Harm's and Mac's head both whipped toward the entry way, where they heard the voice come from. A nanosecond later, a gun shot rang. Strickland slumped to the ground at Mac's feet, clutching the remote, blood pouring from his head. Their eyes went wide as the saw Frank step through the entry into a patch of light, holding a smoking gun. Harm aimed his gun at Frank, but before he could react, Frank spoke.

"Josephine is innocent. She never knew anything about me."

Mac gasped as Frank pointed his gun at his own head and pulled the trigger. She watched the older man's body crash to the ground in horror. The last fifteen seconds had seen two deaths - and if they didn't hurry, soon there would be two more. Her eyes met Harm's as he turned to her. "Harm, we only have ninety-five seconds left!" she said without looking down at the timer on her waist.

After checking both Frank's and Strickland's pulses, Harm tucked his gun and the remote from Strickland's hand into his back waistband, rushing to untie Mac. She wiggled as he loosened the ropes, freeing herself after a little while of struggling. "Eighty seconds!" she gasped. Harm glanced down at the belt. Mac's jacket that had covered the belt before in the Mall was discarded on the floor next to her feet in a crumpled heap. He saw the belt clearly as it rested around Mac's hips on top of her blue sweater. There were wires running through the belt itself, as well as tangled on the outside. He whipped out his pocket knife and threw the blade open. "Seventy-two seconds!" she reminded, still watching him and not the belt's timer.

"When we get out of here," Harm said, frantically thinking about how to cut the belt without setting it off earlier than their less-than-seventy second deadline, "you're going to tell me how you do that!"

Mac breathed heavily, realizing Harm's dilemma with the internal wires. It was too tight to pull over without risking disconnecting the wires. She wasn't exactly sure how Strickland got it on her in the first place; she assumed it was during a period of unconsciousness. "Sixty-five seconds!"

Tossing his knife on the ground, Harm scooped Mac into his arms. He had an idea that he prayed would work. He carried her frantically through the gallery, knowing that it would be faster for him to take her outside that way than to try to explain what he needed her to do. She laced her arms around his neck as she held on to him while he ran quickly through the corridor, heading toward the west entrance he came through. The bright sunlight blinded them both as they exited the bunker. Harm slid down into the raging water, still carrying Mac to his chest. With all the strength he had in him, he forced his way through the water and onto the shoreline. Out of the corner of his eye, Harm could see the NCIS team, along with Webb and his men, gathered near the bunker, watching him run.

"Forty seconds!"

Mac's reminder boosted Harm's adrenaline and he charged toward a nearby group of jetties, squeezing Mac tightly as he ran. Her eyes widened as she saw where they were headed. What are you doing? she thought as she panicked internally. For a moment in her mind, she saw him tossing her off the jetties, belt and all.

Harm's long legs, soaked and tired, scaled the jetties until they were as far as he could go. The waves and wind whipped angrily against the jetties, the salty water roaring up and crashing into the rocks, spraying them both with sea water. Harm set Mac down on her feet and turned to her. "Thirty seconds!" she said, meeting his eyes.

Harm looked down at her body, then quickly grabbed Mac's sweater roughly in both of his large hands, pulling at the fabric with feverish intensity, tearing the thin garment in two like the Hulk. Mac's mouth dropped open as he ripped the sweater completely off of her like a wild animal and tossed it aside, leaving her torso merely clad in a black satin bra.

As she watched him, she suddenly realized what he was doing. The belt hung loser on her than it had when she had the sweater still on her. Catching his eyes for a brief second, she raised her arms and Harm slowly and carefully tugged the belt upward over her stomach, his breathing quickened as he pulled it over her chest, then finally over her head and arms. Wriggling out of the belt, Mac shivered as a large wave crashed against the jetty they were standing on. "Nine seconds!" she yelled over the wind as she took the remote out of Harm's waistband, handing it to him.

Silently praying his quarterback days in high school would help him now, Harm pulled his right arm back, clutching the belt and remote. With a groan, he threw the pieces over the end of the jetties as forcefully as he could. Both Harm and Mac watched it as it flew in the air, traveling several yards and crashing into the water.

Spinning around, Harm grabbed Mac and pulled her toward his chest. Gripping her tightly, he threw himself back first on the jetties, then rolled over on top of Mac, cover her like a shield. His arms supported her bare back against the rough surface of the jetty, his chest and legs folding over on top of her to fully cover her. In the same moment that he rolled on top of her, they both heard a deafening explosion in the direction Harm threw the belt; they heard a rush of water soar up from the ocean high over the jetties. Harm braced himself on top of Mac, making sure she was fully shielded as the violent explosion of sea water, sand and rocks came crashing down onto the jetties. The water and ocean debris poured over top of them both, drenching and pounding forcefully on their bodies.

When the explosion was over, Mac could feel Harm's relieved sigh deep in his chest as he pressed against her. He was still embracing her with fierce intensity; however, she could feel his muscles begin to relax as he lifted himself off of her slightly. She met his eyes and examined him - he was soaked, salty water dripping off of his face. He had sand particles in his hair. He looked like he had just come out of the sea. She breathed in deeply and smiled, lifting her hand to pick out a piece of seaweed stuck in his hair. He sighed and laughed, his grin as wide as ever.

"You look like the Swamp Monster!" she teased, flicking the seaweed away.

He smiled. His face turned slightly more serious as he replied, "You look beautiful."

Her lips parted as she digested his words. His long body was still pressed closely against her, his hands gripping her back and shoulders from underneath as she laid on his arms. He drank in the sight of her - her face wet, her hair darkened by the ocean waves, her skin bare and soft. He saw her chest rise and fall as she breathed quickly; he felt the heat of her body rise and begin to warm him, perhaps in a way he wasn't sure if she would be prepared for.

Harm ignored what his instincts said about the situation they were in - he could so easily have kissed her, losing himself in the moment and in her sweet taste. Instead, he pulled her up with him as he stood, steadying her on her feet. Quickly, he unbuttoned his wet shirt and gave it to Mac, a look of apology for its condition on his face. He stood in his white tank and watched her in all her glory as she accepted the shirt and slipped it on, admiring her body, but more astonished with the woman she was inside. His eyes narrowed as he saw a flash of emotion cross her face - was it disappointment? - He would never know. I guess that's what happens when you don't trust your instincts, he thought sadly.

"I guess I owe you another one of these," Harm said after a moment of silence, picking up the tattered sweater.

Mac smiled. "You owe me a whole new outfit!"

He glanced down at her skirt; the delicate fabric had ripped and shredded - against the jetties, he assumed. He laughed, his signature smile making an appearance.

As they made their way back to the shoreline by carefully scaling the jetties downward, Harm stopped and peered down. Noticing he wasn't right behind her, Mac turned and saw him squatting, looking at something between the rocks. She moved next to him and peered down with him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I thought I saw a knobbed whelk down there ..." Harm turned to her and smiled brightly, laughing as she fought her own smile to look disgusted at him for teasing her. She playfully hit him on the arm and shook her head, getting back up and continuing down the jetties toward the sand, where the police, NCIS and CIA were now fully gathered.

April 29, 2002
0943 hours
JAG HQ
Falls Church, Virgina

"... The FBI was able to obtain some valuable information in their pursuit to taking down Gary Boone, thanks to the men of his they were able to apprehend during your investigation." Admiral Chegwidden's voice was mostly informative, except for the slight hint of pride both Harm and Mac noticed silently as they sat for their follow-up briefing with the Admiral the Monday after their return. "Lieutenant Isaac is back to full duty. After last week's events, Isaac suggested a new patrol of the docks in Cape May for Boone's business, working in conjunction with the local authorities. His CO has recommended him as the officer in charge."

Even though he knew Frank had been part of things all along, Harm still felt concern for his unknowing wife. "Sir, what about Josephine McLean?"

"The FBI has entered Mrs. McLean into a witness protection program to ensure her safety, Commander," the Admiral replied.

"What about Rebecca Phillips, sir?" Mac asked. Harm turned to her and Mac met his eyes, questioning his reaction toward her question silently. Harm's eyebrows rose, remembering the particular shade of green Mac became when she first met Rebecca.

The Admiral paused, looking at the both of them. "Miss Phillips has actually been inspired toward a career change." Admiral Chegwidden smiled. "She's listed as entering the Cape May Police Academy as of this morning." Harm and Mac glanced at each other with a knowing grin. The Admiral smiled. "Hope you two got to enjoy the beach while you were at Cape May, because I know Lieutenant Roberts and Commander Sturgis are certainly ready to lighten their workloads. Dismissed."

The duo stood and about-faced. "Aye, aye, sir!"

Outside of the Admiral's office, Harm looked down at Mac as they walked through the bullpen to their offices, ready to tackle the mountains of paperwork that grew while they were away. Once they returned to JAG, the Admiral had sent them both to Bethesda to get checked out at the hospital, giving them the remainder of the week off to rest. Though Harm had seen Mac almost every night since then and even once for lunch on that Friday, he still asked, "So, how was your weekend, Mac?"

"You mean, how was my Saturday night? You saw me on Sunday!" Mac smiled up at him, realizing what Harm was trying to do.

"Well, that too," he replied with a grin.

"It was nice," she answered, stepping into her office.

"Do anything special?" Harm leaned against the door frame to her office, continuing to play dumb - he didn't want Mac to know he had been spying on her through office scuttlebutt and heard about her dinner with James Kennedy that was scheduled for that night.

Mac's mouth opened a little at his boldness. She knew he knew, but he wasn't backing down. "I had dinner at Montclair's," she said softly.

"Well, well, well ..." Harm crossed his arms over his chest playfully. "You failed to share that during our run on Sunday. That's not the kind of place you go to alone. Must have been a date."

She was still surprised at his courage for the line of questioning he used. "More like ... a business meeting."

"A business meeting?" He took a step closer to her, now fully in her office. "What kind of business was it? Informational ... or transactional?" His voice was teasing and suggestive, true Harmon Rabb Jr. fashion.

Her smile grew wider, a slight blush creeping up on her cheeks. "Both, I guess." She took a couple steps and stood behind her desk, focusing on the surface of it instead of Harm's suggestive look that she could feel on her.

"You guess?" His eyebrow raised. "Shouldn't you know which it was?" His voice was low. He was having far too much fun with this.

"OK ..." Mac said with a smile. "It was transactional. But NOT-" She poked him to emphasize her argument. "-in the way you think!"

"How do you know what I'm thinking, Mac?" he challenged, his tone changing slightly at the thought of what he really meant. Once again, they were drifting into the murky waters somewhere between friendly teasing and deep, hidden emotions that were begging to come to the surface.

She searched his eyes, momentarily being transported back to points of time from their last case together. Just now, his eyes looked as intense as they did before he kissed her in the Mall and just as deep as they had when they were on the jetty before he turned into a complete gentleman and didn't take advantage of the situation, like most men would have.

They didn't speak of what had happened between them in the Mall that day after their return to Washington. It was something that became neatly tucked away in a compartment of their friendship somewhere, adding to the clutter of confusion that already existed between them. It wasn't until moments like this that they realized, sooner or later, the little pieces of emotions they kept locked away would eventual surface and have to be dealt with.

Just not today.

"I got you something," she said, breaking the intense silence and ignoring his question.

He wasn't expecting that. His eyebrow raised as she handed him an envelope. "What's this for?"

"Well, first it was a 'Let's Be Friends Again' gift ..." She paused, with thought. "But then, it became a 'Thank You' gift."

"A 'Thank You' gift?" he inquired, confused.

She smiled. "For coming for me."

His eyes widened; the memory of when he initially made that promise, plus what had happened before it, flooded into his mind. Quickly needing a way to distract himself, he opened the envelope, keeping his eyes on Mac until he withdrew a piece of paper. He unfolded it slowly, reading what she had written on it:

PW-985 YT Fuel Injection System
555-0912

Harm's mouth opened, surprised to read what he just did. "Mac ..." He was grinning with delight. "How did you know?"

She beamed with joy - he was happy. "I heard you in your office a couple weeks ago trying to locate one for 'Sarah' ... I know it hasn't been the same since you replaced it with that other system after the Appalachians." She paused, shrugging. "I know a guy from Dalton's firm ... James Kennedy ..." His eyes quickly shot up from the piece of paper to gaze into her's at the mention of the name. "... Anyway, I knew he knew someone who could help."

"How did you know he knew?" Harm asked in his true inquisitive nature.

"I ... had talked about you to Dalton and the others. A lot." She felt his gaze at her intensify at her statement. "If you, um, call the number, the guy is holding it for you."

"Mac ..." Harm shook his head slightly, looking away. "You didn't have to do this."

"I know," she said softly. "I wanted to."

Harm was relieved. She wasn't dating James Kennedy. She had been trying to secure this surprise - for him. She's not dating him. She IS waiting. Harm smiled at the thought and inhaled, as if he were drawing in courage rather than oxygen, then moved close to Mac, stroking her cheek gently with his fingertips. "Thank you," he whispered. Her heart jumped as his tender gesture, racing with excitement at the possibilities the moment held. She could swear that his head was dipping, just as it had in the Mall before he-

"Excuse me, uh, Sir, uh, Ma'am ..."

The two jumped at the interruption from P.O. Tiner. Harm silently cursed him in his head, furious at the moment being completely ruined.

Tiner was visibly nervous that he had interrupted them - and perhaps saw a little more than he should have seen. "The, uh Admiral wants to, um, see you both about an investigation that just came in."

Eyebrows raised, they gave each other a knowing look. "We'll be right there," Harm said to Tiner, who nodded quickly and scurried out of Mac's office.

Harm turned back to Mac. "Remind me to shut the door next time," he said with a smile.

She laughed; to Harm, it sounded like beautiful music. Mac walked by Harm as he stepped aside for her exit. In a true moment of deja vu, she stopped as she brushed his shoulder. They searched each other's eyes as they had days before, the same intensity filling the room like an invisible cloud. Only this time, she smiled brilliantly, a blush creeping on to her cheeks as she finally stepped past him.

"Hey Mac," he called to her as she stepped through the threshold. "So how do you do that time thing of yours?"

Her smile made him weak in the knees. "I guess I've got good instincts."

Harm watched her walk away, this time with his own wide smile. Maybe I should trust my instincts more often, he thought.

fin.