It was Friday night after a hectic week at work. Harm had arrived home from assignment in California the previous night, only to discover a mountain of files on his desk. As he was leaving JAG for the weekend he had popped by Mac's office and asked her over for dinner. They had gotten into this quazi dating/friendship relationship of late. He not wanting to push, she hesitant to move forward, partly because of their working relationship and partly because of a lot of other things. He didn't mind waiting, he was just happy to have her in his life, more back to the way it used to be when things were less complicated for them. In the past, they had shared more than one dinner at his place, as friends and coworkers. They had always enjoyed each other's company.

He saved the pasta from boiling over and heard her laugh softly from her place by the counter. "Trouble sailor?"

He offered a pout. "Maybe the big bad marine should come to the sailor's aid?"

She stood and walked over to him. "What can I do?"

"Just put the sausage into the sauce," he said as he carefully put the casserole over the heat again. "A treat for the carnivore."

She smiled and did as she was told. "I appreciate that."

"Five more minutes and we'll have dinner ready," he said and leaned towards the counter.

She smiled and turned to him. "You didn't tell me how it went in California? How was working with… Lieutenant Graves, was it?"

"Yeah. She was great. She could be a great asset to JAG, with investigations and probably a lot more. It was an interesting case. It took some maneuvers to get to the truth though," he looked thoughtful. "It's a shame the civilian got killed. His daughter never got the chance to really know him."

"What did she say when you presented her with the money?" Mac wondered.

Harm hesitated just enough for Mac to look questioningly at him. "What? Why are you blushing?" she asked with amusement.

"Well, let's just say that she was very thankful," Harm said and pushed himself off the counter. He found plates and glasses and walked over to the table.

"Was she pretty?" Mac asked.

Harm turned to her. "Not like you."

She smiled. "So, what did she say when she got the money?"

"Well, she kissed me," he said honestly.

Mac nodded. "And?"

"Nothing," Harm said and walked over to her. "She'll use the money to build an art school for kids or a park. Something to dedicate to her father."

"That's a nice thing to do," Mac said as she steered the sauce.

Harm lifted the lid off the casserole and used a fork to get some spaghetti out to taste it. "Perfect." He watched as she tasted the sauce, then offered him a spoon. He smiled than leaned in and kissed her. "It tastes great."

She smiled and lifted the casserole off the plate. "You bring the spaghetti sailor."

"Yes, ma'am." He lifted the casserole off the plate. He hurried to empty the spaghetti into the colander, then back into the casserole and poured some oil over it. "How was your week?"

"It was fine. I went to Quantico for my pistol qualifications," she said and smiled cleverly.

He smiled teasingly. "It went well I assume."

"Of course," she said proudly.

Harm laughed softly. "You know, I bet Creswell is happy to have a Marine among all the sailors working for him."

Mac hesitated. "He was at Quantico too."

"Really?" Harm raised his eyebrows.

"He was cool about me being the better shot. He's not so bad," she said.

"I told you, you didn't have anything to worry about," he reminded her.

She smiled. "I know."

They ate in comfortable silence, then they cleaned up together. Harm studied her as she scrubbed the casserole. She looked thoughtful, like she had something on her mind. He finished putting their dishes in the washer and closed it.

She noticed that he was studying her. "What?"

He leaned against the counter and met her eyes. "You look thoughtful?"

She washed off the soap and put the casserole on the counter, then turned to him. "Long week, I guess."

He nodded and pushed off the counter. "How about ice cream for desert?"

"I do love ice cream," she said as she dried her hands.

He opened the freezer and took out the ice cream. "Why don't you go relax on the couch and I'll bring it to you."

She put her hand on his shoulder in a sweet gesture, then did as he suggested. She smiled when he handed her the bowl. "Thank you."

He joined her on the couch. "Anything new in your life?"

She shrugged. "Same old, same old."

"Have you talked to Chloe lately?"

"Yes, she's doing great. I'm going to take some leave and go see her soon. We talked about going on a trip together this summer. Maybe Red Rock."

"That sounds great." Harm finished his ice cream and put the bowl on the table. "Your Uncle will get out soon."

"In about a year." Mac put her bowl on the table before relaxing into the couch.

"Have you talked to him lately?"

"Just letters and phone calls. I should go see him." She smiled and put her hand on top of Harm's that was resting on the back of the couch. "Did you talk to your Mom while you were in California?"

"Yes, a dinner. She's fine. Frank is fine. She's giving me a hard time about not settling down, as usual." He let out a small laugh. "At least she hasn't given up on me yet. I promised I'd bring Mattie to see them soon. Although, she did say that she knew what soon meant."

Mac laughed softly. "You have to admit that you're not visiting too often."

Harm nodded. "I know. I promised I'd bring you too."

"Me?" Mac had been to dinner at Trish and Frank's house quite a few times when they had been on assignment nearby. She liked Harm's mother and stepfather very much.

"She might have gotten me to admit that I was working on a relationship with you," he admitted.

Mac nodded thoughtfully. "We haven't really talked about us since my accident."

"I'm still here," he squeezed her hand and smiled.

"There's a lot of complications for us," she reminded him.

He shrugged. "All solvable. That's not what's keeping me from pursuing you."

"I know," she smiled and sat up, moving closer to him. "Thanks for dinner."

"Are you leaving?" he wondered.

She leaned in and kissed him. "I should."

He nodded. "I understand."

"Do you?"

He smiled. "I might not like it, but I do understand. You're not ready."

"I am ready, but…" she hesitated. "We are stationed together."

"Just say the word and I will write my request for transfer to another command and deliver it to the General Monday morning."

She studied him closely. "Or I could."

He put his hand on her thigh, the other one cupping her face, then he kissed her deeply, leaving her out of breath. "I love you Mac."

She smiled. "I love you too."

He kissed her softly and released her. "Let me know when you're ready to move on."

She nodded and stood. "Good night."

He stood as well and followed her to the door. "What are your plans for tomorrow and Sunday?"

"No plans really." She finished putting on her coat and scarf. "I have a few books I want to read, then maybe I'll do some housework. You?"

"I was thinking that we could do something together. Tomorrow I'm seeing Mattie, but Sunday maybe?"

"Yeah, sure, that sounds nice. Why don't you surprise me?"

He smiled cleverly. "I could do that."

She kissed him and opened the door. "See you."

"Drive carefully," he said as he watched her go.