Sorry this is late, had one of those 60 hour work weeks. Hope y'all are still enjoying the story and thank you for the wonderful reviews. Makes it all worthwhile.

Part 18

Harm's Apartment North of Union Station 1843 Local

Harm waited until Mac had removed her coat and cover before leveling a glare at her, "What do you mean, you're going to North Carolina?"

Mac took a deep breath. Her hopes of easing into this conversation gradually had died when an irate Chegwidden had called her and Harm into his office and arbitrarily handed most of her cases over to the Commander. He'd then abruptly dismissed Harm so he could continue a 'little discussion with his Chief of Staff'. Fifteen minutes later, she'd made it back to her office with her face red, her temper in shreds and her ears ringing. Sitting down at her desk, she'd found a post-it note attached to her computer screen that said, 'We need to talk. My place after work. - H'. Mac had rested her head in her hands for a few moments, resisting the urge to scream. She'd known he was right - it was the not-talking that had nearly ruined their relationship on more than one occasion. However, knowing that didn't make it any easier.

Squaring her shoulders, Mac walked up to the island counter, "Kate asked me to accompany her to Lejeune. We need to check the files on those old murders and see if we can put any of our suspects there. It's not that big a deal, Harm."

He folded his arms, "If it's not that big a deal, she can do it alone. You don't need to be down there."

She mimicked his pose, "Kate's the lead in this investigation, she could also send me down there by myself but she's not. Look, the last three murders have been in DC. It stands to reason that we'll actually be safer in North Carolina, we'll be further away from this nut."

"Dammit, you don't know that!" Harm's voice rose in exasperation, "It's too dangerous. Did you forget that this guy's watching you? You think he won't get nervous when you and Kate start digging around down there? What the hell are you two planning to do about back-up?"

"Oh I don't know, Harm, if the State Troopers, local police and base MPs aren't enough, there's always the 2nd Marine Division." Mac's sarcasm level rose along with her temper. "Godammit, this son of a bitch has killed five men that we know of and we are nowhere in our investigation. You hear me? Nowhere! We've got suppositions and theories coming out our ears and not one damn bit of evidence. At this point, I would go to the moon if I thought it would help. So don't you dare stand there and tell me where I can or can't go!"

"Dare? Oh that's rich. When was the last time you listened to anything I said? Oh no, not you - not 'Ms.-I'm-A-Marine-I-Can-Handle-It'. Didn't Paraguay teach you anything?!"

Mac glared at him for a long moment. "More than you can imagine," she ground out. Turning, she snatched up her things and marched out the door, slamming it hard enough that Harm inadvertently checked the ceiling for falling plaster. Staring at the still-quivering front door, he smacked a fist onto the counter and swore.

He stayed that way for several minutes, taking deep calming breaths. Damn, he hated fighting with her, especially when it was brought on by worry. Well, he knew what he had to do. Heading for the door, he grabbed a jacket and his keys, Yanking it open, he started out and stopped in surprise. Mac was standing on the other side with her hand raised to knock. They stared at each other until the silence began to feel awkward and then Harm moved to the side, wordlessly inviting her in.

"Harm..."

"Mac..."

They both spoke at the same time and then stopped. Harm gestured towards her coat and tilted his head towards the couch. She handed over her things and sat down. He put everything up, then walked back to the couch and settled next to her. Both opened their mouths at the same time and then Mac put a hand out, resting her fingertips lightly on his forearm, "Me first, please?" Harm sighed and nodded.

She leaned forward a little, resting her elbows on her knees and studying the floor, "I'm sorry about losing my temper that way." She raked a hand through her hair, "After you left the Admiral's office this afternoon, he had a number of things to say to me." She rubbed ruefully at her ear, "All of them, loudly. I was already frustrated because of this case, then Chegwidden unloads on me and then I get here and you're mad. I just snapped. I'm sorry, I know you're more worried than anything else. I shouldn't have gotten nasty about it."

Harm reached over and put his hand on hers, "You probably wouldn't have if I hadn't been such a jerk about it. I know better." He looked down, "And I'm sorry about that crack about Paraguay. That was my temper taking over my brain." He gave her a hopeful look, "Forgive me?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Always." She scooted a little closer and he wrapped an arm around her as they both relaxed against the cushions. Harm shifted so she could lean against him and wrapped his other arm around her as well. He kissed the top of her head and then rested his chin, "So you'll be extremely careful down there, won't you?" She nodded and he kissed the top of her head again, "And you'll call me constantly?" She nodded again and he thought he heard a faint chuckle. He planted another kiss, "And if danger does rear its ugly head, you will throw Kate at it as a diversionary tactic and run like hell in the other direction?"

This time Mac laughed out loud and squirmed around until she was facing him. She gave him a look of mock indignation, "Harmon Rabb, Jr! I am a Marine. You know we're 'First to Fight'."

He leaned in and kissed her nose, "I thought it was 'First to Flee'." He moved to her lips and planted another soft kiss, "So I was off by a couple of letters... big deal."

Mac closed her eyes and sighed as he deepened the kiss, "Yeah... big deal..."

Next Day JAG Headquarters Falls Church, VA 0836 Local

"Admiral?"

Hearing Coates over his intercom, AJ sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Yes?"

"Sir, Gunny Walters is here. He was hoping for a few minutes of your time."

Gunny? Chegwidden stared at the intercom for a moment, "Send him in." He didn't have a tremendous amount of day-to-day contact with the man although he respected and admired him. Walters was a damn fine Marine and AJ had learned through experience that he was a good man to have in your corner. He rubbed his neck. Dollars to donuts, this had something to do with Mac. She'd left a message this morning letting him know that she and that NCIS agent Todd would be on a 0400 transport out of Andrews. Chegwidden scowled slightly. He'd jumped on her with both feet the other day, annoyed beyond measure that yet another agency was borrowing her. She'd taken his diatribe silently although the clenched jaw told him she was feeling more angry than apologetic about abandoning her post to assist in some outside investigation. Damnation, she was getting as big a head as Rabb, thinking that no one else could properly handle an investigation unless she was along. He could feel himself getting angry again just thinking about it. Where the hell was her loyalty?

The door opened just then and Gunny Walters marched in, coming to attention three feet in front of the desk, his eyes fixed on a spot eighteen inches above the Admiral's head, "Sir! Thank you for seeing me."

AJ folded his hands, swallowing his anger. It wouldn't be fair to take it out on the Gunny, "At ease, Dubby, what's on your mind?"

Walters shifted into parade rest, "Sir, I noticed that Colonel MacKenzie hasn't signed in this morning." He stopped there, it would never do to come right out and ask about a superior officer's whereabouts. Officially, it wasn't any of his business. Usually though, Sarah would casually mention any trips she was taking. It had become somewhat of a ritual for them, especially after Paraguay. She hadn't said anything to him on that occasion, no doubt because of security, and look what had happened. Intellectually, they both knew that breaking the ritual had had absolutely no effect on that misguided disaster but Sarah had made it a point afterwards to let him know about each and every trip - until today.

Chegwidden leaned back in his chair, unable to decide if he was amused or annoyed, "That's because she's on her way to Camp Lejeune with Agent Todd of NCIS." He eyed the Gunnery Sergeant, "I suppose you're aware of the investigation?"

"Yes sir!" Walters' expression remained impassive.

"And?" AJ made a 'come-on' gesture with his hand.

Gunny shifted ever so slightly, "Sir... " He straightened up, "Sir, I think I could be of some assistance to the Colonel. I grew up in the area, I know the Southern mindset."

"This isn't a JAG investigation despite Colonel MacKenzie's participation. It would be up to NCIS to allow you to take part." AJ rocked forward again, resting his forearms and studying the Gunnery Sergeant, "What's going on, Dubby?"

Walters stared silently at the Admiral. Finally, he sighed, "I'm not sure, sir. Something about this case is making me... twitchy. Like having a sniper targeting the base. Your gut is telling you he's there but you can't find him. I'd feel a lot better, sir, if I was watching the Colonel's back on this."

AJ bit back his first automatic response about Mac being a fully capable Marine officer. Just because he was irked at his Chief of Staff didn't mean he wanted anything to happen to her. Anything else, he amended. This had been a horrendous year. He rubbed his jaw while he studied his desktop and then finally looked up, "You've been working pretty hard, Gunny. I would think some leave is in order. You've got a fair amount on the books?"

"Yes sir," Gunny grinned, "You know I haven't been deep-sea fishing in years. I've heard the marlin fishing off Cape Lookout is always good. I think I'll give it a try."

Hearing a rap on his door, Harm looked up as he called 'Enter' and was surprised to see Gunny Walters standing there. He put down the file he was reading and gestured towards a chair, "Gunny, have a seat. What can I do for you?"

Walters walked in and perched on the edge of the chair, his back ramrod straight, "Sir, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be taking some leave time, starting today. Thought I'd do some fishing."

"Okay. Well, have a good time," Harm leaned back in his chair, looking somewhat confused.

"Yes sir, I plan to. I thought I'd head to the Outer Banks, try some deep-sea fishing. I was wondering if you might be able to recommend a hotel?"

Harm's surprise turned into a grin, "As a matter of fact, Gunny, I believe I can." He scribbled out the information on a memo pad and handed it over, "You'll keep in touch and let me know how you're doing?"

Walters stood up, "Yes sir."

NCIS Washington, D.C.
1026 Local

Jethro Gibbs was a decidedly unhappy man. He had walked out of the hospital this morning against medical advice but with unspoken and wholehearted support of the nursing staff. Now he was standing in the middle of the bullpen, his shoulder throbbing, and no one was there. Where the hell had everyone gone? Scowling, he started to stomp towards his desk and then had to moderate his pace for his shoulder. It did nothing to improve his temper.

He was halfway to his desk when the elevators opened and Ducky stepped out. The Doctor stopped in surprise and then shook his head. He walked over to Gibbs, "Jethro, what are you doing out of the hospital? Never mind, don't answer that. How are you feeling?"

"Wonderful." His eyes swept the office again, "Where is everyone, Ducky?"

"Working, of course. Abby's in the lab. Tony and McGee are in Norfolk. An Ensign Barker was found drifting in the harbor. He'd been on leave and bar-hopping with his friends. They split up when he decided to go back to the ship. Obviously, he never arrived. Right now, it looks like a mugging gone bad. The autopsy didn't show any discrepancies."

Gibbs nodded, "Where's Kate?"

Mallard hesitated for a moment, aware that he was about to fan an already-burning fuse, "She and Colonel MacKenzie are in North Carolina. They've narrowed down their suspect list, so they're re-interviewing old witnesses. It should only take a day or so."

"I see," Gibbs' eyes narrowed as he began to scowl, "Was there some reason she couldn't have had the local NCIS office handle that?"

"You mean other than the fact that she didn't want to wait until sometime next month for answers? You know how busy everyone is, Jethro. Doubtless her request to investigate cold cases would have been given a very low priority." Ducky folded his arms and waited for Gibbs to concede the point.

Frustrated, Gibbs threw out a hand, "Fine. So she did have to go down there. When did she leave?"

"Early this morning on a military transport to Lejeune. I imagine they're almost to their hotel by now. They're staying in More-something... Moreland... "

"Morehead City?"

"Yes, that's it," Ducky raised an eyebrow, "You've heard of it?"

Gibbs gave the Doctor a look, "Yes, I've heard of it. I've been to Lejeune before. Morehead's about an hour away. Did she say when she planned to check in?"

"No, but I would think it would be sometime this afternoon. You might want to check with Abby. I believe Kate was going to let her know if they turned up any pertinent information... You're welcome, Jethro." Ducky looked at Gibbs' retreating back in exasperation and shook his head. Life at NCIS was going to be a bit more tense until Gibbs found that bloody terrorist - and he would. Mallard had absolutely no doubts about that. They just had to survive the process and Ducky fervently hoped that the same would not be said about the terrorist.

Gibbs strode into the lab and then stopped. Abby was at her computer, talking rapidly into her headset. Judging from her intensity, something was going on. Quietly, he worked his way behind her so he could see without getting in the way. Watching numbers and symbols flashing across the screen didn't tell him a damn thing. Frustrated, he attempted to fold his arms and winced. Resisting the urge to lash out at something, he leaned back against the wall and waited.

Highway 24 between Jacksonville and Morehead City, NC 1056 Local

Mac stifled a yawn. She'd gotten home from Harm's at 2230 and discovered a message from Kate on her machine. The NCIS agent had wrangled a couple of seats on a military transport. Unfortunately, it was leaving Andrews at 0400. As a result, she'd only managed about 4 hours of sleep. Mac glanced over at the passenger seat where Kate was leafing through the files they'd picked up from the local NCIS office. Agent Nevers had been polite and pleasant and they both got the feeling that the sooner they got out of his hair, the happier he'd be. His initial enthusiasm at their appearance had been dampened when he realized they were pursuing cold cases. Apparently, he'd been hoping for reinforcements. His office, like most of the military, had become extremely busy. "Anything in there that we didn't know?"

Kate sighed, closing the files, "Not yet." She looked out the window, "How far are we from Atlantic Beach?"

"Another twenty-some miles or so." Mac pointed to a sign, "We're just coming into Swansboro. Do you want to drive down the island or stay on the mainland?"

"Island." Kate grinned, "I want to look at the ocean."

Mac rolled her eyes, "You're worse than a little kid. It's not like you can't see the ocean from Maryland and Virginia."

"This is different. These are the Outer Banks, the Graveyard of the Atlantic. This area was Blackbeard's old stomping grounds. Did you know they found his ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, not far from here a couple of years ago?"

Mac chuckled, "You're beginning to sound like a travelogue. Planning a new career?" She made the turn to take them over the bridge and onto Bogue Island.

"Hey, I like history," Kate pretended to get huffy and then forgot about it as they reached the top of the bridge, "Wow, what a view!"

"I'll say." Mac nodded in agreement and then pointed towards a large yacht making its way slowly up the Sound while being passed by a couple of jetskis, "That must be the Intercoastal Waterway. It runs up by Lejeune, too." They drove onto the island and headed down the main thoroughfare, looking at the beachhouses on both sides and laughing at some of the more imaginative names. Their favorite was the cottage with the Emerald Isle town water tower in its backyard. The owners had named it 'What Tower?'.

Mac glanced at a sign that said 'Welcome to Salter Path'. They had already driven through Emerald Isle and Indian Beach. She looked over at Kate, "I never really thought about an island having so many little towns. How much further to Atlantic Beach?"

Kate squinted out the window, taking in the gnarled live oak trees while she called up the map in her head. Her memory for details bordered on the phenomenal. "About ten miles or so, we still have to go through Pine Knoll Shores." She gave Mac a sideways look, "There's an aquarium there that's supposed to be pretty good. Did you know the entire island is a sea turtle sanctuary?" She grinned smugly when Mac rolled her eyes and got back to business. "We'll turn left on Hwy. 58. The lounge where Sgt. Davis was killed is on the left a couple of blocks down." They had decided beforehand to check the scenes of the killings first to get a feel for the area. After that, they would meet with the Atlantic Beach police and then check with the Carteret County Coroner's office. After that, it would come down to canvassing the locals and showing photos of their four suspects.

After a long discussion, Kate had made the decision to exclude Michelle Elbert's picture. She was reluctant at first, feeling that Louise Trescott's information, no matter what her motives, put Elbert squarely back on their suspect list. It had been the first inkling that Mike's childhood had been less than idyllic. Mac had been of the opinion that it would be, at best, counter-productive; at worst, a potential nightmare. Mike was a very visible politician in her home district and Mac's contention was that having Elbert's face in the mix would be tantamount to putting the Congresswoman on trial. Their investigation would turn into a very public debate and the other suspects would get lost in the hoopla. Kate had finally agreed. However, while she had no wish to turn the Congresswoman's life into a circus, she also had no intention of letting the woman skate by with less than a thorough investigation.