FRIDAY, 2 JUNE
1905 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

"Ready to go, Flyboy?" Mac asked as she stuck her head in his office.

Harm glanced up from the paperwork he was going through and gave Mac a warm smile. "Just going over some reports for the Admiral," he said. "Give me about five minutes?"

She entered the office and sat down in the chair in front of his desk, watching him as he intently studied the reports in front of him. As she watched him, her mind began to drift and she wondered what it would be like for him to study her as intently as he was studying his reports. Right there, on his desk. Unconsciously, she licked her lips ...

"Red light, Colonel," Harm teased, having looked up from his work to see the impassioned look in her eyes. How many times had he seen that look in her eyes in the last five days? He hoped he would never stop seeing it. But he had been having a hard enough time forcing himself to concentrate on work this past week without having the object of his desires sitting right in front of him, a sultry, come-hither look in her eyes.

"Red light?" she asked softly, raising an eyebrow at him. What, was he able to read her mind now? Or maybe he was thinking the same thing. "Haven't we moved past the need for traffic signals by now?"

"Not here," he replied, forcing himself to look down at his reports and not at her. "Not with that look in your eyes."

Mac leaned forward in her seat so that she was leaning over his desk, a smile on her face as she saw his hand tighten around the pen he was holding. "And just what is wrong with the look in my eyes?" she whispered.

"Mac ..." he pleaded.

She sat back in her chair and sighed contentedly. She did love to tease him, even if it was at work where they couldn't act on the longing gazes, the soft touches that passed between them all day long. It gave them something to look forward to when they went home at night, when they could finally release all the pent-up passion kept locked inside their hearts throughout the day. "Fine," she retorted, a smile on her face, "I'll behave. Until later."

"Much later," he reminded her as he signed off on the report. "We're babysitting tonight, remember?"

"I remember. But I can look forward to us being alone together after that, can't I?"

"What am I going to do with you?"

"I have a few ideas," she teased.

Harm laughed as he considered what her ideas might entail. Who would have ever thought that beneath the proper Marine lay a passionate, insatiable woman? And why had he waited so long to allow himself to look beneath the surface? He pushed the thought from his mind. They were together now. That was all that mattered. "I look forward to hearing your ideas, Counselor," he teased back.

-----

Out in the bullpen, Carolyn was passing by Harm's open office door when she heard him laugh. She glanced inside the office to see Mac leaning over his desk with a look on her face that Carolyn could only describe as seductive. Hmmm. Maybe they weren't going to need that much of a push towards each other after all. Deep in thought, she wandered over to Harriet's desk, where the younger woman was gathering her things together before calling it a night.

Harriet was about to head over to her husband's office when she saw Carolyn approach. "Did you need something, Commander?" she asked.

"Have you taken a peak inside Commander Rabb's office," Carolyn asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "say within the last few minutes?"

"No," Harriet replied, curious. "Why?"

"Well," Carolyn began, her voice dropping to a whisper, "Mac's in there right now and let's just say that the look I saw her giving Harm would melt ice."

"Really?" Harriet asked calmly, while her eyes betrayed her excitement. "Maybe they don't need that much of a push towards each other," she added, unconsciously echoing Carolyn's earlier thought.

Carolyn was about to respond when Sydney Walden walked up to them. "Good afternoon, Harriet, Carolyn," she said as the two officers jumped back, the look on their faces that of children caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"If you're looking for the Admiral," Harriet said, trying unsuccessfully to cover her embarrassment. "I believe he's still in his office, Dr. Walden."

"I'll just wait for him out here, then," Sydney replied. "I wouldn't want to disturb him while he's working." She looked from one officer to the other and commented, "You two look guilty as hell. I wonder what you two were busy whispering about when I walked in."

Harriet and Carolyn both shrugged. Just then, Harm and Mac walked out of Harm's office, briefcases and covers in hand. They paused by Harriet's desk on their way out.

"We'll see you later, Harriet," Mac said, "say around 1830 hours. Good night, Carolyn, Dr. Walden." The three woman watched as the pair headed for the elevator.

"What's happening tonight?" Carolyn asked Harriet, forgetting for a moment that Sydney was still there.

"Bud and I are going to the movies tonight," Harriet replied with a smile, retrieving her cover from the corner of her desk and setting it on her head. "The Commander and the Colonel are babysitting little AJ."

"Good plan," Carolyn responded thoughtfully. "Give them a little taste of what they're missing."

Syndey laughed as understanding dawned. "You're playing matchmaker," she exclaimed. At the guilty looks that crossed over their faces again, she said, "Don't worry. I think it's a great idea. I may not know everyone all that well yet, but from what I saw a week ago at the ball, those two seem like they would be perfect together."

"You noticed it too?" Harriet asked. Hey, Harriet rationalized in her mind, if someone who was almost a stranger could see it ...

"You know," Sydney said thoughtfully, "AJ and I have been talking about having a barbeque at his place one Saturday soon and inviting everyone from JAG. Could be the perfect opportunity for some more matchmaking."

Harriet and Carolyn looked at each other, identical smiles on their faces. "It couldn't hurt to get them to interact in a more casual setting," Carolyn agreed.

"Agreed," Harriet added. "That was my idea behind tonight's plan. More of the same couldn't hurt."

"Those two will never know what hit them," Syndey said, winking as AJ came out of his office and headed for them.

"Good evening, Commander, Lieutenant," he said as he held out his elbow for Sydney to take. "Are you ready for dinner, Sydney?"

Syndey linked her arm with his. "Definitely," she said, then turned back to the female officers. "Good night, you two. It was nice talking to you again."

"Good night," Harriet and Carolyn both called after the pair as they walked out.

"They make a nice couple, too, don't you think?" Harriet asked.

Carolyn smiled. She could almost see the wheels turning in Harriet's mind. "And they seem to be moving along fine without our help," Carolyn responded.

"True," Harriet admitted as she finally headed for her husband's office, "but it couldn't hurt to let the Admiral know from time to time how highly we all think of Dr. Walden."

Carolyn laughed as she headed out herself. It's a good thing I'm not seeing anyone right now, she thought, else Harriet might start planning my wedding.

-----

2025 ZULU
THE ROBERTS' RESIDENCE
ROSSLYN, VIRGINIA

Bud answered the door and ushered Harm and Mac inside. "Good evening, Commander, Colonel," he began before breaking off at the look on their faces. "Sorry, Harm, Mac ... it's nice of you to baby sit AJ for us."

"Not a problem, Bud," Mac responded. "We're always happy to spend time with our favorite godson." Just then, AJ rushed into the room, throwing himself at Harm and Mac's legs.

"Unca Harm, Aun' Mac," he cried out, excited. "Up."

With a laugh, Harm obliged, scooping the little boy up in his arms. "How's my favorite little sailor?" he asked as Mac leaned over to kiss AJ's cheek.

"Ungy," AJ replied, laughing as Mac tickled him gently.

"Hungry, huh?" Harm replied. "We'll have to see what we can do about that."

"Are you sure you don't mind feeding him?" Harriet asked as she came out of the bedroom. "We usually eat together, but since Bud and I decided to go out to eat after the movie ..."

"Don't worry about it," Mac said, smiling. "Neither of us had time to eat before coming over here, so he can eat with us."

"Good," Harriet answered, relieved. "If anything happens, Bud will have his cell phone with him. Also, the number of AJ's pediatrician is in the book by the phone."

"Relax, Harriet," Mac told the younger woman. "You and Bud go have fun and don't worry about a thing. We've got everything under control, right Harm?"

"Right," he agreed. "Everything will be fine here."

Bud and Harriet paused to kiss their son goodnight before heading out. "Don't hesitate to call us if you need anything," Harriet reiterated.

"We'll be fine," Harm laughed. "Don't worry."

Mac laughed as Harm closed the door behind the Roberts. "You'd think we'd never been alone with our godson before," she commented as she followed Harm into the kitchen.

"I thought it was a mother's job to worry," Harm shot back as he handed AJ to her before rummaging through the cabinets. "Hmmm, how do you feel about spaghetti for dinner?"

"Do I get to have meatballs with that?"

Harm laughed as he opened the freezer. "I think I can manage to make a few," he said, pulling out a package of ground beef, "just for you." He unwrapped the meat and put it in the microwave, setting it to defrost.

"Ooh, you're too good to me," she commented as she wrapped her free arm around his waist, pressing herself to his side. "I love you, squid."

"Love you, too, jarhead," he shot back, capturing her lips for an all too brief moment before reluctantly pulling away so that he could gather the rest of the ingredients for their dinner.

Mac carried AJ out into the living room and settled down on the couch, cuddling him in her arms as her thoughts drifted back the man in the kitchen. "I could get used to this," she whispered. "A good man to take care of me, a family to come home to."

Her thoughts drifted to the day AJ had been born, when she and Harm had stood on the steps outside JAG and had made their deal to go halves on a kid. When he had first made the suggestion, she had been shocked at the absurdity of it. But she had agreed and over the last week, she had found herself thinking a lot about their deal. Wondering what a child of theirs would be like. Imagining all the things they would do together. More and more over the last seven days, she had found herself wanting Harm's child and she didn't want to wait four more years for that day to come either.

Harm came out of the kitchen and gazed longingly at the scene in front of him. Mac looked so content, sitting there snuggling with little AJ. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. "Penny for your thoughts," he said quietly.

"Just thinking," Mac replied, leaning close to him, "about how happy I am."

"Getting sentimental on me again, Colonel?" Harm teased.

"If I am, it's all your fault, Commander," she shot back, her eyes bright. "You make me go all mushy and sentimental."

"I think I like this new sentimental Colonel Mackenzie," he told her. "I hope she decides to stick around."

"You can count on that, Flyboy," she said softly, tilting her face up towards his, "because you're going to be stuck with me for a very long time to come."

"Is that a promise, Sarah?"

"Definitely," she answered as he lowered his lips to hers for an all too brief kiss before they were interrupted by an insistent voice.

"Aun' Mac, Unca Harm, ungy," AJ demanded.

Harm laughed as he pulled away reluctantly. "Sounds like our godson has your stomach," he joked.

"Yeah, and we're both hungry," she retorted. "When are you going to feed us?"

"Well, unless you want to forgo the meatballs," he pointed out, "it's still going to be a while. I can't make the meatballs until the ground beef is finished thawing."

"Then why don't we see if we can find a small snack for AJ in the meantime," Mac suggested. "I don't think we want a fussy baby on our hands."

Harm got up and held out his hand to pull Mac up. He headed back into the kitchen while she got AJ settled into his high chair in the dining room. After a moment, Harm came out with a small bowl of cereal and a spoon, setting them on the tray in front of AJ. He happily dug into the cereal with his fingers, ignoring the spoon.

"Ground beef is almost ready," Harm told her. "After I make the meatballs and put them in the sauce, everything should be ready about half an hour later." He noticed that Mac didn't appear to be listening to him and was instead staring at AJ with a longing gaze in her eyes. "Hey, earth to Sarah," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Hmmm?" she replied, distracted.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"The day AJ was born," she replied, a smile on her face. "That was quite a day, wasn't it?"

"It sure was," he replied, sitting down next to her. Was this going where he thought it was? "Want to talk about it?"

"Remember the deal we made?" she asked, turning her head to look into his eyes.

"How can I forget?" he responded softly. He had been thinking about it a lot since Friday night. "What about it?"

"Well, I was just thinking ..." she trailed off, uncertain about how he was going to feel what she was about to suggest.

"About the time table for our deal?" he finished.

"Sunday, when we were at the park," she began, fiddling with her Marine Corps ring, "I was watching you with AJ right after we arrived and I couldn't help but think about what a wonderful father you are going to make one day. Later, when we were playing with AJ at the sandbox and that lady assumed that we were his parents, I wished that we could have been there with our own child."

"I've been thinking much the same thing," Harm admitted, taking a deep breath. "On Saturday, I was looking at a picture of us at AJ's christening and I was wondering what a child of ours would be like, thinking about the things we would do together. Sarah, I don't want to wait another four years for that day to come." He took her hands in his and squeezed them gently.

"Harm, I don't want to wait either," she said, tears forming in her brown eyes. "I want to have a family with you."

Harm pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. "I want that, too," he whispered against her ear.

AJ reached out and brushed his hand against Mac's wet cheek. Smiling, she pulled away from Harm and took AJ's little hand in hers. "What do you think, AJ? A little one with his looks and my brain," she remarked, a faraway look in her eyes as she imagined the child they would create together.

"Hey," Harm retorted, laughing, "what about one with your looks and my brain?"

"Either way," Mac said, smiling at him, "our child would be very special wouldn't it?"

"Look at us. Barely together a week and we're already planning our children," Harm teased. "What about marriage?"

"Marriage? Is that supposed to be a proposal?" Mac shot back. Mrs. Harmon Rabb, Jr. She could definitely get used to the sound of that.

"Ummm ..." Harm trailed off, uncertain. His mind tried to point out that perhaps things were moving a bit too fast, but his heart was having none of that. After wasting the last four years, how could they possibly move too fast? If anything, his heart argued, they weren't moving fast enough. They had so much to catch up on. "Let's call it a promise of things to come," he suggested.

Mac smiled impishly as she remembered their conversation the day AJ had been born. "Don't make a promise you can't keep," she said.

Harm gave her one of his dazzling flyboy grin as he replied softly, "I haven't yet."

-----

2235 ZULU
ROBERTS' RESIDENCE
ROSSLYN, VIRGINIA

"I think someone's about ready for bed," Harm commented. AJ, sitting in Harm's lap on the couch, was leaning back against his chest, fighting a losing battle to keep his eyes open.

"No," AJ retorted drowsily, his eyelids fluttering closed.

"Oh, yes, I agree with Uncle Harm," Mac said. "Definitely time for bed."

They got up from the couch and Harm carried AJ into his room, Mac trailing behind. He set the baby on the changing table and began undressing him while Mac pulled out a new diaper and a t-shirt for AJ to sleep in.

"You look so comfortable doing that," she pointed out as she watched Harm change AJ's diaper. "You're going to make a wonderful father someday."

"Now you've really lost it, Marine," Harm teased. "You're getting sentimental over diapers now? Is your biological clock going off that loudly?"

Mac swatted him playfully. "Let's just say that I'm finished hitting the snooze button," she replied with a smile. "Within a year, I would like us to be expecting a baby, our baby."

"A year, huh?" he mused as he carried AJ over to the crib. "I think we can manage that. But are you sure you can wait that long?"

"When did you have in mind? Now?" she teased quietly as she leaned over the crib, wistfully watching AJ sleep.

"Not right this moment," he replied as he led her back into the living room. "But I was kind of thinking of maybe a six-month timetable."

Harm was continually surprising her, Mac mused to herself. A few months ago, he had been hesitant to express his feeling to her and it had nearly cost them everything. Now he was jumping into this full steam ahead. Was he trying too hard to make up for lost time? she wondered. Hesitant, she voiced the thoughts aloud.

"I wouldn't put it quite like that," he said, settling back onto the couch and pulling her into his lap. "But have you thought about where we might be today if we'd had the courage to speak up sooner? In a way, maybe I do want to make up for lost time. But I love you so much and now that I can finally say it, I just want so much to be with you, to build a life together, to build a family together. I love you, Sarah Mackenzie and it hurts to imagine the darkness that was my life before I opened up and let you in."

"Now who's turning sentimental?" she teased, then added seriously, "I love you so much, too, Harmon Rabb, Jr. I think that what you just said is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"Get used to it," he told her. "Because I intend on telling you those things for the rest of our lives."

-----

0245 ZULU
ROBERTS' RESIDENCE
ROSSLYN, VIRGINIA

"Bud, next time I get the bright idea to go to the movies while pregnant," Harriet complained as her husband ushered her into their apartment, "please remind me that theater seats were not built with pregnant women in mind."

"Yes, Harriet," he sighed. He refrained from reminding her why she had wanted to go to the movies in the first place. He was startled by a soft gasp from his wife.

"Oh, Bud, look," Harriet exclaimed softly as she indicated the couch, where Mac was still curled up in Harm's lap, both of them sound asleep.

Bud's mouth dropped open in surprise as he took in the sight of their superior officers wrapped in each others' arms. Maybe Harriet was right, he mused.

Sensing their presence, Mac stirred in Harm's embrace, blinking her eyes, blushing as she realized just where she was. "Harm, Bud and Harriet are home," she whispered, nudging him gently in the ribs as she extricated herself from his arms and stood.

"How was the movie?" Mac asked as Harm came fully awake. They noted the shocked look on Bud's face and the delighted one on Harriet's and realized that this scene was probably going to be all over JAG come Monday morning.

At a stern look from his wife, Bud managed to close his mouth and mumbled, "Fine, just fine."

"AJ's been asleep for a couple hours," Harm told them. "I think it's time for us to get going."

"Yes, definitely," Mac agreed quickly. Definitely time for a retreat. "It was really great spending this time with AJ, but it's late and we really should go."

"Thank you for staying with AJ," Harriet said, a little too brightly, her voice betraying her excitement. Forget Monday, Mac thought, Harriet was probably going to call everyone she knew first thing tomorrow. So much for keeping things quiet for a while.

"It was our pleasure," Harm assured them as he ushered Mac to the door. "We'll see you both later."

"Bye," Harriet told them as she saw them out the door, closing it behind them.

As they walked out, Mac turned to Harm, "I know we haven't talked about it yet, but we probably should start thinking of what to say to the Admiral."

"And we've got two days in which to do it," Harm added.

-----

To be continued…