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Episode: Lifeline

- Admiral Chegwidden's house

Colonel Mackenzie moved her fingers just a tiny bit and they brushed almost imperceptibly against Commander Rabb's. If Rabb was answering the gesture it wasn't visible.

Loren stopped her half-hearted clapping for Harriet Sims and looked into her drink. Oh-oh, there they were going again. Was she really the only one who had noticed all these long, longing, obvious, silent glances and little gestures over the past months? Yes, it was her job to look closer but - had really no one else noticed? Unbelievable!

Well, maybe everybody at JAG considered them too much as friends - and had chosen to ignore them. As they had chosen to ignore this long and, at least for two people in the room, embarrassing absence of the said couple until a few minutes ago. Renee Peterson's and Mic Brumby's thoughts had been written pretty well all over their faces. These two really had to be rather stupid or entirely in love - both things known to make you blind to reality.

Loren snorted a little and took a sip of her champagne. God only knew how this was supposed to end. She couldn't help it but suddenly a little vision popped into her head...

Brumby and Mackenzie in front of the altar, the priest asking the dangerous question ending with '... shall step forward or be silent forever...', silence then a cry - everybody turns in shock, watching Rabb rushing forward through the aisle...

Loren glared into her glass. Well, considering the characters of the people involved that scenario was highly unlikely. Most probably the wedding would take place as planned with a happy groom and a less happy bride, a happy girl-friend and a less happy but silent Navy-Commander. Time to get some cake.

She got successfully rid of her empty glass and pushed into the crowd around the cake. She didn't know if she should despise or pity Rabb and Mackenzie. Two adult people shouldn't behave so ... so ... juvenile! On the other hand - didn't she know best that sometimes circumstances were all against doing the right thing? That you could become trapped in a situation with suddenly no way out any more?

Standing alone in a corner she attacked her piece of cake violently with the spoon. No, she really had no right to play judge. She was asking so much of Richard and he was so willingly trying to understand, to accept. Sometimes she was hurting just from the thought of his arm around her shoulder, his whisper in her ear... God, how she hoped he would wait just a little bit longer. A little bit was all that was necessary.

Her eyes swept around Admiral Chegwidden's living-room. Almost all the JAG staff was gathered here but it was one missing person that had her interest. Westland certainly wasn't in party spirit these days. Not after the Norfolk-Captain had been arrested the day before yesterday. It was a calculated risk but knowing where and what to search for Naval Intelligence had been able to dig up enough dirt to arrest the man without jeopardizing her cover.

Loren shoved some cake into her mouth and chewed without tasting it. Everything had gone so amazingly ... smooth. All right there had been difficulties and improvisation and sleepless nights... Especially during this rocking and shacking head over heels operation in the Persian Gulf. Some days Webb had darted in and out of JAG headquarters at head-spinning pace, trying desperately to get the job done without compromising everything and everyone including her. Leading a sensitive covert operation against terrorists, fully aware that any move could be sold out because of an innocent remark of those unaware of the leak... And with Foxhound around at JAG just at that time too... Even in retrospect she started sweating.

But well, who knew, maybe the turmoil had been good for something in the end. That way Rabb and Mackenzie hadn't been around and she had actually gotten Foxhound's case with Imes as prosecutor. The rest - getting him kicked out of the Navy and at the same time introducing him to Westland - had been easy.

Loren swallowed another piece of cake. She had actually liked working with Foxhound. Martin was fun in briefings and besides that he had a fantastic intuition, was a class actor and a professional through and through without being cynical. And it looked like she owed him big time. He had made such good progress that Webb had finally announced it was time to pull the plug.

The Captain in Norfolk had been the first step. In a few weeks it would be Westland's turn and after that - she was going home. Home. Home to Richard, her family, her friends... And she wouldn't miss JAG one bit. Where everyone was acting more or less weird. She still tried to figure out Chegwidden's reaction to seeing her in a dress and with her hair down. Her outfit hadn't been that different from the Surface Warfare Ball, why had he been so surprised? Probably a special Singer-effect.

Singer. She she wouldn't miss either. No definitely not! She was tired of being the arrogant Rabb-hunting bitch, tired of being ignored, misunderstood and treated ... like she deserved to be treated because of her behavior. But even knowing that it hurt sometimes.

Episode: Adrift 1+2, New Gun in Town

- JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, Virginia

"If you like to talk about it, Ma'am, I'm here for you!" Loren called at Mackenzie's retreating back. She more felt than saw Westland sneaking up to her side.

"Good morning, Ma'am. It looks like you're on quite friendly terms with the Colonel at the moment. What was this about?"

Loren gave him a cold once-over. "That's none of your business." She turned away and spoke over her shoulder. "And for the rest: It can only be helpful to my career to be on good terms with the top female lawyer of JAG. You have to look after yourself."

She felt his gaze right between her shoulder blades as she walked away. Following the plan she had cooled down the contact after the arrest of the Norfolk-Captain. He had been Singer's backdoor to a career improvement and with him gone she would - due to her character - step back until she was offered something new. And that was exactly the idea. If there was another name Westland had kept from her all the time - now was the moment to bring it up. Hopefully there would be nothing. It would only prolong the mission. But until now Westland hadn't made a move. They needed the clearance. So all she could do was keeping up the pressure - even if it meant to turn the knife in Sarah Mackenzie's wounded heart.

Loren sighed softly. She wondered who of them had ended it. Her bet was Brumby. The man had had the patience of an angel but after all that had happened? Maybe things would have been different if Rabb had died but his famous luck had saved him one more time. Oh, she was glad he'd survived because JAG would have been a strange place without him being around. She didn't like the man that much but that didn't mean she wished him dead. She was also sure that Brumby too didn't want him dead but he had no reason for friendly feelings either. Seeing your fiancée grieving over another man like Mackenzie had done... It had to be an eye-opening experience. If it had been the final straw or something else had happened ... she'd probably never know.

But for her it wasn't a big surprise that the wedding was off permanently. She had known there wouldn't be one right after word of Commander Rabb's crash had reached the people at the rehearsal dinner. She had known it the instant she had talked to Mackenzie.

She pinched the bridge of her nose for a second. Well, there she had really put her foot in her mouth, hadn't she? It would be nice to think first and talk afterwards in the future and not the other way round! She had truly intended to give the woman some reassuring words - Mackenzie had really looked crushed by the news. And before she had been able to stop herself she had said that fatal sentence about having a good reason for coming back because now he had someone waiting for him.

God - Mackenzie had looked like she had stabbed her.

Secrets. Secrets and lies. Damn it, the complicated attraction between Rabb and Mackenzie had been so obvious to her, for a second she had simply forgotten that it wasn't the same for the rest. That it especially wasn't supposed to be so obvious for the rest. Talking like that to a woman at her rehearsal dinner. What was more - Singer talking like that to a woman at her rehearsal dinner? Ouch.

Just a heartbeat she had considered telling Mackenzie the truth. That she had seen the interaction, that she had figured out what was going on. Maybe even telling her to come along and straighten things out no matter how the evening was going to end. But something like that from a person like Singer?! Ouch!

So she had rescued herself into looking meaningfully at Renee Peterson ... and hurting Mackenzie even more. OUCH! Could please somebody kick her? Even if the woman had deserved it a tiny bit for playing around with the feelings of other people...

Loren looked up as Colonel Mackenzie emerged from Admiral Chegwidden's office. She stood a little too far away to hear every word of her conversation with Gunnery Sergeant Galindez but enough to draw her own conclusions. So the Colonel was running away, no matter what she was telling herself. Coincidence - one day before Rabb was due to return to work? Who was fool enough to believe that?

Shaking her head Loren turned on her heels and headed for the kitchen and a cup of coffee. She had somewhat hoped that now, with the Commander safe and sound, these two would grow up and fix things between them one way or the other. Maybe that had been expecting too much. The big question was much how longer Renee Peterson would be willing to deal with this situation.