Chapter 25

After Mac finished her conversation with the Admiral, she climbed into the shower. Her mind continued to run through the information she'd received, trying to put it into some kind of comprehensible whole. Unfortunately, her brain kept drifting to inconsequential details. Colonel Rabb. She found herself trying to imagine what it would be like to be back at JAG. Now, when the Admiral leaned out his door and yelled Rabb! would that still mean Harm, or perhaps both of them? And every time they reported to an assignment together, what would they say? Sir, Commander Rabb and Colonel Rabb reporting as ordered. Every skipper or CO they ever stood in front of would look at them cross-eyed. They'd waste both time and good favor with each one, explaining how a couple of married officers could work together. Eventually, word would get around, and the wasted time would be replaced by, Oh, you two. Mac wasn't sure which would be worse.

She sighed. Well, you didn't have to take his name. But she'd wanted to. Growing up, she'd felt reassured by the fact that her mother was Mrs. MacKenzie. Not that it had kept her from abandoning the family, but…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing. A moment later, Harm stuck his head around the curtain.

"Mind if I join you?"

Mac summoned a smile. "Of course not." She cocked an eyebrow. "Morning meeting?" They often showered together, both for the entertainment value and because it was the only place they felt safe talking, certain the conversation couldn't be recorded.

Harm nodded. A minute later, he joined her in the water. Mac slipped into his arms for a hug.

"Bad news?" he asked.

"Confusing," she answered, and proceeded to describe for him the details of her conversation with Admiral Chegwidden and Bud.

Harm's brow furrowed as he thought. "You're right. Something doesn't add up. Either Ariel somehow modified the hall recording, or Mrs. Antony is lying." He picked up his soap, turning it in his hands to make lather. Mac wondered what it was about men and bar soap. However, since Harm generally referred to her bath sponge as "that poof thing", she supposed she already knew the answer.

"I may be able to work the hall recording angle," Harm went on, oblivious to her thoughts. Mac forced her mind back on topic.

"You had a productive conversation with Mr. Laughton?" They'd picked him after a little discreet asking around revealed that Mr. Laughton was considered the black sheep whiz of the technical staff. And Tony Ariel apparently disliked him.

Harm summarized his encounter with the technician.

"So he knows something-- about Boothe and Carmen, at least." Mac added the new information to her growing collection of facts. Right now, each one was like a puzzle piece, a random part of a whole whose image she'd never seen. Once they'd gathered enough pieces and put them in something close to proper order, the larger image would start to become clear.

Harm nodded. "I'm a little curious about what he was doing when I found him, too."

Mac frowned. "He said he was fixing something, right?"

"Yeah, but how often do they come in and start messing with the wiring when we have computer problems at the office?"

Mac raised an eyebrow. "Never, as far as I've seen."

"My point exactly. It doesn't ring true. Maybe Bud can tell us what he might have been doing in there."

Mac chuckled. Bud. Sweet, humble, unassuming Bud, who had more esoteric knowledge stored in his brain than anyone she'd ever met.

"Probably," she agreed.

Mac picked up her bath sponge, squirted soap onto it, and began to wash. The soap's hazelnut smell filled the air.

"Here, why don't you let me do that." Harm wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he held out a hand for the sponge.

Laughing, Mac surrendered it. "I take it we're done with the serious conversation."

"I can think of much more interesting things to be doing while standing next to a beautiful, naked, soapy woman."

She grinned. "I'll bet." Keeping a hand on his shoulder for balance, she closed her eyes as the sponge slipped across her skin. The bath was more an expression of affection than desire, but Mac happily submerged her thoughts in favor of the delicious sensation.

Some time later, Harm stopped abruptly with a low, angry curse. Mac's eyes flew open. She turned her head to look up at him, not too terribly surprised to find his gaze empty, locked on some distant point.

"Harm?"

He dragged her into his arms for a tight, slippery hug, as if suddenly needing reassurance.

Mac bit back a surge of alarm. "Harm, talk to me." She kept her voice level. "What is it?" Obviously, the wheels in his head had continued to turn and he didn't like where his thoughts had taken him.

He heaved a sigh. "Steiner was wrong when he said Ariel would target us because we're lawyers."

Mac frowned, trying to follow his train of thought.

Harm went on. "Ariel doesn't care about the show's ratings. His bonus is based on there being one winner, period. Steiner's too wrapped up in where his own profits come from."

"Or he didn't know about Ariel's bonus," Mac reminded him.

Harm's expression said he didn't believe that for a moment.

Mac shrugged. Neither did she, honestly. "So what are you getting at?"

Harm didn't meet her gaze. "Why do you think Ariel picked the Antonys?" He paused, and a hint of sarcasm crept into his voice. "Assuming, of course, that he is guilty."

Mac shrugged. The answer was obvious. "Because Mrs. Antony already had an ongoing… relationship, for lack of a better word, with two men other than her husband. She was an easy target." Mac sucked in her breath in sudden understanding. She pulled back to look up at her husband. "So if we want to have any hope of getting him to try the same stunt with us…"

Harm's eyes filled with grim shadows as he nodded. "…then when the time comes, we have to give him the same kind of opportunity."

They stared at each other in silence, heedless of the water that was slowly growing cold around them. Mac wanted to yell at Harm, tell him he was wrong, but the words lodged in her throat. Eventually, Harm reached down to adjust the water temperature, bringing a fresh burst of warmth. The water did nothing to dispel the cold fear Mac felt inside. She deliberately turned her back to him and picked up the shampoo.

"We'd better finish up," was all she could find to say. She didn't look at her husband.

She could feel his gaze boring a hole in the back of her head as she worked the shampoo into her hair. "Mac, please, be reasonable." She could hear the tired patience and regret in his voice, and underlying them, the unyielding iron of his will.

Mac spun to face him, overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. "No, I will not be reasonable! Not about this." Throwing her arms around his neck, she kissed him with everything that was inside her-- love, passion, anger, fear, determination. Harm answered her with a savage passion of his own, crushing her against him. Water and suds ran down Mac's face in torrents, filling her mouth with the taste of soap. She didn't care. She was his, and he was hers. Nothing could ever compromise that. She wouldn't let it.

Eventually, they separated. Mac lay her head against Harm's shoulder, feeling his collarbone beneath her cheek, as he buried his face against her neck. She spluttered a bit, trying to spit out the taste of the shampoo.

"Blech," Harm agreed in her ear.

Mac couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, shattering the intensity of the moment.

"Note to self: Rinse out the shampoo first," she said.

Harm joined her laughter. "I'll give you points for spontaneity, though."

Mac raked her hair back from her face as their mirth faded. Harm met her gaze. His eyes were deep and blue and calm.

She sighed and squared her shoulders. They'd gotten past the emotions. Now it was time to talk business. "So, this means I need to cultivate a boyfriend."

Harm nodded, not looking terribly pleased at the prospect. "Yeah. Slowly, though. We've still got three weeks left on this ship."

"At least we've got a believable set up going."

Harm gave her a curious look.

Mac returned the look innocently. "You and Ms. Upton, remember?"

She felt him tense. "Mac--"

"It's o.k., Harm." She cut him off mid-protest, smiling in reassurance. "I know you're not interested in her. However, she is interested in you, and the whole world by now knows I don't like it." She gave him a self-deprecating smile. "I'm sure we can play it into reason enough for me to…" Mac's voice faded as the enormity of what she was saying hit her. "…to be unfaithful." She bit her lip, forcing herself to meet her husband's gaze. She saw her own fears reflected there.

He shook his head slowly. "We don't have to do this, Mac."

"If we want to catch Ariel, we do."

He didn't try to argue that. "Forget Ariel for the moment. This is us I'm talking about." Harm captured her hands in his, pressing them to his chest, over his heart. "I want you to promise, Mac. If this… charade… starts to get confusing-- if either of us starts to doubt that we're acting-- we walk. No questions asked. We get off this ship and get on a plane and go someplace totally private, and we work it through." His fingers tightened around hers until they ached. "We've had too many misunderstandings already. I won't lose you to another one."

Mac's heart swelled at the words and the intensity of his stare. Weak-kneed, she nodded. "I promise." She licked her lips. "I love you, Harm."

His smile was like a sudden light. "I love you, too, Sarah. We'll get through this."

Mac smiled back at him. "Semper Fi, Navy."

He touched her face in a tender caress. "Semper Fi."

#

The aircraft turned out to be a Stampe-- a Belgian aerobatic trainer dating from the mid-1930's. The plane had been beautifully restored and had a modern avionics package in the cockpit. Harm wondered whose airshow Ariel had raided. But, with five thousand feet of air beneath his wings, he didn't really care. He was just grateful.

"Ready for another one?" he shouted to Nikki over the roar of the prop. A small video camera mounted on each of the windscreens recorded everything.

"Yeah!" She was laughing in sheer exhilaration.

Harm added power and pulled up, putting them in a steep climb. At ten thousand feet, he tipped the aircraft over, added rudder, and let the wings stall. Suddenly unable to generate lift, the biplane turned into a brightly painted rock. They fell out the sky, spiraling earthward.

Nikki screamed enthusiastically.

At four thousand feet, Harm recovered from the spin. He pulled out at about 2 g's, grinning as he was shoved back into his seat. It felt so good to fly, especially after his conversation with Mac that morning. Things were uncomplicated in the air. For a little while, at least, he could forget his problems, his fears, and lose himself in the unadulterated joy flying brought him.

Harm banked the aircraft and headed out over the water. Beneath them, the massive Radiant Heart looked like a bath toy. The ocean darkened in gradients as the land beneath the water fell away. They could clearly see the outline of reefs near the tiny island hosting their activities that day. The sun gleamed on the water, making the shallows glow an unearthly turquoise, and turned the whitecaps golden.

Harm brought them down to the deck. Over the calm Caribbean waters, he felt safe dropping to twenty feet. They skimmed across the shallow water near the beach. Nikki waved to the people who lined the shore, watching them. Harm performed a ninety-degree snap roll, completing the pass with his wings perpendicular to the ground. Nikki cheered.

"So, are you still being nice to me?" Nikki shouted as they gained altitude once again.

Harm grinned. "So far. Why? You ready to try some serious flying?"

Her laughter was torn away by the rushing wind. "Bring it on, Harm!"

#

To her surprise, Mac was having a great time. Her escort for the day was a young man named Toby Mathis. The ironic thing was that Toby could have been Nikki Upton's twin brother. He had the same deep tan and sun-streaked blond hair, the same cocksure smile. But despite being a full decade younger than Mac, he turned out to be pleasant enough company. They were snorkeling along one of the reefs, something Mac had never done before. She was amazed by the beauty of the fish that filled the water around her. Toby took time to point out different varieties of sea urchins and anemones, their puffy bodies decorated in a riot of pinks, purples and oranges. A diver followed them with an underwater camera, but Mac rarely noticed him. The sea itself was too captivating.

Around lunchtime, though, hunger finally drove her to shore.

Laughing, Toby followed. "I've heard about your appetite."

Mac flopped down in the sand, clapping one hand over her stomach. "It's all true. Oh, I'm hungry." She glanced behind her to where a small crew was discretely setting up a small table, complete with flowers and white tablecloth. "I hope they don't take too long."

"Nah. They're usually pretty quick."

Mac chuckled. "I see. So I'm not the first woman you've used this routine on."

He looked down at his toes. "Caught me." His grin was guileless as he shrugged. "I just love snorkeling."

Mac waved his embarrassment away. "Can't blame you for that. It's amazing."

They chatted amiably until lunch was ready, then moved their conversation to the little table. Mac stopped short when she saw the food that had been laid out.

"Toby, you're my hero." Mac sank into her seat with a huge grin. Each plate held a monstrous hamburger, piled high with unhealthy goodies, and a mound of fries.

"I'd heard you were a major carnivore." He gestured for her to proceed. Mac dug in with gusto.

Toby watched her for a moment, shaking his head and laughing. "Doesn't your husband feed you?"

Mac met Toby's gaze across the table, surprised. "Usually. He makes me eat vegetables, though."

Toby popped a french fry into his mouth. "Potatoes are vegetables."

"Point." Mac smiled, cocking her head to study him. "You know, you're the first of my escorts to voluntarily mention my husband to me."

Toby shrugged, seeming unconcerned. "Facts are facts. You are married, and seduction's not really my style. The way I figure it… I'm here, I'm available, and I'm a nice guy. If you want to do something about that, go right ahead." He turned on a charming smile, then let it fade. "If not, that's o.k., too."

Mac absorbed his explanation, then slowly grinned. "Deal." She went back to work on her food. "So what's the plan for the rest of the day?"

"Well, we can keep snorkeling, or I've got a boat reserved so we can do some water-skiing."

"Hmmm. Choices, choices." Her contemplation was interrupted by a distant, high-pitched roar-- the unmistakable sound of a small airplane. Mac looked up, shading her eyes as she scanned the sky. She spotted the red and yellow plane a moment later and smiled in satisfaction. It looked like Nikki Upton was getting exactly what she'd asked for. If she could still walk once Harm got her back on the ground, Mac would be impressed.

"So what do you think of Nikki?" Mac asked her escort after a moment.

Toby grinned at her. "Why? Is she the competition?"

Mac waited a beat too long to answer. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. "Of course not."

To her surprise, she saw sympathy in the younger man's gaze as he answered, "She is pretty hot. Bossy, though."

Mac had to chuckle. "Well, if there's one thing Harm can't stand, it's bossy."

"Sounds like you don't have anything to worry about, then."

Mac sighed. "No, probably not."