FRIENDS ARE FAMILY

Disclaimers: JAG and the JAG characters do not belong to me

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MAC AND HARM'S APARTMENT

By the time they arrived Clay had gone from a broken man to full CIA mode.  He was working on adrenaline and not emotion.  He was no longer the Clayton Webb of the past few months; he was back to his former stoic being.

"Ok what do we have?" Webb said pacing back and forth. "We have a dead informant; Anna's missing and wanted for murder."

"Yes." Harm said not knowing what other answer to give.

"And the letter she sent you." Mac stated.

"Mac read her letter.  You can look at it more objectively." Webb said.

"Oh Clay I don't think that's a good idea." Mac protested.

"Colonel just read it." Webb snapped. Mac picked up the letter and started reading it to herself.

"Basically it says good bye." Mac stated.

"That doesn't help any." Webb stated.

"Clay, she asked that you remember…" Mac began.

"Too feed my fish?" Webb said sarcastically.

"No, she says remember to follow the advice and make a wish." Mac finished her statement.

"She said what?" Webb asked. "Let me see that."

Dear Clay

This is the way our story ends. Don't worry 'bout me. Don't try to find me, I know you wanted to watch over me, but you can't. I had to leave. Remember to follow the advice and make a wish. Too bad just one wish will be granted.

Anna

"What advice?" Harm asked.

"I don't know." Webb stated.

"Clay I have a thought." Mac said.

"Let me hear it." Webb replied.

"Suppose for a moment that Anna has run away." Mac began.

"She didn't run." Webb shouted.

"Ok but if she did, would she have written you such a generic letter? I know how she feels about you.  She didn't even say she loved you." Mac finished.

"Thanks Mac, I needed to hear that." Webb snapped.

"Would you listen to me?" Mac snapped back. "Maybe someone was watching her write the letter."

"It makes sense." Harm stated. "Maybe you're right, maybe she was taken."

"What is she saying, about making a wish and your story ending? Mac asked.

"I have no idea." Webb said resting his face in his hands.  Mac and Harm just looked at each other.

"Clay, can I get you anything?" Mac asked.

Webb just shook his head, after a minute that seemed like an hour he bolted out of his chair. "Those are song lyrics!"

"Song lyrics? Webb I realize it's not the most personal letter, but song lyrics? Harm stated.

"You don't know Anna." Webb smiled.

"What song is it?" Mac asked.

"I'm not sure. That's her specialty." Webb said pacing.  They sat in silence, just thinking about the letter.  Webb shot up again and shouted, "Sinatra."

"What?" Mac asked.

"I bet they are Sinatra songs, the first night we went out, she quoted lyrics from one of his songs." Webb stated. "She loves Sinatra."

"Why would she quote songs?" Mac asked.

"What if she was sending a message," Harm said. "This is going to sound crazy but remember the movie Jumping Jack Flash?"

"Yeah it's a gas gas gas." Webb said dripping with sarcasm.

"Clay in the movie Whoopie Goldberg's character is talking to a spy and the password is in the song or something." Harm explained. "Let's take a look at Sinatra songs."

"Gee Rabb too bad we don't have you in Intelligence." Webb said shaking his head. 

"You know Webb, I am just trying…" Harm began but was interrupted.

"Harm! Can you help me make some coffee?" Mac said cutting him off.  They went to the kitchen leaving Webb alone. "Harm, take it easy on him.  He's in pain and doesn't know how to handle it."

"Mac, he wants help but isn't being very... Well he's being very Webb about it all." Harm said.

"Let him vent anyway he can.  Ok. Honey sweetie?" Mac said with a smile and they went back inside.

"Now tell me this idea of yours?" Webb said.

"Let me grab the CD." Harm looked at the song list. "Sinatra has two songs with the word wish. When You Wish Upon A Star and I Wish I Were in Love Again." Harm said. "Do you want to hear the lyrics?"

"I know both songs." Webb said.

"Well do either have any thing to do with wishes being granted?" Mac asked.  Webb just shook his head and dropped into a chair. 

"Ok, this could be easy to figure out.  Let's do an internet search." Mac said going to the desk.

"Are you going to look up every Sinatra song?" Harm asked. "That could take all night."

"No, there is this site where you can put in a few words and it gives you a list of songs with those words." Mac said. "Clay may I see the note again?"  He handed her the note.  "Wish is too general. How about this is where our story ends?" Mac said typing in the words.

"What did you get?" Webb asked.

"It's the song Don't Worry 'bout Me." Mac replied. "But she says that."

"Try, watch over me." Harm suggested.

"Ok. Someone to Watch Over Me came up." Mac replied.

"I told her I would protect her." Clay said sadly.

"Try I have to leave." Harm said.

"No try just one wish will be granted." Webb said getting up.

"Three Coins in the Fountain." Mac said.  Webb and Harm were looking over Mac's shoulder reading the lyrics.

"She's in Italy." Webb announced.

"How can you tell?" Mac asked.

"It's the song about the Trevi Fountain in Rome." Clay said. "It's the only song that mentions a city."

"But the post mark is DC." Harm said.

"Someone could have mailed it for her." Mac replied.

"I'm going to Italy." Webb announced going to the door.

"Clay you can't go anywhere right now." Mac said. "You need to rest."

"You rest, I need to find her and bring her home." Webb said.

"Webb I have an idea." Harm said.

"Which is?" Webb asked.

"I'm going with you for starters." Harm said.

"No Harm that's really nice of you." Webb said. "I can't ask you to do this."

"You're not asking. We're offering." Mac said.

"Second, we call someone who knows Italy better than the both of us." Harm said picking up the phone.

"Harm, it's 2am." Mac warned.

"Sorry to disturb you Admiral." Harm said.

"This better be good Rabb." The Admiral said.

"Sir it is and I realize the hour but can you come here?  Webb is here and…" Harm started.

"I'll be there in 30." The Admiral said and hung up the phone.

Webb paced back and forth while waiting for the Admiral to get there.  The normally cool and collected Clayton Webb was anything but.  This concept of not being in control of everything was new to him.  Seeing his distress, Mac tried to calm him. "Clay, come here."

"I'm fine Mac." Webb replied.

"Harm would you go make some coffee." Mac asked.

"Good idea." Harm said and went to the kitchen.

"Clay I found this at Anna's.  I think you may want to hang on to it." Mac said handing him the small velvet box.  "You really love her."

"Yes I do. I have to get her back." Webb said.

"We will Clay. We will." Mac said taking his hand.

"I can't ask any of you to do this." Webb said.

Mac lifted Webb's hand. "Do you remember what you did with this fist?  You slugged a superior. You told him it was personal, it was family."

"Yeah I remember." Webb said with a slight laugh.

"Clay, this is family. You don't have to ask for help.  It's here." Mac said clasping his hand in hers. Just then the Admiral knocked.

"Webb, I'm sorry all this is happening.  Now, what's going on?" The Admiral asked.

"Sir, we think we know where Anna is." Harm said and they all explained the theory.

"Are you sure she was taken and didn't run?" AJ asked. "She is wanted for murder."

"I know she wouldn't kill anyone, it's not in her." Webb said. "Someone took her."

"Do you have any idea who could have taken her?" AJ asked. 

"Not yet." Webb replied.

"Well I guess that means one thing.  We are going to Italy." The Admiral said.

"You're coming too?" Webb asked in shock. "I can't ask that of…"

"Webb it's 4am, let's not debate the issue. Mac, can you look up flights?" AJ said.

"Sure already checking." Mac said. "Ok, the first flight out of here is at early morning but everything connects through New York and doesn't leave until 5." 

"We lose a whole day." Webb said. "That's not acceptable."

"Hold on, I have an idea." AJ said. He placed a call, waking up a friend, and called in a favor.

"Ok we leave for Italy at 10.  We will be there midnight local time." AJ announced.

"Who did you call?" Webb asked.

"An old friend with a plane, he owes me and now we are even." AJ said.

"Mac can you secure some hotel rooms?" Webb asked.

"Already done; two rooms at Hotel Piccolo." Mac said.

"Piccolo?" Webb asked with a slight smile.

"Yes, do you know that hotel?" Mac asked.

"No, but piccolo means small in Italian.  Anna's family calls her piccolo." Webb said. "If I believed in signs; it would be a good one."

AJ and Webb left to go to their respective homes.  At 7am AJ called the SecNav and advised him that he and two of his officers would be assisting Agent Webb on a case.  While not thrilled, the SecNav could not say anything; he knew the two entities worked together.  AJ also explained that at this time he did not know details of this case, but that legal assistance was necessary and that no one technically knew they were going. AJ then called Sturgis and advised him he would be acting JAG.

While AJ was making his calls, Webb contacted his superior and advised him that he was going to Italy to assist JAG with an investigation.  Webb stated that the Navy had a situation in which his presence was required in order to ensure that the interests of the CIA were not compromised. 

Hopefully, for all concerned no superiors would contact each other.  They were all risking their careers.  At 10am, they met at Dulles and went to the private airstrip. Seven hours later, the search for Anna Paparini began.