Spoilers: small references to 'Yeah, Baby' and 'Lifeline,' a little bit of 'Pas de Deux,' but mostly 'Secret Agent Man' AN: This comes after "Following the Shifting Sands" and "Resisting the Shifting Sands." I'm not even going to let Mac show her face in this chapter-that line about not missing Harm really irked me! Anyway, she and Harm haven't seen each other in a while, so I couldn't easily arrange another confrontation and stay in sync with the current season. This piece lacks the angst of the previous chapters because there is no confrontation, so I hope you still like it. Thanks for all of the positive feedback so far!

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1205 EST Robert's Residence

"I'll get it!" a high-pitched boy's voice screamed, accompanied by the haphazard clomp-clomping of a hasty descent down the stairs.

"AJ Roberts, do not open that door until I get there!" Bud Roberts yelled after the overly-energetic boy from the top of the staircase. The slightly irate father held his infant son over his shoulder with one hand and used the other to grasp the banister while trying to quickly but cautiously make his way down the stairs in pursuit of his other son.

He had only made it down a few steps when little AJ squealed, "Uncle Harm!" after obviously ignoring his father's warning to wait to open the door.

"I thought your dad said not to open the door, young man," Harm admonished, having easily overheard the commotion inside despite the closed door.

AJ attempted to look slightly chastised as he replied in his defense, "But it was just you Uncle Harm. It wasn't a stranger."

Harm subconsciously watched out of the corner of his eye to make sure that Bud made it safely down the last few steps, but the majority of his attention was still focused on the young Roberts in front of him. "And did you check to make sure it wasn't a stranger before you opened the door?"

The four-year-old couldn't think up a good excuse for this oversight. He hung his head as he answered, "No, sir."

Bud wordlessly thanked Harm for reinforcing what he'd been trying to get through to his son before taking over with the scolding. "So what are you going to do next time you hear someone at the door, AJ?"

"Wait for you to let me open the door," he answered his father dejectedly.

"That's right," Bud agreed. Noticing that Harm was still standing on the porch, he decided to let AJ off the hook since it had been a while since he had seen his godfather. "Why don't you let Uncle Harm in the house now?"

"Okay!" the little boy perked up when he realized that the lecturing was done for now. He pushed the door open all the way so that Harm could step into the foyer.

"How do you like your little brother, kiddo?" Harm asked, squatting down to be at eye-level with his godson as he pushed the door closed again.

"He cries a lot," AJ replied truthfully, leaning back against the door with all of his weight to get it to shut.

"Babies tend to do that," was all that Harm could think to say. He tousled AJ's hair affectionately, and then standing up, he brought a Toys R Us bag out from behind his back. "Hey, guess what? I brought you something."

AJ eagerly grabbed the plastic bag and pulled out his new toy. A big smile lit up his face as he showed his father, "It's an airplane!"

"What do you say to Uncle Harm," Bud prodded, rocking the baby who had started fussing at all the noise his big brother was making.

"Thank you!" AJ smiled up at his godfather as he sat down on the bottom step and proceeded to unceremoniously strip the toy of its packaging.

The two adults walked into the family room since the youngster's new prize would keep him busy for a little while without their help. Harm pulled back the fuzzy blue baby blanket to get a better look at the newest Roberts. "So this is Jimmy?"

"Yes, this is James Kirk Roberts," Bud announced as he held the baby out for Harm to take him.

Harm positioned the sleepy infant in the crook of his arm like an old pro as he settled himself in the corner of the couch closest to Bud's recliner. He gave Bud a funny look as the name registered. "Did you just say."

"Yes, he's named after Captain Kirk. The funny thing is, Harriet didn't realize it until Mikey said something," Bud grinned as he related the story. His smile lost some of its intensity as he recalled the aftermath of that little revelation. "But then I got an earful about it with a few nights of sleeping alone for good measure."

Harm chuckled as he watched the infant yawn and stretch his tiny fists over his head. The peace and quiet was interrupted when AJ wandered in with his new airplane, now free of its cardboard and plastic prison and accompanied by the airplane noises only a four-year-old can make. "Hey, Uncle Harm!" he said as he climbed up on the couch.

"Hey, what?" Harm replied as AJ kneeled down next to him, the airplane forgotten on the cushion behind him for the moment.

AJ pointed to his brother and then himself as he said seriously, "Jimmy's a captain, but I'm the admiral. That makes me his superior officer."

Harm tried not to laugh since his godson was being so serious. A baby named after a 'captain' and a boy named after an 'admiral'. this couldn't get any funnier unless the Roberts had another kid with naval rank inherent in his or her name. He kept a straight face as he answered, "Yes, I suppose it does."

"Uncle Harm?" the boy asked, sitting back on his haunches.

"Yes, kiddo?"

"Do you want to be in my Navy? I'll let you be a commander still."

'Out of the mouths of babes,' was the first thought that came to Harm. He was stunned by the sincerity behind the offer and the significance of what the child was offering without understanding anything more than the fact that he had overheard his parents say that his godfather wasn't a commander in the real Navy anymore. "I'd love to be in your Navy. But, if you're the admiral, does that mean I have to call you 'sir?'"

AJ was thrilled by the acceptance, but obviously wasn't sure about the chain of command, other than the fact that he was superior to his baby brother. "Uh. does he, Daddy?"

"If he's still a commander in your Navy, then yes, he would," Bud told his son, obviously as touched as Harm had been.

"Cool," AJ grinned. The Hallmark moment was over.

"Why don't you go get some of your other planes from upstairs?" Harm suggested.

"Okay!"

He watched as AJ scrambled off of the couch and ran out of the room. It was hard not to look at his godson and remember a promise he'd made the day he was born that once again seemed to have been rendered null and void. He shook those thoughts away and focused on why he had stopped by to visit in the first place. "I'm sorry I missed the christening. I really wanted to be there, but I don't have the seniority I need to get requested days off anymore."

"I understand, sir. And thank you for the present you sent."

"You can drop the 'sir,' Bud. Remember, I'm not in the *real* Navy anymore," he smiled as he remembered the commission he'd just accepted into AJ's Navy.

"How is working for the CIA?"

"That's classified," he deadpanned. Bud looked startled at the abrupt response, and Harm couldn't help chuckling at the expression on his friend's face. "I'm just kidding, Bud. It's different, but they let me fly. And they just offered me field agent status."

"Are you going to do it?"

"I'm still thinking about it." Harm looked down at the dozing infant in his arms. Picking up one of Jimmy's little fists, he let the tiny fingers wrap around his much larger index finger.

"Do you miss JAG?" Bud asked after watching his former commanding officer interact with his youngest son for a few minutes.

Harm looked up, the baby still reflexively gripping his finger, even while asleep. "Yeah, I do. But I know that a lot of things have changed since I left, so it's not the same place anymore."

The younger man hesitated before he asked another question. "Can I ask you something personal?"

"Um, sure." Harm had a sinking feeling that he knew where this conversation was headed, but he would indulge his friend a little and at least let him ask the question.

"Did something happen with you and Colonel MacKenzie?"

"Why do you ask?" he asked guardedly in response. He wasn't going to say anything more than he had to on this subject. He may not have to see Mac on a regular basis anymore, but he still didn't want anything he said on the subject of their now non-existent relationship getting back to her and instigating any more hard feelings.

Bud was treading just as cautiously in the conversation, not wanting to offend Harm or to get too personal. "Well, I asked her if she missed having you around at JAG, and she said no."

The facial reaction reminded Bud of someone who had just bitten into a pickle. "Ouch," was all he said.

"I'm sorry, sir," Bud immediately apologized. "I probably shouldn't have said anything."

"No, it's okay," Harm sighed. He'd wondered a million times how he and Mac had ended up at this point. He still didn't have a good answer, but he had to tell Bud something. "I guess you could say we've decided that we need to go our separate ways."

Deciding to risk one more question, Bud asked, "But you resigned your commission to go look for her, and now you're not friends anymore?"

"I'm glad that someone else is just as baffled as I am about that," Harm stated emphatically. Bud had obviously hit a sore spot with that observation.

Giving up on the previous subject, Bud commented on something he had noticed earlier, "You're wearing a wedding ring." He had hoped that maybe it had been connected to the colonel and the two of them were just playing it cagey while they tried to figure out if it would work out. That assumption was obviously off-target, so now his curiosity got the best of him.

"Oh, I forgot that I put it on already," Harm said as he looked at the gold band on his left ring finger. He remembered Mac's reaction when she'd seen it the last time they'd exchanged words outside of Clay's hospital room. Since its presence hadn't done anything to prompt action on that front despite his lack of an explanation, he figured there was no harm telling Bud the real reason behind it. Even if Bud said something to Mac, it was obvious that she had already made up her mind regarding him, and minor technicalities wouldn't do a whole lot to change the situation. "It was sort of a gag gift from Catherine Gayle when I accepted the job with the CIA. I've visited her mother with her a few times since I've been back. I play the loving husband and dutiful son-in-law in order to avoid questions and make her mother happy. I'm heading to the hospital after I leave here, so I put the ring on so I wouldn't forget before I got there."

"I didn't know you were going to continue doing this after the little ceremony we staged."

"Neither did I, but this is probably the closest I'll get to married life, and I kind of like it. having mother-in-law who is absolutely thrilled to have me around. Catherine is a good listener, and she's my CIA sponsor, too. and her brother and I get along pretty well. I feel like part of a family. It's just kind of awkward when her mom starts hinting about grandkids, but I've been dodging my mother's inquiries for long enough that it's not too bad," Harm smiled sardonically.

"Mommy's home!" they heard AJ yell from upstairs a split second before the sound of little feet clattering down the stairs preceded the blond boy's entrance. He ran through the family room in a blur to meet his mother at the garage door.

Harm and Bud watched the ball of energy bound past them. Harm shook his head, wondering what it would be like to have that much energy, then glanced at his watch. "I should probably be going. I promised Catherine that I'd be by around 1:00," he told Bud as he stood.

"Thank you for stopping by. Would you like me to pass on any messages to anyone at JAG for you?" Bud stood as well and took his son back from his friend as he prepared to leave.

Harm thought for a moment before he replied, "Tell Jenn to stay on her toes so the admiral can't catch her off-guard. And make sure you tell Sturgis not to enjoy my old office too much."

"Anyone else?" Bud asked distractedly as he shushed the baby, who had started fussing at the change of hands.

"Other than you and Harriet, that's all the friends I seem to have left at JAG." Harm didn't seem upset at the fact-he seemed more resigned to it than anything else.

"Commander Rabb! It's great to see you!" Harriet gushed as she walked into the family room with AJ in her arms.

Harm turned around to greet her. "It's just Harm, Harriet. How are you doing?" She put AJ down so that she could give him a hug.

"Just great," she smiled as she stepped back from their embrace. "Are you staying for lunch?"

"I'm actually on my way out, but I'm glad I got to see you before I left."

"Well, you'll have to come by some other time."

"I'll have to do that," he agreed. Once again, he bent down to look AJ in the eye. "You listen to your parents now, you hear?"

"Yes, sir," AJ replied earnestly.

"I'm the one that's supposed to call you sir now, right Admiral AJ?" Harm joked.

"Oh, yah. I forgot," AJ grinned back.

The small family followed their visitor to the door. Harm waved goodbye as Harriet closed the door behind him.

"AJ invited him to join his Navy so he could be a commander still," Bud said to explain the question he'd seen on Harriet's face when she heard Harm's parting comment to little AJ.

She stroked Jimmy's cheek as he settled back to sleep in his father's arms and smiled at thought of AJ offering his godfather rank in his imaginary Navy. "That's too sweet. Did you ask about the colonel?" Bud had told her about Mac's comment earlier that week, and Harriet was just as concerned as he was about it.

"I'd take all of the money you've collected from the pool and give it to charity if I were you," he cringed as he thought about Harm's reaction when he'd relayed the comment to him.

"Things are that bad?"

"Seems that way."

"Any details?" she had to ask as she followed Bud up the stairs. AJ stomped his way up the staircase ahead of them and was waiting at the entrance to Jimmy's room by the time his parents had reached the top of the stairs.

"None. You'll have to try the girl talk angle with Colonel MacKenzie when you're back from maternity leave if you want details because I'm getting the impression that she's the one shouldering more responsibility for how things have ended up between them."

Harriet leaned against the door frame as Bud leaned down to let AJ kiss his little brother before he set the infant down in his crib. Despite what Bud had just told her, she couldn't help but be the eternal optimist as she looked at her little family and thought about how blessed she was. "Maybe things will still work out for them. We can just keep praying and hope that with time they can reconcile their differences."

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Written October 14-16, 2003