A/N: I love reunions, don't you? I decided to make Clay a nice guy in this story. I liked the character up until season nine. But then everything in that season went south

Reunion

Remote Island, Atlantic Ocean
June 13, 2001
1240 Local

Mac blinked her eyes as she and Clay approached the two men. One was older, about six-feet tall. But the other one… Was she seeing things? Was it him? When he smiled, she knew.

They spoke in unison.

"Harm, it's really you."

"Mac, you came for me."

"Yes." At that moment, she didn't care who was around. The SECNAV himself couldn't stop her. She rushed to Harm and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the embrace.

Tears flowed down Mac's face. "Everyone thought you were dead. They told me I need to face the facts and get on with my life. I didn't believe them. Somehow, I knew you were alive. Harm, I've never been more scared in all my life when I heard your plane went down. I thought I'd lost you forever."

Harm kissed the top of Mac's head. "It's okay, Mac. I'm here, and I'm alive."

They remained in one another's arms for two minutes twenty-two seconds by Mac's calculation before Clayton Webb cleared his throat. "This has been a touching little reunion, but there are others who want to know you're alive, Rabb."

Harm looked at the spook. "Webb. What are you doing here?"

"Let's just saw your partner is very persuasive. Once she gets something in her head, she's not likely to change her mind. No matter how unbelievable it may be."

"There's a story here somewhere," Harm said.

"I'll tell you about it later. Webb's right. Others will want to know. Most of all, your mother."

"You've talked to Mom?"

"Several times. She's the only one besides me who believed you were still alive."

Webb pulled a phone from his pocket, then handed it to Mac. "I think you'd better call Chegwidden first."

Mac dialed the number, then asked Tiner to put the call through. The Admiral came on the line almost immediately. "Any news, Colonel?"

"He's here, sir. He's alive."

She heard the audible sigh of relief. "Thank God. What's his condition?"

"He seems fine, but I'll let him answer that." She handed the phone to Harm.

"Admiral?... It's a long story… Yes sir, I'm okay… No, I don't think that's necessary… Yes, sir… Understood sir… Yes, Webb is here. I'll put him on."

While Clay spoke to the admiral, Harm turned to Malcolm. "Mac, this is Malcolm Stewart. You might say he saved my life. Malcolm, this is my partner at JAG, Lt. Col Sarah Mackenzie."

"Most people call me Mac." She smiled and shook the older man's hand while trying to decipher the look in his eye.

He smiled. "So, you're Mac. Call me Malcolm. As for saving his life, I think I had a little help with that. The commander is strong-willed."

"That he is."

"Admiral Chegwidden thinks I should get checked out at Bethesda as a precaution. That's what he's discussing with Webb."

Mac agreed. "Probably a good idea. On the ride home, you can tell me all about your little adventure."

"Sure. So, I guess congratulations are in order. Does Brumby know you're here."

Mac looked away at the mention of the Aussie's name. "No."

"Keeping secrets already, Marine? Hey, sorry I missed the wedding."

"You didn't."

"What?"

"There was no wedding."

"What?"

"Not now, Harm. I'll tell you about it later."

North of Union Station
1930 Local

Harm looked around his apartment. It felt good to be home. There was a time when he thought he'd never see the place again. After three weeks, he wasn't sure what to expect. Dust. A windowsill filled with dead herbs. But the entire apartment was clean, and the plants seemed to have thrived in his absence.

It had been a long day. He'd spent several hours at Bethesda where he'd been given a clean bill of health. "CT is normal. Labs are good. You've lost a few pounds since your last visit," the doctor had said. "But given what you've been through, that's not unexpected. It will take a while to get back to full strength. Take it easy at first, but there's no reason why you can't return to active duty on Monday."

Mac stayed with him the entire time. When the doctor said he was free to go, Mac drove him home, stopping first for Chinese takeout. After they arrived at his apartment, it had been a whirlwind of activity—calls from his mother, people at JAG, having to tell the story of his time on the island. Not surprising, Bud and Harriet stopped by after work as did the Admiral. Everyone else sent their best wishes, including Lt. Singer.

Before he left, the admiral told Mac to take the rest of the week off. "Take good care of him, Colonel. I'll see you both in my office Monday morning. Commander, welcome home."

Harm sat on the sofa. Mac was tidying up the kitchen. Harm hated leaving it up to her, but she'd insisted. And he was weary from all the day's activities. He was a bit surprised that Renee hadn't called or been around. Maybe no one had called her. Not that he cared. No matter what happened between him and Mac, he was ready to end it with Renee. She was too high strung and too possessive. Funny, he hadn't given her a thought until now.

Mac walked into the room. "I put the leftovers in the fridge, but that's about all that's there. If you'd like, I can help you with buying groceries after we pick up your Lexus tomorrow."

"Thanks, Mac. So, did you water my plants while I was away?"

"Your mom did. Harm, she was the only one except me who believed you were still alive. I, uh, I stayed here a couple of nights. It's the place I felt closest to you, and I thought maybe somehow we could connect."

"You stayed here?"

"Yeah. Trish—your mom—knew about it and approved. Turns out I was right. Harm, I saw you walking along that beach. I saw the rocky cove. Last night I called the admiral to tell him. He, Bud, and I worked half the night looking at charts of the Western Atlantic."

"You saw me?"

Mac nodded.

"And you called out to me."

"How did you know?"

"Because I heard you. I called your name."

"I know. I also heard your voice. We connected. That's how I knew for sure you were still alive."

"Wow, Mac. I always knew— How did you locate the island?"

"The night of your crash, I saw your life raft. It was like the time I found Chloe. I pinpointed the location on the charts, and Admiral Chegwidden notified Captain Ingles. Unfortunately, you weren't nearby. Last night, after I heard your voice, I called Admiral Chegwidden. He, Bud, and I spent hours going over the maps before I pinpointed the location. The admiral sent me home to get some rest and promised he'd call Captain Ingles again, but we both knew the chances of them launching another search and rescue were slim. That's when I decided to call Clay. He knew exactly where the island was."

"Webb's full of surprises, that's for sure. It so happens Malcolm has done some work for the CIA. The government owns the island, and they let him live there in exchange for doing an occasional job."

"Strange way to live."

Harm shrugged. "A little inconvenient, to say the least, but the lifestyle suits him."

"Not something I would want, but whatever works, I guess."

"Mac, what happened? You're not wearing Brumby's ring. You said the wedding didn't take place. You said you would tell me."

She took a deep breath. "Mic couldn't get past this thing with us."

Harm lowered his voice. "Maybe it's because we can't get past it."

"He was upset when I wanted to postpone the ceremony. I told him I wouldn't go through with it until we got word about you. A few days ago, I had a bad day at work. The Admiral asked Harriet to take me home. Mic came, demanding to talk to me. He said some terrible things about you. About us. I threw the ring at him and told him to leave. I haven't seen him since."

"I'm sorry, Mac. It's my fault."

"No. Don't say that. If I hadn't wanted you to come to the ceremony, you probably wouldn't have been flying in that weather. It was selfish of me to ask."

"But to call off the engagement…"

"I realize now it wouldn't have worked between Mic and me. It's okay. Better to find out now than six months into the marriage."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine. Hey, did you talk to your mom?"

"Yeah. She and Frank are going to fly out next week. Told me if I ever pulled a stunt like that again, she would kick my six from here to San Diego and back."

"She's a strong woman. Handled herself well at the prayer vigil. Wouldn't allow anyone to call it a memorial service. And when Renee— I guess you're wondering why she hasn't been around."

"A bit curious, but it doesn't matter. The past couple of days, I've had time to do a lot of thinking. I have no future with Renee, but I don't want to talk about her right now." Harm tried to stifle a yawn.

"Hey, you're tired."

"It will feel good to sleep in my own bed."

"Guess I should get out of here and let you get some rest. I'll come back in the morning." Mac started to rise.

"Mac. You don't have to go. Stay with me tonight."