((AN - Yes, I have narrowed AJ and Abigail's age gap slightly. It's my happy place. :) Don't judge me.))

Chapter 13 – Starting Anew

"Good morning, Mrs. Rabb," Abigail called brightly as Mac walked up to the back door.

"Good morning, Abigail," Mac smiled and unconsciously touched her wedding ring. She was finally married to her best friend. Her smile widened at the surreal feeling that hit her as she realized they were officially bound to one another forever.

"I'm surprised to see you over here so early. I would have thought you and your husband would still be celebrating," Abigail teased, putting a very clear emphasis on the final word.

"We celebrated quite enough last night, thank you." Mac couldn't help the way her smile shifted when she said it; she and Harm had spent most of the night consummating their marriage into the very early hours of the morning and she was running on about an hour and a half of sleep. She walked over to the cabinet where Cassie kept the coffee mugs. "I cleared out to give him a little time alone with Mattie. They so rarely get to spend time with one another. Well, in the real world anyway; they video call or talk on the phone every few days at most," Mac poured herself a coffee then sat on the stool beside Abigail, looking at her intently. "So, I noticed you and AJ were still dancing the night away when Harm and I headed home."

"He's a really wonderful man," Abigail said quietly as she smiled into her coffee cup and silently indulged in the memory of how it felt spending most of the night in AJ's arms. Despite the way he'd held her and the conversations they'd shared, she had felt that something was causing him to be uncertain. "Maybe a little too concerned with numbers though."

"Did he say he was concerned with numbers?" Mac asked.

Abigail shrugged and put her mug down. "Just a feeling I get that he thinks twenty-six years might be too much of a difference."

"And what do you think about twenty-six years?" Mac grabbed one of the muffins from under the glass dish and began nibbling small bites while she and Abigail talked.

Abigail shrugged. "Numbers are just numbers. I don't get hung up on things that I can't change. How many birthdays someone has had doesn't change how you connect with them or how attractive you find them."

"So, you are attracted to him," Mac's smile widened and she leaned on one elbow towards Abigail. "I thought I saw a spark last night."

"It was your wedding, you were seeing sparks everywhere," Abigail remarked. Moments like this she was more convinced than ever that Mac shared some Merriwick DNA. She and Cassie would have to start really digging into family records and looking for links between themselves and Mac.

"Nice try, but this was one very distinct spark that was clearly arcing back and forth between you and AJ all night; just like it's been doing since he got here on Monday," Mac's smile turned impish. "So, did he kiss you goodnight?"

Abigail's face flushed scarlet now and she picked her coffee cup back up and muttered "I plead the Fifth," before finishing its contents. He hadn't, but she had a feeling he had wanted to almost as much as she had been hoping he would.

"You plead the Fifth on what?" Cassie asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Nothing," Abigail said at the same time as Mac said "AJ" and gave Cassie a knowing smile and eyebrow raise. Abigail shot her a glare before crossing the kitchen to wash her coffee mug. "I'm late for work."

"You're self-employed, you set your own schedule," Mac teased. "Sit and chat with us for a while. You didn't get a chance to answer my question yet." Mac purposely made her voice extra light and innocent sounding, winning her another of Abigail's glares.

"Delivery day; have to be there before my vendors show up," Abigail commented with a shrug.

"Except that you arranged for all your deliveries to come in two days ago so everything would be here in time for the wedding," Mac countered.

"Objection, badgering the witness," Abigail protested as she grabbed her lunch from the fridge.

"Overruled," Mac quipped back.

"You can't overrule the objection, you're the one doing the badgering," Abigail shot.

"The witness can't object," Mac shot back, perfectly recalling the words and tone that Abigail herself had used the morning she'd been speaking in this very room with Harm what felt like a lifetime ago in so many ways. "And given that you're not a lawyer, you can't be acting as your own counsel."

As she was about to leave, Abigail squinted and idly threatened "One word about this conversation from you to AJ and I tell Harm what really happened to that ugly tie you hated that he thinks got lost in the move."

"Okay, first, I merely suggested that something should happen to that tie, you're the one who actually did the deed. You'd get me on conspiracy at most. Second," Mac paused as she intertwined her fingers and leaned her chin on the back of her hands. "I must have really struck a nerve if you're resorting to blackmail before eight o'clock in the morning."

Abigail looked pleadingly at Cassie who simply shrugged and said "Sarah does have a point; it is early in the day for extortion."

"Ugh, I need my own place." Abigail rolled her eyes dramatically before smiling again and leaving the room.

Cassie and Mac laughed quietly as they heard the door click shut.

"And another one bites the dust. I mean, it's really not her fault; she's far from the first woman to get sucked in by dress blues," Mac remarked. "Seeing them so often, I was pretty desensitized to their effect, and yet…" her voice trailed off for a second and a nostalgic smile spread across her face. "The day I met Harm he was wearing his dress blues," she sighed quietly at the memory. "He had just received his first Distinguished Flying Cross, presented to him by the president no less. Much as I wanted to be unimpressed, I was done for then and there. That's why I wanted him to wear the blues rather than the whites yesterday; I've been a sucker for him in dress blues since day one."

"It is a very flattering look, for certain," Cassie agreed.

"What's a flattering look?" AJ asked as he came in through the back door from an early run.

"Dress blues and gold insignias," Cassie acknowledged. "Abigail was remarking how dashing you looked in uniform just before she left for her shop." She spotted the tiny shift in his expression that told her he hadn't been expecting that answer, but liked it. "Would you care for some coffee or tea, AJ?"

"Uh, later, perhaps. Right now, I need to go take a shower," he commented. "Excuse me ladies."

Once he was upstairs Mac mused "Twenty bucks says it's a cold one," with a wicked grin.

"Twenty bucks says what's a cold one?" Sam asked as he walked in.

"The coming weekend, they're forecasting rain," Cassie responded without missing a beat. "But it's early, things can still change."

He looked at the expressions on Cassie and Mac's faces. "No way you two are talking about the weather, but I will take that to mean I don't want to know." He leaned in and kissed Cassie's cheek. "Thank you for the coffee, my dear."

"Drive safely," she told him.

"I always do." He nodded. "I love you," he called from the door.

"I love you too," Cassie replied.

"You two are adorable. I hope the hospital appreciates him going in today. Especially since my husband," she felt her stomach do a little flip at her use of the word, "had him out running half of Friday night into Saturday morning," Mac commented. She sipped her coffee.

"You heard about that I take it," Cassie chuckled as she poured her tea.

"Yeah, Harm mentioned that he and Sam had gone for a couple of runs the night before the wedding."

"Did he mention how far they went?"

"No, but the fact that you asked that makes me think that we owe Sam a particularly nice 'thanks for putting up with us' gift," she shook her head. "I guess I wasn't the only one who had a case of the nerves before the ceremony."

"Definitely not." Cassie smiled.

"Now how am I going to explain about that damn tie?" Mac wondered

"Technically, you didn't say anything to AJ," Cassie observed. "And Abigail can't stay mad at me." She sat beside Mac and sighed contentedly. "I'm so thankful that you have all come into our lives. If not for you and Harm, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet your amazing friends. Abigail wouldn't have met AJ."

"I can't believe how much has changed since the day we met. Can it really only be nine weeks?"

"It has been a very busy nine weeks," Cassie agreed. "So many new beginnings."

Abigail was lost in her thoughts as she moved about the shop getting ready for the day. She smiled to herself as she remembered the feeling of AJ's hand against her back and the smell of his aftershave. She didn't realize she'd begun humming one of the songs they had been dancing to as she repositioned a large bucket of flowers. It wasn't a song she'd been familiar with but now she seemed unable to shake the melody or snippets of the lyrics that drifted back to her as she thought of how her hand had felt in his…

Be the moon that moves your tide… The sun coming up in your eyes…

She smiled as she was momentarily lost in the memory of how he'd looked at her as they swayed to the rhythm of the track. She'd danced with many men over the years, but she'd never had anyone look at her the way he had last night. Thankfully, he hadn't tried to make conversation at that point because she would have been utterly incapable of forming a sentence. She couldn't think of anyone who had ever been able to render her speechless; even the memory of that look, was making it difficult for her to think clearly.

I'll cherish your words and I'll finish your thoughts… I'll be your compass baby when you get lost…

"Need a hand with that?"

Abigail spun around, taken by surprise. "AJ, you startled me," she muttered in a rush.

"My apologies. Offer still stands; need any help?" he gestured towards the flowers.

"I'm pretty capable of handling it," she said as her heart raced in a way that had nothing to do with the fact that he had managed to sneak up on her again. How does he keep doing that she wondered to herself. Like Cassie, people sneaking up on her was something which never happened, or at least not until a week ago.

"I'm well aware of the fact that you're both pretty and capable," he commented as he strode slowly toward her.

"You take far too much pleasure in making me blush," she muttered as she felt her face flushing, which she was realizing would likely be just a normal state of being around him. So many things he did or said triggered the involuntary reaction in her. "So, what brings you out so early? Nothing's even open yet."

"I had an interesting conversation with Cassie this morning," he shrugged as he grinned at her reaction. The expression flashed across her face for barely an instant, but he could read the combination of disbelief and anticipated embarrassment easily. "She might have mentioned that you voiced an opinion on how I looked in my uniform. I believe 'dashing' was the phrase she said you used."

Now Abigail's face really turned color. She closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. "If I tell you I'm going to murder my cousin when I get home, can you still defend me when I go to trial?"

"No, I wouldn't be able to because I would be facing charges for not preventing said murder. Attorney-client privilege doesn't apply to premeditated future crimes so I would be obligated to report your intent to the authorities. Sorry." He smiled in earnest now. "Don't be angry with Cassie, I think she just liked seeing the way you were smiling last night."

"Well, it was a wonderful evening," Abigail admitted. "You're an excellent dance partner."

"I also make a decent dinner companion. I was thinking perhaps I could demonstrate this evening. Say seven o'clock at Merlettos?" There was something about her and the energy he felt between them that made him feel oddly confident in being so forward. It wasn't his typical style, but somehow he knew she wouldn't perceive it as arrogance but merely him being direct. Perhaps since she approached things in such a head on manner herself.

"I'd like that," Abigail nodded and grinned. "I just have to ask one thing?"

"Ask away," He saw a flicker of something in her eyes. Self-doubt or fear, maybe? It wasn't something that he'd seen in her these last few days.

"Is this just a fling or something more?" she asked it quickly and held her breath for a moment before continuing. "I just want us to be on the same page here, so no one ends up getting hurt down the line." Her expression was uncertain and she had started fidgeting with her fingernails.

"I've never been the fling type," he replied "so for me it's something more. What about you?"

"You don't spend all night dancing with and then dreaming about a fling, so, something more for me too." Why had she said that she dreamed about him? She kept saying too much around him.

"Rebuttal question: does the age difference concern you?" If she was trusting him enough to be as straight forward as she was, he owed her the same.

Without pause Abigail shook her head. "Not in the least. Though I do think you're concerned by it," she countered.

"I was, a bit. But if it doesn't bother you, then who am I to make an issue out of it?" he smiled at her. "So, dreaming about me, huh?" AJ slowly stepped closer to her and reached for her hand. "What exactly were you dreaming about?"

"Last night, mostly," Abigail admitted. She was having a hard time focusing on forming sentences as AJ lightly brushed his thumb across the back of her hand. "I dreamed that we were dancing to that last song, you walked me to my room, like you did last night, but in the dream, rather than just saying goodnight, you kissed me goodnight." Her cheeks flushed again as she answered honestly. She seemed to be utterly incapable of editing her thoughts before speaking when it came to him.

"Really? Sounds like a good dream. Especially since I wanted to kiss you but was worried it might be presumptuous." He shifted his weight so he was even closer to her now. It was taking every bit of self-restraint he had not to pin her back against the counter that was just behind her.

"No, it wouldn't have been presumptuous." She looked into his eyes and lost herself in the moment. As they had last night, his warm, golden brown eyes made it difficult for her to remember how to breathe.

"Well, I'm not in uniform, but maybe we could start a new tradition of a good morning kiss. I mean, I wouldn't want you to spend your entire day lost in speculation about what might have been," AJ smiled as he looked back into her eyes, captivated by the unique blend of green and brown.

"I would be willing to agree to establishing that tradition; as long as it's understood that the new tradition is to be incorporated in addition to the existing tradition, not replacing it." Where did that come from? she wondered to herself. She'd clearly been spending way too much time with Harm, Mac and Bud in the last week. AJ, on the other hand, she didn't think she could ever spend enough time with, let alone too much. She wondered if he realized how much he affected her?

He chuckled and shifted a little closer. "I think you're spending too much time around lawyers; you're starting to talk like one."

"Strange, I was thinking I'm not spending enough time around a certain lawyer," she quipped back, surprised by how closely his statement had mirrored her thoughts. She momentarily wondered if she would ever feel like she had her footing around him.

"Well then, we'll have to see what we can do about that." He brought his free hand up to her neck and gently rested it against her skin as he leaned his head down and kissed her. He meant it to be a gentle, brief kiss, but as soon as his lips touched hers, he felt a jolt go through him like being hit by lightning. Moments later he was deepening the kiss and wrapping his arms around her, holding her body gently against his. He was acutely aware that she was not pulling away and in fact had leaned into the kiss. Eventually he regained his senses enough to slowly pull away from her. He took half a step backwards to try and put some distance between them. He again took her hand in his, unwilling to completely break the physical connection with her.

"Well, that certainly blew my dream kiss out of the water," she murmured as she shook her head a little. Her thoughts were spinning and she felt like her entire world had shifted.

"Maybe it's a good thing I'm not in uniform; might have been too much for you," he teased with a quick wink. "So, are you comfortable leaving together from Grey House tonight or would you rather meet at the restaurant?"

"Leaving together from Grey House is fine." She waved his concern off absently. Cassie would realize the moment she walked in the door that there was something going on with her. She would wager that Mac would recognize the shift in her as well given how observant she'd been at the wedding. There had to be Merriwick in her, even if it was a distant connection.

"Well then, I'll let you get to your day and I'll see you this evening." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. "Until tonight, Miss Pershing."

"Admiral Chegwidden," she answered. After a moment, he stepped away and crossed the shop.

When he put his hand on the door he paused and looked back at her. "For the record, you're not the only one who spent the night dreaming about that kiss." He smiled and stepped out into the morning sun.