Listen, Sarah, I know this mission isn't over until we catch the leak, but I need to say this now. I've been in love with you for such a long time, and I know that this isn't the most romantic way to ask this. Will you do me the honor of being my friend, lover, confidante, companion, partner, mother of my children, and my wife?" As he said the last part, he placed his hand over her stomach. He saw the tears pool in her eyes, and was afraid that he'd made a mistake. 'Maybe she doesn't love me like that,' he thought to himself.

Mac had held her breath through his speech. She was afraid that he was going to tell her that he liked her and lusted for her, but not enough to be with her. Then, her eyes started to tear up when he spoke those wonderful words to her. She rose up and took his face in her hands and said, "Oh, Clay, I love you, too. I have for a while now. This Marine would be happy to be all of those things to you, especially your wife."

She bent down and kissed him tenderly, and thought to herself, 'Now that I know we're going to be together as a family, I know we can make it through this mess.'

Over the next week, Webb made great improvements. Porter said it was all Mac, and was extremely happy at the news that her son finally asked the younger woman to marry him. Porter and Mac never left his side, and together, they got him from bed-bound to sitting, then walking a few steps, and finally to walking up and down the hall.

Everyday after therapy they all - Porter, Mark, Alexi, Mac, and Webb - would sit in his room, and go over everything that had happened in Paraguay. They all agreed that Edward Hardy was the leak in South America, but still came up blank on who his connection could be in the US. They all knew that Webb couldn't go back to DC until they found the other leak.

1958 Hours July 23, 2003 Safehouse Russia

Mac took Mark's satellite phone so she could call Admiral Chegwidden. Once she was in a room by herself, she dialed JAG headquarters. Harriet answered the phone. "Ma'am, it's good to hear your voice. Did you find Mr. Webb?"

"Yes Harriet, that's why I need to speak with the Admiral. Is he in?" She asked in a hurry because she didn't want to be away from Webb too long.

Harriet could tell that it was important. "Hold on a second, and I'll get him." And she was gone.

It didn't take long for Mac to hear his voice on the other end. "Colonel, I understand that you found Mr. Webb. Is he doing okay? Does this mean that you'll be home soon?"

Mac took a deep breath, then just came out and said what she needed to say. "Admiral, I need more time here. We're going over everything to figure out who the leak in the Agency is. Clay's making great progress, but we can't let anyone know that yet. Between the therapy and sleep, we're working the rest of the case. I can't tell you how long it will be, but we're trying to do this as fast as we can." She held her breath and waited for him to blow up at her. She was shocked when the explosion didn't come.

"Well, I guess it won't be safe for Webb to come back if the leak isn't found. Is there anything I can do to help on this end?" He asked her.

Mac smiled into the phone. ", we were hoping that you'd say that. Is there anyway you can get together with DCI Watts and work collaboratively? And, is there anyway you can have him in your office this time tomorrow? I'll call back in twenty four hours on your private line in your office at JAG." She finished.

She could imagine him mentally filing this information away. "I'll try to have him here at the designated time. Either way, I'll be here to get your call. So, I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow, Mac." And he was gone.

Webb's room

Mac walked through the door as Doctor Seaver was finishing his checkup. "Well, Mr. Webb, considering all you've been through, you're making great progress. I'm amazed at how fast you're coming along." He finished writing his notes down.

Webb looked up, saw Mac, and held out his hand for her. She noticed that his arm no longer held the IV tubes in it. She took his hand as he said, "Here's all the medicine I'll ever need, Doctor Seaver." And he pulled her to sit on the bed next to him.

Mac blushed but kissed the hand that she held. "I'm glad to be of help." She watched the doctor walk out the door, then turned back to Webb. "Clay, I got a hold of the Admiral, and he's going to try and have Watts in his office tomorrow when I make the call."

Webb leaned back in the bed, and pulled her along with him. "So, we'll have AJ and Watts working that end, while we try this end? Maybe the two of them will be able to figure it out when we tell them about Edward Hardy." He kissed her palm, then placed it over his heart. "Will you sleep in here with me tonight, since I no longer have an IV in my arm?"

Mac sighed. "I'd love to, but you need your rest, Clay." She turned to look at him.

"Sarah, I'll sleep much better with you in this bed with me than if you were to sleep in that chair one more night. I can't rest knowing you aren't comfortable." He placed a finger over her lips when she started to speak. "If not for me, then do it for our baby. Don't make me beg, Sarah."

She laughed, she couldn't help it. He looked so adorable; like a child. "Okay, okay. I'll sleep in this bed with you, but you have to make me one promise."

He closed his eyes; he knew this was too easy. "What is it I have to promise? I'll do anything I can."

Mac smiled at him. "It's not that bad. I just want you to hold me all night long. In fact, hold me for the rest of our lives." She said, as she gazed into his eyes.

He pulled her closer, and kissed her tenderly. "That's a promise I intend to keep." He pulled the blanket up over their bodies, and they snuggled together. They were asleep within moments of each other.

Neither saw Porter smile at them as she turned the light off and shut the door. She'd heard the last part of their conversation, and liked what she heard.

1958 Hours July 24, 2003 Safehouse Russia

Webb, Mac, Porter, Alexi, and Mark sat and waited for Chegwidden to answer his phone. When they heard his voice, Mac clicked it onto the speaker. "Hello, Admiral, were you able to get a hold of Watts for us?"

They heard shuffling on the other end. "Yes, Colonel, I'm right here. Is Webb there with you?" He asked her.

She looked at Webb and nodded. "I'm here. Hello, AJ, Watts. We have you on speaker phone." He paused. "Is your line secure AJ?"

They could hear the Admiral chuckle. "Yes, Webb, it's secure. I had it checked this morning, and I double checked before you called."

Watts spoke up then. "Webb, have you come up with anything that can help us?"

Webb gave Mac the go ahead. "Mr. Watts, we've only come up with one name after discussing the whole mission. That name is Edward Hardy. He's the only one who could've tipped Sadik off to Gunny's presence, and also to the rescue mission." As she finished talking, she looked at everyone in the room to see if she'd forgotten anything. Everyone gave her an approving nod.

"Well, Colonel MacKenzie, if Hardy's the leak in South America, then I need to check who his contact is here in the US." Watts shuffled some papers. "As far as everyone here and in the Agency knows, Webb didn't make it. Everyone at the Agency is being told right now that his injuries were too severe, and he died." He paused to let this information sink in. "Kershaw and Rabb also think that Webb is gone. I'll have the jet pick you up in a few days. I'll also have a safehouse ready for your return, Webb. I've asked Sokol's supervisor to assign he and Alexi to us for this op. So, you'll all be traveling to the US in a few days. Colonel MacKenzie, you and Mrs. Webb will be in mourning for him, and will have to comfort each other. Both of you will need to get out of DC to get over your grief." He turned it over to Chegwidden.

"Mac, I'll be giving you a leave of absence so you can help Porter get over the death of her son. And, it's perfect that everyone knows he was your fiancée. You should've seen Rabb when he was told. I swear, his chin hit the floor." He laughed out.

Mac couldn't help it, this was the perfect opening to tell her CO. "Well then, I guess when you tell him that I'm 12 weeks pregnant, more than his jaw will hit the floor."

She jumped when she heard Chegwidden's "What!!????"

Webb came over and took her hand. "It's true AJ, we're going to have a baby, and, as soon as this is over, I plan on having a wedding, too."

They heard the two men laughing, then Chegwidden saying, "I'm just glad that I get to be the one to tell Rabb."

They made the final arrangements and hung up.

Back alone in Webb's room, Mac was pulled into his embrace. "Are you going to be okay with this, Sarah?"

She loved being held in his arms. She could be held by this man forever. She looked at him and said, "I'll do whatever I have to do to keep you alive, and with me. I'm not about to loose you now." She pulled him down onto the bed with her, and kissed him. "Come to bed, my love, we only have a few more days before I have to grieve for you."

He put his cane on the chair, and took his slippers off before climbing the rest of the way into bed with her. As he was pulling the covers over them, he couldn't help thinking to himself, 'I can't believe what a lucky man I am to have this wonderful woman love me, and that we're going to be parents together.'

He gazed at her and asked, "How did I get so lucky to be the man you fell in love with?"

She wrapped her arms around him. "You were the one who let me be myself. You never tried to control me, or suffocate me. You let me take care of myself, and when there was trouble, you let me get myself, and you, out of it. You didn't try to play the hero or rescue the damsel." She stopped talking, and scrunched up her face. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say? Am I making myself clear?"

He laughed and kissed her. "I understand what you're saying. I'm not Rabb or Brumby, right?"

She kissed him back and smiled. "Yes, you're right."

They snuggled and fell asleep holding each other.

0800 Hours July 25, 2003 Safehouse Russia

Mac woke to the sound of Doctor Seaver yelling at someone. "I don't think he's ready to be moved yet. He hasn't finished his therapy!"

Porter answered him. "That's why Mr. Watts wants you to go with him, to continue his therapy. He's still under your care, but they need him closer to where they can protect him. You already said that he was improving faster than you expected. Now he'll have a gym to work out in, and stairs to climb to help in his therapy."

What she was saying seemed to soothe the doctor. Mac heard their voices fade down the hall.

"Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?" Webb asked her.

"I had a very good night sleep last night; and a couple of wonderful dreams." She told him.

He couldn't help it, he was curious. "What about? Was I in them?"

"Oh, you were definitely in them. One was our wedding, and the other was the birth of our daughter." She paused to see what his reaction would be.

He looked at her and asked, "You had a vision? So, when's your due date? What did we name her?"

She was surprised that he knew about her visions. "Harm told you I had them, huh?"

He shook his head. "No, I was at JAG the day you found Chloe. You didn't say when she'll be born."

"Our daughter will be born on February 14th. So, I hope we'll be married before then." She kissed him when he tried to answer her. "Come on, spook, time to get up and do our daily exercise. Out of bed, now, mister." She ordered him.

Together, they got him out of bed, dressed, and on his way. With her on one side of him, and the cane in his other hand, he did his laps in the hall.

July 27, 2003 Watts' Private Jet Over the Atlantic Ocean

Porter sat across from the sleeping couple but wasn't quite ready to sleep herself. She'd noticed the difference in her son's condition from when they first arrived, two and a half weeks ago. 'He's now walking with a cane and his injuries are healing nicely. His bruises are almost all gone and he hardly has any scarring. Emotionally, he's doing better, too. The first few nights there he had some pretty bad nightmares and would wake up screaming,' she thought to herself. She looked over at Mac and thought, 'When Sarah started sleeping in his bed with him, the nightmares didn't happen as often, and when they did, they weren't as bad.' Nobody would take her family away from her. She would do everything in her power to protect the two young lovers and the child they had created. Thinking about her future grandchild was the last thing she thought of as she drifted off to sleep.

Mark and Alexi sat near the rear of the plane, quietly discussing how they were going to keep Webb alive once they landed. They were going over everything now, so that when it came time to land, they'd be ready.

"Alexi, the first thing I want you to do is to map out all the possible escape routes out of the house, should we need them. Then, I want you to go for a drive and make sure you know every road out of there, and plan a few different routes out, too." He rubbed his eyes. He should be resting, but he had to make sure they had everything planned out, and that they were prepared before the plane landed.

"Okay, Boss, I'll make sure the car has a full tank after each use. Don't want to run out of gas trying to get away," Alexi said as he yawned. "We better get a few hours sleep, Boss, or we'll be no good to them."

Mark yawned, too. "Okay, but if I don't wake up when we land, make sure I'm up before we reach the hangar." Then he stretched out and was asleep in minutes, with Alexi right after him.

Four Hours Later

Mac woke up with a start because she was getting nauseous. She looked over to Porter, who opened her eyes when she heard Mac move. "I'm sorry I woke you. I'm just having a bout of morning sickness, and I forgot to pack my crackers in my purse."

Without saying a word, Porter got up and got some crackers and ginger ale for her from the stewardess. When she got back to Mac, she handed them to her. "Here you go, my dear. I know that it may not seem like it right now, but it will pass before you know it. I only had morning sickness for the first three months when I was pregnant with Clayton. Although, I've heard that some women can have it through their whole pregnancy." She saw Mac shutter. "I'm sorry Sarah, I shouldn't have said that. Hopefully, you'll be among the lucky ones who only have it early on."

Mac laughed. "I remember my friend Harriet was only sick at the beginning of all of her pregnancies." She stopped to eat one of her crackers and sip some of her ginger ale. "I hope she hasn't had the baby yet, I promised I'd watch little AJ while she was in the hospital. I guess I won't be able to do that now. She's due any time, but I won't get to see the baby until we find the leak." She looked at Webb when he moaned, and took his hand.

Porter smiled at her future daughter-in-law. "He knows your touch. Everytime he has a nightmare and you just touch him, he calms right down." She looked over at her son. "Has he talked to you about them? He hasn't talked to me or Doctor Seaver, and he really needs to talk to someone about them."

Mac shook her head. "He hasn't said anything, yet. But when they wake him and he sees that I'm right there, he holds me tight, like he's afraid to let go." She stroked his cheek and he opened his eyes.

When he focused on her smiling face he asked, "Are we there yet?"

Mac leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Not yet, Clay. Go back to sleep, I'll wake you up when we land."

He shook his head. "I don't want to sleep right now. I'll be whisked off to the safehouse while you and my mother will have to go through a funeral before you can join me. What am I going to do without you for a week?" he asked her.

Porter answered him, before Mac could say anything. "You're going to continue with your therapy, and get better, while we're not there. And I'll try to have Sarah to you in a few days, if you promise to talk to Doctor Seaver about your nightmares. I can try and have the funeral on Tuesday, and as soon as it's all over, I'll bring Sarah to the safehouse; but you have to promise me that you'll talk to the doctor." She looked at Mac, then back to her son. "As soon as we land, Sarah and I will be taken to JAG Ops by the car waiting for us. After we're gone, and Alexi makes sure it's safe, you'll be taken to the safehouse by the good doctor, who's been there before with Watts. You can surely survive two and a half days without us."

Webb clutched Mac's hand, and said, "I promise to talk to Doctor Seaver, but don't expect too much. I'm not used to opening up, and it's not going to be easy for me. I'll try not to drive Mark and Alexi too crazy. And I want Seaver to know that I don't want anymore meds." They all looked up towards the front of the cabin where the doctor had been asleep since just after take-off.

1315 Local July 27, 2003 International Airport Washington, DC

When they landed, and before they left the plane, Mac and Webb were left alone to say their good byes. "Clay, please be careful, and listen to what Mark has to say. I know it'll be hard for you, but he's only trying to keep you alive. And when you talk to Doctor Seaver, think about how much I love you, and that I'm with you here," she said as she placed her hand over his heart. "I'll see you in a couple of days; I love you." She kissed him passionately.

"I love you, too," he said as they came up for air. "I'm just worried about you and my mother because I won't be there to protect you if anything happens." He held her a little tighter. "Will you stay with Mother until you both can come to the safehouse?"

"I promise to stay with her. I'll enjoy the company; she and I can plan the wedding." Then, she got up and left him to join his mother and Jennifer Coates in the car, and off they went to JAG Ops.

Once they were gone, another car pulled up with Doctor Seaver driving. Alexi made sure they were out of sight as they got Webb in the second car, and they headed off in the other direction, towards the safehouse.

1400 Local JAG Ops

Not much had been said while they were in the car, but Mac thanked Coates when she held the door open for them. "Welcome home, Ma'am," Coates said as they got off of the elevator.

"Thanks, Coates. Can you place our bags in my office until we're done with the Admiral?" Mac asked as they walked towards Chegwidden's office.

"Sure, Ma'am," she replied as she left them.

Harriet was the first person to see her as they approached the bullpen. "Mac, I'm so sorry to hear about Mr. Webb; Bud and I both are." She hugged her as best she could with her big belly in the way. Then she turned to Porter. "Mrs. Webb, please accept our condolences. Mr. Webb was a good man."

Porter smiled at the younger woman. "Thank you, my dear, it means a lot to me to know that Clayton had such nice friends." She turned to Mac. "Sarah, shouldn't we see Admiral Chegwidden now?" Then she turned back to Harriet so as not to be rude. "Please excuse us dear, I hope to see you at Clayton's funeral."

Harriet nodded as Mac and Porter moved on.

As they approached Tiner's desk, he dialed the Admiral's office. He motioned them in as the Admiral told him to hold all of his calls, but to let him know when Rabb and Kershaw showed up. Tiner wished that he could be a fly on the wall right about now. He was too curious for his own good.

When they walked into his office, Chegwidden told them to close the door behind them and have a seat. Once they were comfortable, Watts got down to business. "I just heard from Doctor Seaver; they arrived at the safehouse without incident." He turned to Chegwidden who spoke next.

The Admiral spoke to Mac first. "Rabb and Kershaw are on their way here. They know that Webb is 'dead,' but I never got the chance to talk to Rabb about your pregnancy, so you get to do the honors. By the way, how are you feeling, Colonel?"

Mac smiled at the man who was like a father to her. "I'm doing okay right now, but if you ask me while I'm in a round of morning sickness, I'd tell you something else." She paused. "I'm going to need a leave of absence while we're at the safehouse with Clay, and I thought until we found the leak that we'd tell everyone that I'm resigning my commission. And, if at all possible, we'd like to have the funeral on Tuesday. After the casket goes into the ground, we'd like to head out to the safehouse." She looked at Porter for confirmation. "We'll tell everyone that I'm going to stay with Porter so she can help me with the pregnancy, and we can deal with Clay's death together." At this, she became weepy. "I wish theses damn hormones would stop making me cry." "Actually, I think they'll help you during the funeral. That way you won't have to fake it when you cry." Watts said.

Just then, Tiner announced that Rabb and Kershaw were waiting at the door. "Send them in Tiner."

As soon as he saw her, Harm took Mac in his arms. "Mac are you okay? Kershaw told me that you were going to find Webb, and that the two of you were going to get married. Then we found out that Webb died. Were you crazy going after Webb? And you were going to marry him? Are you crazy, Mac?" He kept rambling on. "Mac, what's wrong with you, Webb is, or was, bad news for you. Look what he did to you in Paraguay." He just stood there looking at her and holding her too tight.

Mac pushed away from him. "Harm, stop! I'm not here to play your games. My fiancée died, and his mother and I still need to get through his funeral." She turned to Watts and asked, "Mr. Watts, is there anyway we could ask you to take care of the funeral arrangements for us. Porter and I are having a hard time as it is, and it would give us one less thing to worry about. She needs to get out of DC for a while, and I'll be going with her. My doctor told me that I need to keep my stress level down because it's not good for us." She turned to Chegwidden. "Admiral, my resignation will be on your desk first thing in the morning, and I'll ask Harriet and Coates to clean out my office and drop my things off at Porter's house for me."

Chegwidden nodded his head. "I'm sorry to loose you Mac, but I understand. If there's anything I can do for you, either of you, don't hesitate to ask." He got up and hugged her.

Watts stood up and approached them. "I'll arrange Webb's funeral for you, but please also call me if you need anything. I promise you, I'll find out who was responsible for his death."

Kershaw was stunned, he kept thinking back to a conversation he had with Rabb just a few hours ago. Rabb had told him that once MacKenzie had gotten back from this crazy trip, she'd need him to lean on. Then things would be back to normal between the two of them. He also said that she'd promised to wait for him. 'I think Rabb's been sniffing something if he thinks that she'll go into his waiting arms; she couldn't get away from him fast enough.' He was brought back to the present by what Rabb was saying.

"Mac, what's going on? Why would your doctor tell you to resign, and why is he worried about you being stressed out?" Harm asked her.

Mac, Porter, Watts, and Chegwidden all turned to gauge his reaction when she answered his question. "My doctor is advising my resignation because I need time to grieve for not only my fiancée, but for the father of my unborn child. He said if I don't take this time to grieve, that I could loose my baby."

Harm just stood there with his mouth open. "Ddddid you just say 'baby?'" he stammered. "How and when did this happen? Why didn't you tell me? I thought we were best friends. I thought we meant a lot to each other." he said, stunned.

"We are friends Harm, and even though it's none of your business, I'm sure you know how it happened. When it happened, was when we were in Paraguay. And the reason I haven't told you yet was because I wanted to tell Clay first. I think he had the right to know before everyone else. It's one of the last things I got to tell him before he died." She started crying at this point in her explanation.

Admiral Chegwidden pulled her into his embrace and thought, 'Thank God for hormones.' And to Rabb, he said, "That will be enough Commander!" He raised his voice just loud enough to let him know there would be no argument.

Watts took this opportunity to change the subject. "Kershaw, do you have anything on Hardy's US contact? Do you know who it is yet?"

"Yes, his US contact was Craig Wallace," he answered his boss.

Mac pulled out of the Admiral's arms and they both looked at Kershaw and asked, "Was?"

Harm got down to business. "Yes sir, Craig Wallace has been in the hospital for the last two weeks. He was struck by a hit and run driver outside his home two weeks ago. There were no witnesses, and he's still in critical condition." He looked to Watts, then said, "And Edward Hardy is missing in Paraguay; his secretary contacted the Agency three days ago."

Watts grunted, then spoke, "Well, it looks like I'll be sending the two of you back to Paraguay to find Hardy. And I'll personally look into Wallace. Has anyone been to his house to search his things?" he asked of Kershaw.

"No sir, Rabb and I haven't had the chance, and nobody else knows what we've been working on," he replied.

Mac could tell that Porter was drained, and she was getting tired herself. "Admiral, I really need to get Porter home, it was a long flight, and it's been a tiring day. On my way out I'll ask Harriet and Coates to clean out my office and bring the stuff over. And I'll wait for your call, Mr. Watts to find out about the funeral. Thank you again, both of you." She turned to Rabb and said. "See you later, Harm."

Chegwidden asked Tiner to drive them to the Webb home. Then they said their good byes, and were gone. Watts then sent Rabb and Kershaw to make arrangements to fly to Paraguay on Tuesday, after Webb's funeral.

July 28, 2003 1000 Local Safehouse Somewhere in Virginia

Doctor Seaver walked into Webb's room and opened the drapes, flooding the room with light. "Rise and shine, Mr. Webb. Just because your mother and Colonel MacKenzie aren't here, you think you can take a day off from therapy? Well, I think not. We have a busy day ahead of us."

Webb kept trying to pull the covers up over his head, but Doctor Seaver pulled them all the way off the bed. "Come on Doc, I just want to sleep a little longer. Yesterday took a lot out of me."

Doctor Seaver sat down in the chair next to his bed. "Okay, Mr. Webb, I'll make a deal with you. You can stay in bed if we can talk about your nightmares."

That worked, Webb got out of bed lightning fast. "I'm not ready to talk about them yet. Maybe I can after lunch, but I'm not ready yet." Changing the subject he asked, "So, what's on the schedule for today's workout?" He pulled on his robe and slippers, and followed Doctor Seaver out of the room.

1000 Local Webb Residence

Mac sat in the breakfast nook with Porter, while Harrison set plates in front of them. Neither was ready to talk until they'd had their coffee.

When the doorbell rang, Harrison left to answer it. When he returned, he had Harriet Sims and Jennifer Coates with him. They'd brought Mac's things from her office.

Mac got up and took the box from Harriet. "Hi, Harriet, Jen. Harriet, you shouldn't be lifting this box." She gave her a stern look. Harrison took the load from her, and he and Coates carried the boxes to Mac's room. She'd decided to leave everything packed as is, so that when she returned to work, she wouldn't have to repack.

Harriet just returned her stern look. "As I understand it, you shouldn't be lifting heavy boxes, either. By the way, Bud and I want to offer our condolences and congratulations. I wish that Mr. Webb could be here for you." She hugged Mac. "Commander Rabb was fit to be tied after you left yesterday. The Admiral had to have him removed." They had a laugh at that. "Mac, if you ever need anything, just ask me or Bud."

Mac looked over to Porter, then back to Harriet. She hated lying to her friend. "Harriet, why don't you sit down for a bit, maybe have some breakfast."

"I don't think the Admiral would be happy if Jen and I took too long getting back, but thank you for the offer," she replied.

When Coates reentered the room, she informed Harriet and Mac, "The boxes are in the closet in your room, Ma'am. Lt. Sims, are you ready to head back?"

Harriet hugged Mac once more and started to leave, when Mac stopped her. "Harriet, wait. Can you and Bud stop by after work tonight? I was hoping to talk to you both before I head out of town tomorrow night." She knew she sounded desperate, but she needed Bud to do a few things for her while she was gone. She looked to Porter for permission, and when she nodded her approval, Mac went on. "Would you and Bud like to come to dinner tonight?"

Harriet smiled at her. "We'd love to join you both for dinner, I'll see if I can get a babysitter for Little AJ."

Porter interrupted her, "Why don't you bring your son, too, I'm sure he'd love to see his Aunt Sarah. She's told me so many things about him, and I'd love to meet him."

"Okay, we'll be here after we pick him up. Thank you, both." Harriet hugged Mac again, and after arranging a time, left.

Mac came back and sat down across from Porter. "I hate lying to her, she's done so much for me over the years, and we've always been so close; almost like sisters. Thank you so much for letting me spend this time with her for dinner. Are you sure that it'll be okay for them to bring Little AJ?"

Porter thought to herself, 'I could use the practice of being around little children again.' To Mac she said, "That will be fine Sarah. We haven't had small children in this house since Clayton was a child himself." Then she thought she'd change the subject. "Do you have anything to wear to the funeral, Sarah?"

Mac hadn't thought of that. She probably should wear a black dress and not her uniform. "As a matter of fact, I don't have any proper funeral clothes, except for my uniform. Do you think I should wear it or a black dress?"

Porter smiled and plotted. "I think we should go shopping, not only for a dress to wear tomorrow, but for some nice clothes to wear on our trip. Maybe something loose fitting, to get ready for when you start showing; that way you'll be comfortable."

Proud of herself, Porter made the arrangements for Harrison to drive them into town.

1800 Local Safehouse

Webb, Dr. Seaver, Mark, and Alexi sat down to dinner; each lost in his own thoughts.

Webb was thinking about Mac, wondering what she was doing right now. Was she thinking of him, and how was she dealing with getting ready for his funeral? He hoped that she wouldn't have to deal with Rabb at the same time. He couldn't wait until she made it to the safehouse. He'd had a pretty awful nightmare last night, and was up most the night because of it. He tried to reach for her, but she wasn't there, so he couldn't go back to sleep. It took him a few minutes to even remember where he was, and that she was safe at his mother's house.

Dr. Seaver was trying to figure out how to get Webb to open up and tell him about the nightmares. He'd heard his patient calling out last night, and then heard him pace the rest of the night. He was doing great with the rest of his therapy; and making wonderful progress. But the doctor was worried about the younger man's mental health, he needed to talk to someone. He had to figure something out, maybe once Colonel MacKenzie got here, they could work together to get him to talk about the nightmares.

Alexi had a map in front of him, and was going over the different escape routes, trying to memorize them. He'd spent the whole day driving around town getting to know every street, then gassed the car up.

Mark was wondering if the three agents watching the house from the street were trustworthy. He didn't entirely trust them, and was keeping a close eye on them. He couldn't put his finger on what it was that didn't sit right, but until he figured it out, he'd keep it to himself. It was a good thing they didn't know who was in the house being protected. He also made sure that whoever was going to drive Mac and Porter to the house would keep them hidden form the agents.

None of them said a word at dinner.

1800 Local Webb Residence

Harriet, Bud, and Little AJ arrived right on time, and Mac hugged them all. Little AJ held her for a long time. "Aunt Sarah, I missed you so much. You haven't come over to my house in a long time." He told her in his childlike way.

Harriet looked dead on her feet, so Mac led them into the drawing room right away. Bud helped her sit down, then he looked at Mac. "I'm sorry to see you leave JAG, Ma'am, you'll be missed," he told her. "And I'm so sorry to hear about Mr. Webb; he was a good man."

Mac smiled at them both. "Thank you, Bud, and please call me Mac or Sarah." She paused. "The reason I asked you here is that I need you to help the Admiral." She'd discussed this plan with the Admiral earlier in the day, who, in turn, made it clear to Watts that he welcomed the help, and trusted Lieutenants Roberts and Sims. Porter also made sure that Watts knew it was welcomed help; so he really had no choice in the matter.

Bud and Harriet exchanged questioning looks. Bud found his voice first. "What do you need of us Mac? Name it, and we'll do it."

Mac was so overcome by emotions, she couldn't talk. Porter entered just then. "I thought I'd take AJ out to the stables before dinner." She looked at the child and asked, "Would you like to see some horses?"

AJ looked to his parents, who nodded their approval. "Yeah, that would be cool." He took her hand, and off they went.

Mac looked back to the couple and took a deep breath. "First of all, Clayton Webb is alive at a safehouse." She paused to let the information sink in.

"Wait a minute, Mac, then why are we having a funeral for him? Oh, I get it. He's in hiding?" Bud asked.

Mac explained everything to them, and asked that they not say anything to anyone; not even Rabb or Kershaw. She told them that with Kershaw and Rabb in Paraguay, the Admiral and Watts needed someone they could trust. They all knew that Harriet wouldn't be able to do much with the baby coming, but they all agreed that it would be best if Bud didn't keep things from her.

"And Harriet, I promise to spend some time with you, AJ, and the baby when all of this is over. But I have one question for you right now. Will you be my matron of honor when Clay and I get married?" She asked her.

"Oh, Ma'am, I mean, Mac. I'd love to, and I'd be honored. We'll hold the christening off until this is all over too, because we still want you to be the baby's God Mother." Harriet and Mac were both crying at this point, and poor Bud didn't know what to do.

Porter and AJ walked back in just in time for dinner to be announced. Little AJ talked about the horses all through the meal. He'd been promised by Porter that he could come back in a few weeks to go riding on the small pony in the stable.

When dinner was over and the good byes said, Porter and Mac retired to their rooms to finish packing and get some sleep before the funeral the next day.

July 29, 2003 0910 Local Webb Family Plot

They had asked Watts to arrange for the funeral to take place at the Webb family plot instead of a church, since this wasn't a real funeral. Mac was surprised by how many people from the Agency showed up. She recognized Catherine Gale, who was standing next to Kershaw and Harm, who would be going back to Paraguay later that same day. Harm kept trying to talk to Mac, but the Admiral kept her and Porter at his side, and Harm wanted to stay away from the Admiral.

Bud and Harriet were on the other side of Mac, and Watts stood next to them. Mac felt safe surrounded by them all. Little AJ had been left with a babysitter for the day. Mac was a little surprised to see Gunny there. She hadn't seen him since he drove off with Webb in the jeep. She was happy to finally see him again.

Bud leaned over to tell her that Gunny would be driving them to the safehouse, and he'd be sticking around for a few days to help if needed. Watts told him he had to take a few days off to get some rest; he hadn't had a day off since being put on this case with Webb. Gunny had returned to the US when Hardy disappeared.

Mac didn't have any trouble faking her tears, her hormones were so out of whack, and she was sobbing by the time the funeral was over.

Porter was crying also, but her tears were for a different Webb. One that never got the chance to have a funeral, or to see his son grow to be the man he was today. 'You'd be proud of our son, Neville, he's turned out to be an honorable man,' she thought to herself. 'And you'd also be proud of the woman who's won our son's heart and soul.' She looked at Mac and placed her arms around the younger woman.

When the funeral was over, Gunny approached Mac and Porter to lead them to his car. Mac noticed that the back windows were dark. "We'll stop by the house and pick up your luggage, and then I'll get you to your destination," he said as he helped Porter into the car. Mac gave him a hug before she got into the car herself.

When he was settled in the car, Mac lean over the front seat to tell him, "Gunny, I never got the chance to thank you for getting Clay to a doctor, and saving his life. We all owe you so much."

Gunny blushed and replied, "No problem, Ma'am. He'd have done the same for me." He kept his eyes on the car following them. He could've sworn he saw Harmon Rabb in the passenger seat. He'd have to make sure that he lost them before heading to the safehouse.

Once at Porter's house, Gunny got out and helped Harrison put the luggage into the trunk. In the bags were Porter's, Mac's, and Webb's clothes. When everything was packed, Gunny got behind the wheel, and they drove out of town. "I need to take a long way out of town, then double back a different route to the safehouse, just in case we're followed." He kept an eye on the cars around them, and when he figured it was safe, he headed to the safehouse.

1400 Local July 29, 2003 Safehouse Virginia

Gunny made sure that the guards couldn't see Porter or Mac as he gave them the password to enter the property. He drove to the garage and waited for the door to close before he let them out of the car. Before the three of them could enter the house, Webb threw the door open, grabbed Mac, and held her in a loving embrace.

He looked over Mac's shoulder to Porter, and smiled. "I'm so glad you both made it okay. Did everything go smoothly?" he asked Gunny.

Gunny shook his head. "At first we had a tail, but I was able to loose them before we left DC. I could've sworn that I saw Commander Rabb in the car, too." He paused. "The car's clean, I rented it an hour before the funeral, and made sure."

"Clayton, Sarah and I have been through a tiring day. Can we please go inside and rest?" Porter asked her son. She could see that Mac's morning sickness was coming back.

Webb looked at Mac, who looked like she was about to throw up. "Sarah, are you okay? Can I get you anything?" he asked as he held her in his arms.

Mac pushed out of his embrace and ran to the nearest thing she could throw up in; it just happened to be the kitchen sink. Once she was done, she turned around to see six sets of eyes watching her. Gunny got Mark, Alexi, and Dr. Seaver out of the kitchen to give her some privacy. Webb got her some ginger ale, while Porter took some crackers out of her bag.

'How embarrassing,' Mac thought to herself. Her face was red, and she still felt nauseous. She ate a small amount of crackers and drank most of her ginger ale, but she was still too embarrassed to face Porter and Webb. She wasn't comfortable throwing up in front of people. Porter and Webb didn't say anything; they simply let her compose herself.

Porter finally turned to her son and asked, "Why don't you show us our rooms, dear. Maybe if Sarah takes a nap, she'll feel better." She looked at Mac. "How does that sound, Sarah? Could you stand a little nap?"

Mac smiled at the older woman who'd come to mean so much to her. "That sounds heavenly, Porter." She let Webb take her hand as he led the way. She looked at him as he led them upstairs and thought to herself, 'I wonder where his room is, and how far it is from mine. Maybe I can talk him into letting me bunk with him.'

They stopped outside a room, and Webb pulled Mac aside. "Mother this is your room, if you want to take a nap yourself, I'll come get you when dinner's ready." He didn't wait for her answer, but pulled Mac farther down the hall.

When they reached an open door, he pulled her in and kicked the door shut. "I hope you don't mind sharing my room with me. If you feel more comfortable in your own room, I can get another one ready for you." He hoped that she'd say she wanted to stay with him.

She turned and took his face in her hands. "Clay, I've been having trouble sleeping the last couple of nights without you. Why would you think I'd want to sleep in another room?" She kissed him, then let go of his face. "We're having a baby together and we're getting married, of course I want to sleep with you." She kissed him again, this time for much longer.

When they came up for air, he took her hands. "I think you really do need to take a nap." He was afraid if he didn't stop now, he wouldn't be able to rest next to her.

Mac pouted. "I told you that I've been having trouble sleeping without you. Don't you want to join me?" She flirted. "I promise to be good." She smiled at him.

He was still a little worried about her morning sickness. "Will you let the doc take a look at you and give you something for your morning sickness?" he asked her.

She agreed, only to pacify him, and they climbed into bed. For the first time in the last two days, they both slept well.

1800 Local Safehouse

Mac had awaken alone, and went in search of Webb. She found him in the kitchen making dinner. 'Good looking and cooks, too,' she thought to herself. She walked up behind him and put her arms around him. She laid her cheek on his back, inhaled his scent, and sighed.

Webb chuckled. "Content are we?" He turned around and pulled her into his arms. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"I did until I woke up alone," she replied. She loved being in his arms; she felt so safe. She'd never felt this way before, not even when she thought she was in love with Harm. She loved this man so much, she didn't know what she'd do if she lost him.

Dr. Seaver walked in just then and cleared his throat. "Colonel MacKenzie, I was told that you'd let me give you something for your morning sickness. Maybe I can call your doctor and find out what he'd prescribed for you." He took her arm and led her out of the room.

As she left, she gave Webb a dirty look, and he laughed. "Dr. Seaver, my doctor told me that the crackers and ginger ale would help settle my stomach, I don't need anything else at this time. I have my first appointment in three weeks."

He turned to her. "I'm just using that as an excuse to get you alone so we can talk about Mr. Webb," he told her.

"What about him? Isn't he doing better everyday? He's even walking without his cane now," she replied.

He looked to make sure Webb was still in the kitchen. "Mr. Webb is doing great physically, but mentally he isn't improving. He spent the last two nights pacing in his room after he woke up screaming your name. The nightmares aren't going away." He paused to let it sink in. "He hasn't been able to let himself open up and talk about them. I thought maybe the two of us could work together to encourage him to talk about the nightmares. If he does finally get it out in the open, he might get over them." He looked to gauge her reaction.

She didn't know if this was a good idea or not. "He's been in the business of keeping secrets for so long, it's going to be hard for him to talk about what happened. I'll do whatever I can, though. I need for him to get better for himself, me, and our child," she said.

They agreed to meet with him after dinner to start. They figured it would be a good idea not to forewarn him.

2000 Local Safehouse Dining Room

During dinner, Gunny told Webb all about the funeral, and who'd had been in attendance. He told him about Rabb and Kershaw watching Porter and Mac through the service, and about Hardy's disappearance, along with Wallace's coma.

Mac told them all about the conversation in Chegwidden's office on Sunday, and how Rabb had taken the news about her pregnancy. They all had a good laugh about that.

When dinner was over, Dr. Seaver got up and left the room; that was Mac's cue. She looked over at Webb and stood. "Clay, can we talk privately? I need to talk to you about something." She didn't look at the others as they left the room. It'd been arranged for them to stay away while she and Dr. Seaver approached him.

He followed her, but knew something was up. As they walked into the den, he saw Dr. Seaver and stopped. "Sarah, what's going on?" He knew what was going on, but needed to hear her say it.

"You promised to talk to him about your nightmares, Clay," she told him. "I'm going to be right here with you through it all. You won't have to do this alone. Please, do this for us?"

Webb looked back and forth between the two of them. "You don't know what you're asking. I can't just open up like that. Don't you think I'd do it if I could? It's not that easy for me," He said pleadingly.

Dr. Seaver turned to Mac. "Colonel MacKenzie, I think you should tell us what you were thinking, and what you thought was happening to him while he was away from you," he prompted her.

Mac was so surprised with this statement that she sat down hard on the sofa, the wind knocked out of her. "Why do I have to do this? Clay's the one having the nightmares."

Dr. Seaver gave her a nod. "You said that you'd do anything to help him." He paused and watched the fight she was having with herself. "If you can start by telling me what you went through, maybe he can do the same. Just start out slow, you don't have to do this all at once."

He sat Webb down next to her on the sofa, and pulled up a chair for himself. "Colonel MacKenzie, you can start now," he told her. "Go back to the day you were captured." He waited until she was ready to talk.

Mac took a few deep breaths, and took Webb's hand. She looked at him and their eyes locked. She knew she had to do this, not only for him, but for herself as well. "They separated us right away. I was taken to a cabin, and I don't know where they took Clay. I sat in that room for hours without a word from anyone. Then the screams started and I knew what was happening. I knew they were torturing Clay, and there was nothing I could do to stop it." She could feel Webb shudder and she gripped his hand harder. The tears were already falling down her cheeks, but she continued. "It was like that for hours, sometimes there would be a long silence, and I wondered if he was still alive or not. I just wanted them to leave him alone. They brought him in to me later that night. He was all beat up with cuts and bruises. I was so afraid to touch him, and yet afraid not to touch him." She was crying so hard now, she couldn't go on. Webb held her close to him and let her cry it out.

When she couldn't cry anymore tears, the doctor turned to Webb. "Mr. Webb, would you like to tell us your side of what was going on? How were you feeling? What were you thinking?" he asked him.

Webb shuddered again. "Not really, but if Sarah can do it, I can try, too." He pulled her back into his arms to comfort her, and maybe even himself, too, and took a deep breath.

2100 Local Safehouse Den

Webb held Mac so close that she was practically sitting in his lap. He kissed the top of her head; her tears had finally stopped. He took a deep breath, and said, "When they separated us, I was taken to the main house, and asked a few questions by Sadik. He asked who I was, why we were there, and why were shooting up his hacienda. I stuck to my cover story, but he didn't believe me." Clay stopped because he couldn't go on with the next part of the story.

Mac was stroking his hair, and trying to soothe him. She could tell it was really hard on him; she could feel him tremble, and it worried her. She wanted to make it all better, but knew she couldn't. She vowed to be there for him no matter what; he needed her, and she wouldn't let him down. She looked up at Dr. Seaver. "I think he's had enough for one day. Can't you see he isn't able to go on right now?"

"NO!" Clay shouted. "I want to do this now, and get it over with. The nightmares are killing me," He finished wearily. "Every time I have one of those dreams, I feel like I'm slowly going crazy." He placed his head in his hands.

Mac laid her hand on his back. "Clay, this is too hard on you, you're shaking so much that it's got me scared." She looked to Dr. Seaver, and asked, "Can you please give us a moment? I need to talk to Clay, alone."

When Dr. Seaver left the room, she started pacing; she had to collect her thoughts before she spoke. She had to say what needed to be said, but it was essential that she made sure it didn't come out wrong.

Webb caught her hand as she made the next pass, and pulled her down next to him. "Listen to me, Sarah. I have to get past this before it does drive me crazy. I won't be a good husband to you, let alone a father to our child if I can't get over the nightmares." He held her face between his hands. I need to do this, not only for myself, but for you and the baby, too. No matter how hard this is going to be, as long as I have you by my side, I can get through this." He kissed her, then waited for her to speak.

Mac looked into Webb's eyes, and saw the pain in them, and her tears started falling. "Clay, you know I'll always be by your side. I love you so very much, and it's kind of scary because I've never felt this way about any other man; not even Harm." She paused to gauge his reaction. When he looked surprised, she continued. "I mean it, Clay; I never felt this way about Harm. I think the love I've had for him was that for a brother, or my best friend. Maybe that's why the two of us never got together." Her tears had stopped, but her eyes were still wet and shinny.

Webb wiped her remaining tears with his fingers. "I love you, too; more than you'll ever know. More than I ever thought possible. And even though I may not be able to reveal some things about my job, I promise never lie to you. And you know that there will be times that I'll have to leave without a moment's notice; I won't be able to tell you where to, or for how long, I'll be gone. But I promise to always try to let you know, somehow, that I'm going." He gave her his trademark smirk. "But then, you knew that; just like I know you could be called away for a TAD at anytime, too. We'll just have to find someone who can look after the baby; maybe my mother."

He took her hand, and pulled her into his lap. "Clay, I'm too heavy. I'll hurt you," she told him as she struggled to get up off his lap.

He laughed. "Baby, you can hurt me as much as you like, as long as you're in my arms as often as possible," he said, kissing her.

She giggled as his lips touched hers. "You always seem to say the right thing." She put her arms around him, and hugged him tightly.

When they pulled back, he told her, "You know, I should've said all of this to you when I proposed." He laughed; then sobered. "Okay, go get Dr. Seaver. I'm ready to finish this." He helped her off of his lap, and she walked out the door. Clay looked down at his hands, and tried to get them to stop shaking. He had to do this, for them all.

::Meanwhile, in the Kitchen::

Gunny, Alexi, and Mark sat at the table, going over everything that had gone on in Paraguay. They'd read and reread both Mac's and Webb's reports, along with Gunny's recounts of what happened before Webb was taken to Russia. Gunny also told them what he found out while he was in South America, after he'd safely gotten Webb out of Paraguay. He had stayed behind to see if he could come up with anything on Hardy, since he was pretty certain that Hardy was the leak. When Hardy had disappeared, and Gunny couldn't find out how, he got in touch with Kershaw, who'd made arrangements for him to come home.

So here they were, going over all the files with a fine toothed comb. Gunny felt like he was missing something, but couldn't put his finger on it. "Mr. Webb and I both felt that Mr. Hardy was dirty, but we couldn't prove it. So, was his and Wallace's contact in Paraguay the whole time? Or did he go there, and take care of Hardy, then come back here to take out Wallace?" Gunny ran his hands through his hair and yawned.

Just then, his cell phone rang. "Hello?" he said, and listened while the person on the other end talked. "Yes, sir, Admiral. We've been going over everything here." He paused and listened again. "Colonel MacKenzie is in the other room with Mr. Webb and Dr. Seaver. They're working on Mr. Webb's therapy." Chegwidden was saying something to him now, and the others could see it was upsetting Gunny. "Yes sir, as soon as we come up with something, we'll call you right away. Yes ,sir. Good bye, sir." He hung up the phone and put it away.

"What's wrong? I saw your expression change all of a sudden." Mark asked him.

Gunny grunted. "Wallace died yesterday. They don't know how it happened; he had security, and only hospital personnel were allowed in his room. Someone unplugged his life support. They're going over hospital security tapes and questioning everyone who had access to his room." Gunny threw his pen across the kitchen. "Watts sent for Rabb and Kershaw. Told them to come home, because they couldn't find anymore than I did. Admiral Chegwidden said we were to stick close to the Colonel, Webb, and his mother. If this guy knows, or even thinks, that Webb's alive, then it's not safe here."

Looking at Mark and Alexi, he continued, "I don't know about the two of you, but I don't trust the three agents guarding this house. Something about them isn't right."

Mark nodded his head. "I felt that the minute I saw them. They tried everything they could to see who we had in the car when we brought Webb here. One of them even followed us into the garage, and would've gotten a look at him had I not pushed Webb back into the car. The guy said he was told to call the Agency when the package arrived. I told him that I'd call Watts myself, then shoved him out the door, and closed it in his face." Gunny and Alexi laughed at the image.

"Must be the same guy who keeps asking me who we have here. He told me it must be someone big to have so much secrecy. He said he didn't trust you." Alexi told Mark.

When the laughter died down, they decided to get back to work.

::Back in the Den::

Dr. Seaver returned to the room, with Mac behind him. "Mr. Webb, I understand that you're ready to continue, or do you want to discuss other things right now?" he asked.

Webb waited until Mac was sitting next to him once again. He took her hand, and she squeezed it reassuringly. "I'm ready to get this over with, and to get on with my life. Let's do it." He looked at Mac and winked.

She could feel him tremble, and was in awe of this man. He was doing something that was so hard for him, but he wouldn't give up. She watched as he started talking.

"After Sadik told me he didn't believe me, that he knew I was lying, he had his men take me to this shack where I was hooked up to a car battery." He shuddered. Mac put her arm around him, and pulled him so she could hold him close. "He kept asking who I was, and when I gave him an answer he didn't like, he had them shock me. He was upset when, at first, I didn't scream out." Clay closed his eyes, but opened them right away because he could see it all again. It was hard enough to talk about it, he didn't want to see it happening again.

"They kept it up for hours, asking the same questions, and when I gave the same answers, I got shocked. Then he started changing his strategy; he told me that if I didn't tell him the truth, then I'd die. I told him to go ahead and kill me. Then he said he'd do to my wife what he was doing to me, and what did I think that would do to my unborn child." He realized just how true that statement had been, and started shaking again. Mac was rubbing his arm and cooing to him. "I knew that no matter what, I had to stay alive for Sarah, until help got there. I had to keep him away from her. I kept hoping that Hardy would send help, or that Gunny had made it out of there. Then they told me Gunny had died." The tears were falling, but he ignored them. "By the time they took me to Sarah, I was pulp, and my feet were useless from the burns. When she helped me to the bed and started stroking my battered face, I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven." He kissed her hand. "It was pretty much the same for days, but I lost count. The nights, I remember being held in Sarah's arms, and the days, spent in horror."

Dr. Seaver got up and grabbed a box of tissues, and a glass of water. He handed the water to Webb, and the tissues to Mac. It was only then that she realized she'd been crying, too. She wiped her eyes, and then reached over to wipe Clay's.

When they were all settled again, Dr. Seaver looked at the couple and asked, "Are you ready to continue, Mr. Webb?"

Webb had drank all of his water, and set the glass down. "Yes, I'm ready." He leaned back into Mac's arms, and got comfortable. "Like I said, it was the same for days. Then one morning, instead of taking only me out of the cabin, they had Sarah follow us. They took us to another cabin where there was another couple, the Robinsons. They were missionaries, and were being held until their church would send the ransom to get them out." He stopped to think again. "They seemed nice and understanding, or at least Mr. Robinson was. He told us that he'd gone through the same thing as me, and he offered us bread and some awful tasting water. Then he applied some kind of salve on my wounds. Mrs. Robinson commented on Sarah's pregnancy, and offered to help her when her time came; but she became suspicious when Sarah pulled away from her touch." He rubbed her hand. "When we were allowed to get into bed and rest, Mr. Robinson helped Sarah get me settled. He tried to give us some privacy, but his wife kept walking around our bed, almost like she was trying to hear us say something. We were both asleep in minutes, though; exhausted by all the worry." He paused again because he was getting hoarse.

Mac got up and filled his empty glass, and he drank it all again. When she sat back down, she pulled him until he was half laying in her lap. She was running her fingers through his hair, trying to soothe him. She had to brace herself for the next part of their story. She knew what was coming next.

When Webb was settled in her lap, he was ready to continue. "The next morning when we woke up, Mrs. Robinson wasn't in the cabin. Mr. Robinson was applying more salve to my wounds when Sadik and Mrs. Robinson came through the door." Webb could feel Mac stiffen behind him. "Sadik told Sarah to stand up, and when she did, he plunged a knife into her stomach. If it hadn't been for her pregnancy suit, she would've been hurt. Sadik knew she wasn't pregnant because of Mrs. Robinson; she'd become suspicious, and went right to Sadik. He told Sarah that she defiled motherhood, and then he left. Shortly after, some men came in and took the Robinsons away, and we were left alone again." He stopped and grabbed Mac's hand once more. He needed her for strength right then. "Sadik came back in sometime later; I'm not sure exactly how long, since I lost track of time."

Mac responded with, "One hour, sixteen minutes." She said it unconsciously. "Sorry," she added sheepishly.

Webb squeezed her hand. "Anyway, Sadik came back and told us that one of us would be taken and that we had to decide. I wasn't thinking, and called her Sarah. Sadik caught the error and confronted her, saying that her passport said Jane. He then said that Sarah had to choose who would be taken by his men into a room to be tortured. Then he was asking us the same questions again, and still didn't like the answers we gave. He told us that he had some business with the Robinsons, who'd been moved to a 'more comfortable place.' He'd said he'd be back in an hour to take one of us, and Sarah had to choose whose blood would be shed, hers or mine; then he was gone."

Mac held Clay close to her. "We lay there holding each other's hands; I kept telling her how sorry I was. Every time I tried to tell Sarah that I loved her, she'd stop me. She kept telling me that we'd make it out of there. The hour seemed to go by so fast, and all of a sudden, they were taking her away from me. I ended up on the floor, and that's where Gunny found me." Clay was afraid to turn around and face Mac, but he knew he had to. "Sarah, I'm so sorry that I got you into this mess. I almost got you killed, and yet you still want to marry me. Why?" he asked her, his heart on his sleeve.

"Because I love you, silly. And let's please both accept the blame for our mess. We wouldn't have been captured if I hadn't gone after Gunny. I'm just as much to blame as you are." She threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him as she held him close. When they separated, they turned to look at Dr. Seaver and waited for him to speak.

2300 Local July 29, 2003 Safehouse Den

Mac and Webb sat on the sofa waiting for Dr. Seaver to speak. Mac could feel Webb grip her hand tight; it hurt, but she didn't cry out. She knew he was nervous about what the doctor would say.

Dr. Seaver watched the couple as he gathered his thoughts. Webb had gone through hell, and had to relive it in the last couple of hours. Even though he'd had a breakthrough, Webb still had a long way to go before he would be fully healed, mentally. "Mr. Webb, you did well. I can't promise that the nightmares will instantly go away, but they will start to subside. We'll need to discuss this further, but we're done for now." He looked to Mac. "Colonel MacKenzie, I need a favor from you." At her nod, he continued. "If he has a nightmare tonight, come and get me right away, or have someone come wake me. It will help if I can talk to him while the nightmare is still fresh in his mind."

Mac nodded and looked at Webb. "I'll have a talk with Gunny, and ask him to sit outside the door tonight for a little while, in case I need him to wake you, doctor. I don't want to leave Clay alone after having a nightmare."

Webb stood, still holding her hand. "Speaking of sleep, I'm exhausted and would like to go upstairs to bed now." He turned and faced Mac, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. "Sarah, why don't you go and ask Victor; let him know it'll only be an hour. I usually have the nightmares in the first hour I sleep." Then he turned and left the room.

Mac watched him leave, her heart breaking at the pain she could see he was feeling. She turned to Dr. Seaver. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He will, eventually;it's just going to take time. He's strong willed, and that'll help him get through this," he said, then turned, and left the room.

Mac sat back down on the sofa, and let the tears fall. She loved him so much, and this was just breaking her heart. She was crying so hard that she didn't hear anyone enter the room. She jumped when someone touched her shoulder; she stood and spun around. Gunny and Porter stood by the sofa, and Mark and Alexi were by the door. Without even thinking, Mac moved to Porter, was embraced by the older woman, and cried for all she was worth.

Porter knew that Mac had to let it all out before she went upstairs to bed with Clayton, so she held her, and let her cry. She felt very protective of the younger woman in her arms, and she knew that she needed privacy right now. She turned to Gunny first. "Victor, would you please be a dear and see to Clayton as the doctor asked?" Then she turned and looked towards the door. "Mark and Alexi, could you please move my things to the room across from Clayton's?" She watched the two men nod and leave the room, but Gunny looked uncertain. She knew he was also very protective of Mac, but she needed this time alone with her future daughter-in-law. "Go ahead Victor, I'll see to Sarah. You take care of Clayton for me. Please tell him that Sarah and I are talking, and she'll be up shortly."

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied, and with one last look at Mac, he also left.

Porter pulled back and looked to Mac, then she bent down to get a couple of tissues and handed them to her. "Sarah, look at me." When Mac did, she continued. "Clayton will be all right," she said slowly to make sure it sunk in. "He's a strong man, like his father, and will get through this. I know this is hard on you, heaven knows it's hard on me. But at least he has the two of us by his side, not to mention the three men who just left this room, to help him get on with his life. And then there's the baby to think of; it'll help him stay focused." She smiled at Mac.

After drying her eyes, Mac hugged Porter. "Have I told you yet that I'm so lucky to be getting you as a mother-in-law? Because I am. You've been nothing but wonderful to me from day one, and I wouldn't have made it through all of this without you. Clay is so lucky to have you as a mother, and our baby's going to be blessed to have you as a grandmother." She hugged her again, then went to go and wash her face. Mac knew that the time for her tears was over for now; she needed to be strong for Clay.

Mac met Gunny in the hallway, sitting by her closed door. As he stood, she hugged him and smiled. "In case I haven't said it yet, thank you so much for everything, Victor. Clay and I are so lucky to have you as a friend." She paused. "If you haven't heard from us in an hour, please go to bed. His nightmares usually happen within an hour after he falls asleep." At his nod, she hugged him again, then entered the room.

Webb sat in the middle of the bed doing his physical therapy exercises. He looked up when she entered the room, and flashed her one of his killer smiles. "Did you and mother have a nice talk?"

She sat on the bed next to him. "Yes, we did. I told her just how lucky I feel to be getting her as a mother-in-law, and that the baby was lucky, too." She kissed him. "I'm going to take a quick shower before bed. Will you still be awake?" she asked him.

"No, I'm done with my exercises, and think I'm going to go to sleep now. Victor's out in the hall, and I don't want to make him wait longer than an hour." He pulled her back for one more kiss. "I'll see you in the morning, if I don't wake up when you come to bed. I love you, Sarah."

She caressed his cheek. "I love you too, Clay. Good night, my love." she said as she got up, and walked into the bathroom.

Mac quickly showered, and slipped quietly into bed beside Webb. Once in his arms, she was instantly asleep, and they both slept through the night with no nightmares.

Gunny waited an hour and a half, just to be sure, and then went to bed himself.

August 1, 2003 0545 Local JAG Headquarters

Chegwidden had called in Turner, Rabb, Kershaw, and Roberts early to work. Turner was in his office getting ready for the day ahead of them. Rabb and Kershaw sat in Chegwidden's office waiting for Bud to come in with the information he had. "Enter," Chegwidden said when Bud knocked on the door. "Have a seat, Roberts," he told the younger man.

When Bud settled into the chair next to Rabb and Kershaw, he started to report his findings. "My friend from the Agency, Greg, and I found out that Alvarro Comacho has a cousin, Sean Jackson, in the Agency. He'd been out of the country when Hardy disappeared, but was here, and assigned to Wallace, at the time of Wallace's accident." He looked over to Kershaw. "He'd been transferred to guard duty at the safehouse in Maryland, but asked if he could trade places with Carl Larson, who was to be one of the guards at the Agency's special safehouse." Bud looked at Chegwidden to gauge his reaction.

Chegwidden stood and cursed. "Dammit! Does that mean that this guy could be one of the men stationed at the house where Colonel MacKenzie and Webb are hidden?" He'd heard Kershaw and Rabb gasp at what he'd just said, but ignored it.

"I thought Webb was dead," Rabb said, getting to his feet. "I can't believe that Mac lied to me. Who else knew he was still alive?" he asked the Admiral.

"At the time, it was need to know, Rabb, and you didn't need to know." Chegwidden borrowed Webb's phrase. He then turned to Bud and nodded as he picked up the phone and dialed.

While the Admiral was on the phone, Bud explained to Rabb and Kershaw what had been going on at the safehouse in the last couple of days. When he'd finished, the three of them turned to watch the Admiral, who was getting more worried by the moment.

Chegwidden had first called Gunny's cell phone and got his voice mail. Then he called Mac's and Webb's phones, too, with the same response. Finally, he called the satellite phone and got a 'not in service' message. He looked at the three of them and made his decision. Reaching inside his desk, he pulled out his gun. "We're going to the safehouse. I want the three of you armed; and Roberts, go get Turner." Then he grabbed his phone and dialed once again. "Watts, we have a problem. One or more of the men watching the safehouse is our leak and responsible for Wallace, and possibly Hardy, too. I've tried all the phones out there and got nothing. I'm heading over there now with some backup, but I'd appreciate having some of your men there to help us." He listened for a second to Watts. "Gottcha, we'll meet you there." He hung up and led Kershaw and Rabb out the door and into the bullpen.

Bud and Turner were heading towards them when the three other men came out of the office. They stopped and waited for their approach.

"Turner, I need you to drive Roberts and follow me. He'll explain everything on the way." Then he turned to Tiner. "Cancel all of my appointments for the day, and if the SecNav calls, tell him to contact DCI Watts." And the five men walked to the elevators.

Once inside the elevator, Rabb spoke up. "Admiral Chegwidden, why was I left out of all this? I could've been as much help or even more than Bud." He looked sheepishly to Bud.

Chegwidden shook his head. "It was already planned by myself and Watts that the only people in the know would be the ones that were directly involved. It was Mac who asked if Bud could be brought into this." He wondered when Rabb would get it into his head that everything wasn't always about him. "Mac and Webb needed to keep safe, and the fewer people who knew, the safer they were. That's why you weren't told; Turner didn't even know that Webb was alive until just now."

Rabb looked at Turner and saw him shake his head, confirming the Admiral's statement. "So, we're going to save Webb's butt again, but Mac didn't want me in on it? He's been nothing but trouble for her, but she's still going to marry him. She not seeing things clearly," he said to no one in particular.

Chegwidden sighed. "That's something you'll have to talk to her about; it's between the two of you." He turned to Bud and Turner. "Roberts, fill Turner in on everything that we know, and make sure your guns are loaded. Stay close behind my car, and don't get lost."

They all exited the elevator and got into three separate cars. They drove off towards the safehouse, hoping they weren't going to be too late.

2459 Local July 31, 2003 Safehouse

Mac and Webb sat on the sofa in the den, just enjoying being in each other's arms. Porter sat in a chair across from them watching the young couple. Then she looked over to the table and exchanged a smile with Gunny, who was playing cards with Mark, Alexi, and Dr. Seaver. All in all, it looked like a normal night, instead of a evening spent in a safehouse. For some reason, none of them could sleep that night, almost as if they could feel something was about to happen.

Webb's nightmares had come less frequently since he'd opened up to Dr. Seaver, and he was doing great with his physical therapy. In fact, he was doing so much better, that Dr. Seaver was almost ready to declare him fit for light duty.

They sat quietly, discussing the upcoming wedding. Porter wanted a big wedding to show off that her only son finally found the woman to claim his heart, but Mac wanted a small, personal wedding. "I'm sorry Porter, but I don't want a large wedding. I'd like to just invite my JAG family and Chloe too. I'd also like to see if I could get the Admiral to pull some strings to get my Uncle Matt some time out for the wedding too. My mother and I haven't kept in touch, in fact the last time I saw her was when my father died. So she won't need to be invited." She looked to Webb and at his nod, continued. "If Admiral Chegwidden will agree to do it, I'd like to have him walk me down the isle, and have my Uncle Matt give me away."

Porter nodded and filed it away in her brain for later. "What color dress would you like, Sarah? Or did you prefer to wear your dress uniform?" Porter asked her.

Webb and Mac exchanged mischievous smiles, and then turned back to Porter and said at the same time, "Coral." Then they both started laughing. Once they'd calmed down, and wiped the tears from their eyes, Mac told Porter how she wanted the place decorated. She asked her future mother-in-law if they could have the wedding and reception in her back yard. When Porter announced that she'd be honored, they went on to plan decorations. They chose where to put the coral roses that Mac wanted, and what kind of cake they would order.

Mac found herself telling Porter about Chloe, her little sister. Porter watched her face light up as she talked about the child, and realized that Mac really wanted to have children. It was at this point that she was positive the two of them would make wonderful parents, and she was looking forward to having Mac as her daughter-in-law.

During a break in the card game, Webb stood and talked with the "guys" about his bachelor party. Webb had asked Gunny to be his best man, and as his best man, Gunny was going to throw him the best bachelor party ever. They all turned and looked at Mac when she overheard this, and cleared her throat. Gunny looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry, Ma'am, I promise it'll be a lot tamer than Bud Roberts' bachelor party."

All of a sudden, everything became chaos as the window was shattered, and there was a hail of gunfire hitting everything in its path. Everyone dove for cover. Gunny pushed Mac and Porter behind the sofa, Mark and Alexi jumped behind the desk, and Webb was pushed out of the way by Dr. Seaver. Then all the lights in the house went out.

When it was all over, Gunny went to grab his duffel by the table he'd played cards at. Mark and Alexi crawled over to where Mac and Porter were, to check on them. Gunny made his way to Dr. Seaver and Webb, only to discover that the doctor had been shot.

Gunny pulled him off of Webb, and helped the spy up. "Are you okay Webb?" He noticed that he was holding his head.

"Yeah, Doc Seaver pushed me out of the way, and I hit my head on the end table. Is he okay?" Webb asked as he crawled over to Mac and his mother.

Gunny inspected the doctor and looked at Webb. "He's still alive, but barely. He's been shot, and it doesn't look too good. If we can get him some help, he might be okay. We need to get help, or out of here, immediately." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and began to dial it on. "My phone isn't working."

Mac grabbed her purse and got her phone. "Mine isn't working either." She looked at Mark, who was crawling over to the table to grab the satellite phone. It was splintered from the gunfire. Then she went over to inspect Webb's head. "Clay, let me look at that." He flinched as she touched his head. "You've got a nasty bump, but it's not bleeding. Do you feel dizzy?"

He moved his head around, and then moved it from side to side. "No dizziness. I guess I have a harder head than we thought." He gave her one of his classic smiles.

Porter was tearing some material to bandage the doctor's wound. She noticed Gunny heading towards the bookcase. He pulled a book out, and a door opened. He looked back and saw her staring at him. "I found this the first night I was here, it leads to the basement."

Mac helped Webb up, and they followed Porter to the doorway. Mark and Alexi lifted the doctor and joined the others by the door to the basement. Gunny heard someone in the hallway, and hurried everyone down into the basement and closed the door.

Once down the stairs, Gunny showed everyone what was in his duffel bag. He pulled out the guns, and started passing them out to everyone. Mark and Gunny kept the power weapons, but he gave hand guns to Webb, Mac, Alexi, and Porter.

Webb came up with a plan. "Gunny, I want you and Mark to go out the back way, and see if you can get to the car. We'll stay here until you get back." He turned back to the others. "We need to make something to carry the doctor to the car. Okay, let's take separate corners, look for a table cloth or blanket to make a litter."

They went to their corners and started digging through boxes and containers.

Meanwhile Outside

Gunny checked his watch to see how long before sunrise. It was 0415, they had almost two hours until the sun came up. He and Mark crept around the house, listening as they went. When they got close to the garage, they heard a couple of voices arguing.

"They're in here somewhere, you check upstairs; and be careful, they might be armed. I'll check the downstairs area," one voice said.

"What if they called for help?" the other voice asked.

"They can't, I used the jamming device before we shot up the house. They're in here somewhere, hiding," the first voice repeated as they headed out of the garage.

Gunny and Mark crept in through the opened door and went to the car. They saw that the tires had been cut, and knew that it was hopeless for them to use it.

They exchanged looks, then Gunny gestured that they go to the front door. It appeared that there were only two of them, at least they hoped there were only two of them. Gunny wondered what had happened to the Agency guards, they should've come running when the first gunshot rang out.

Back In The Basement

Mac checked on Dr. Seaver's pulse. "He's getting weaker. We need to figure something out, and fast." She looked at Porter. "Mark and Gunny should've been back here by now, they've been gone too long."

Webb and Alexi were still looking for something to make a litter out of. Webb looked at Mac. "How long have they been gone, Sarah?" he asked her.

She didn't even bat an eye. "Two hours, fifteen minutes. It's got to be daylight by now. It's 0630. I hope that they're okay." She walked over to Webb. "Maybe we should go look for them."

Before he could answer, they heard gunfire above them. They all scrambled for their guns, Porter never left the doctor's side. They sat in place, holding their guns throughout the gun battle, not knowing what was going on.

Back Outside

Mark and Gunny sat in the bushes just outside the house, and listened to the two men arguing some more. They'd been sitting there for about two hours, waiting for the opportunity to grab the two invaders. The more they argued, the sloppier they were getting. They kept arguing about not being able to locate anyone inside the house.

Just when Mark and Gunny figured it was time to go after the two men, they heard a car coming up the drive. They hunched even lower into the bushes, and watched three cars coming towards the house. The situation seemed to be getting worse.

Gunny watched as five men got out of the cars and he almost shouted, 'yeah,' as he stood. But the men in the house must've heard the cars, too, because all of a sudden, they were shooting at the men who got out of the cars.

Admiral Chegwidden had gotten out of the car, and just turned to give orders to Rabb, Roberts, Kershaw, and Turner when the first shot rang out. They all dove down behind the cars. "Bud, get in your car, and get out of here. Call Watts, then call 911 to get us some more help until Watts' people can get here." Then as an after thought, "Also tell the dispatcher that we may need medical help, too. Then wait at the gate to direct people."

Bud got in his car and drove back up the road.

Chegwidden then turned to Kershaw, Rabb, and Turner. "Let's go find out who's firing at us, and find our friends." They grabbed their weapons and crept towards the house.

Gunny had worked his way over to the Admiral, but stayed in the foliage. When he got close enough, he called out, "Be careful sir, they're in the house. Try and stay in or near the trees."

Chegwidden saw him, and led the others over to Gunny's hiding spot. "Report," he told Gunny.

"We couldn't sleep last night, so we spent the time in the den talking and playing cards. About three hours ago, the place got shot up. Doc Seaver got hit, he's in pretty bad shape. We got everyone down the secret passage to the basement, and left them there while we tried to get help," Gunny told him, then led them all to where Mark was waiting.

The Admiral filled Gunny in on who their assailants were, then he took charge. He sent Rabb and Kershaw around one side of the house and towards the back, and sent Mark and Turner around the other side. He made sure that all exits were blocked, before he contacted the men in the house.

"Mr. Jackson, I suggest you come out here and surrender. The building is surrounded," Chegwidden yelled into the house.

Everything happened pretty fast from there on. There was a lot of gunfire, and by the time it was over, Jackson was wounded, and his partner was dead. The police and ambulance arrived just as Gunny was leading Jackson out of the house.

Once Gunny had turned Jackson over to the police, and Rabb, Roberts, Kershaw, Turner, and Mark had joined him and the Admiral, he said, "I'll lead you to the door to the basement."

As they all entered the basement, the first thing they saw was four guns pointed at them. Chegwidden waited until the weapons were put down before speaking. "Are you all okay?"

Webb spoke first. "Dr. Seaver's been shot and isn't doing very well. We need to get him to an ambulance." He put his arm around Mac. "Other than that, we're all just a little shook up. AJ, could you please get my mother out of here, she hasn't left the doctor's side since we got down here." He led Mac out of the basement.

"Mac?" Rabb asked. He watched as Webb led her away from him, and she let him. That's when he knew that he'd lost her for good. She would no longer be his Mac. She never even looked at him, and with her focus fully on her future husband, she didn't even hear her former partner call her name.

After clearing things with the police and Watts' men, Chegwidden got everyone into the three cars and drove to Langley to fill Watts in on everything that had been going on. Chegwidden made sure that Webb and Mac were in his car, Porter and Alexi were in Kershaw and Rabb's car, while Turner and Bud took up the rear with Gunny and Mark.

1203 Local August 1, 2003 Langley, VA

Rabb was pacing the conference room. He was still upset that Mac didn't trust him to tell him about the plan and Webb still being alive. He couldn't even talk to her right now, he was so upset. He just watched her sitting next to Webb, with their hands clasped together, as they told Watts everything that had happened in Paraguay, and then at the safehouse.

They'd been told that Dr. Seaver was going to be okay. He'd lost quite a bit of blood, but the wound wasn't life threatening.

Bud got a call during the briefing, telling him that Harriet was in labor. He looked to the Admiral, who gave him permission to go be with his wife. And off he went, after Mac promised to be there as soon as possible.

Hardy was found alive, and had been taken into custody. He and Jackson had been in this together, and Jackson gave up Hardy when told he would bear all the blame unless he named his accomplice.

When all was done at Langley, Mac hugged Gunny, Turner, Mark, Alexi, the Admiral, and lastly, Rabb. "Thank you all for keeping Clay and me alive." She then took Webb's hand. "We hope to see you all at the wedding. We've decided to have it in two weeks." She looked at Webb and nodded, then he led her out of the room.

August 16, 2003 Epilogue (Mac's POV)

The wedding was beautiful. Harriet and Chloe were right by my side. Harriet looked wonderful, considering she'd just had a baby. And Uncle Matt was able to be there, too.

My dress was a light coral that hid the slight bulge in my belly wonderfully. Porter had helped me pick out the dress; not too showy, but not too plain, either. The lace skirt was full, with little beads all over it. The bodice was cut low in the back, but not too low in the front.

Before the wedding, Harm and I had a long talk, and I'm hoping that we resolved things between us. He knows that he'll always be my best friend, but Clay will always have my heart.

During the reception, I danced with my husband first, then I danced with the Admiral, Uncle Matt, Victor, Mark, Alexi, Bud, Sturgis, and Harm before being returned to my husband.

The Admiral gave me the best wedding present of all. I'll be going back to work as soon as the honeymoon is over. And I'll work until the baby is born. Clay and I discussed our careers; I'll stay with JAG, and after maternity leave, I'll have limited duty for the first year, then we'll decide where to go from there. Clay had asked for a desk job, and he'd been given his old office back, and will be staying in the country more often. So at least the over seas duties will be less than they used to be. And Clay will be around for me and our daughter. The ultrasound confirmed that we were having a girl, and we finally agreed on a name, Elizabeth Anne Webb.

Clay's nightmares are almost all gone, and he sees Dr. Seaver once a week for therapy; of course this week is the exception. We're on our way to Hawaii for our honeymoon. I look over at the man sleeping beside me, and wonder to myself, 'What did I do to deserve this wonderful man?' He opens his eyes and smiles at me, and I feel well loved and know that I finally found my soul mate.

The End