Renee opened her mouth, ready with a sharp retort, until Mac's calmly spoken words registered in her mind. She closed her mouth, uncharacteristically stunned into silence. That had not been the answer she'd been expecting. Chloe thought she looked like a fish gasping for breath and was forced to turn her head towards the wall, struggling to keep the giggles from erupting. Mac probably wouldn't appreciate the humor of the situation right now, not with Harm still fighting for his life. She did allow herself a smile at the thought that Harm was now her brother-in-law.

Clamping down on her lower lip, she turned back around, surveying the scene. Most of the expressions were variations on a theme – shock, confusion. Mic and Renee, of course, were bristling with barely-concealed anger, in addition to everything else. She wondered how long it would be before Mic realized that all the time he'd been searching for his fiancée, she'd been on the carrier with Harm. Under other circumstances, she'd love to see the aftermath of that little revelation.

There were two exceptions – three if she counted the chaplain, who she assumed had officiated at the wedding and who probably had no idea what he'd just walked into the middle of. A.J. was one. He was hard to read; she couldn't tell what he was thinking. For all the emotion he showed on his face, someone may as well have just announced the sky was blue.

Sarah was the other exception. She exhibited absolutely no surprise, like A.J.. But unlike him, she had a faint smile on her face, although Chloe couldn't decide if it was because she was happy with the news or because she was trying to calm little AJ, who was clutching the edge of Harm's leather jacket, half covering his face with it. She was leaning towards him, murmuring softly something Chloe couldn't quite make out. After a moment, AJ released the edge of the jacket, leaning against Mac's chest as Sarah reached out and rubbed his tummy.

Mac glanced down at the toddler in her lap, sharing a look with Sarah as AJ's eyes started to drift closed. In just a few brief moments, she'd seen what it was about his grandmother that Harm loved so much and she allowed herself a brief moment to imagine Sarah as great-grandmother to her child. A ghost of a smile tugged at her mouth at the thought of the family she'd always wanted, a family with Harm.

Renee finally found her voice, her tone low and trembling with anger. "There is no way you can be his wife," she insisted. "That's impossible." She spun towards Mic, who had not spoken since he'd entered the room. "Come on. Say something."

"Of course, it's not true," Mic said, his voice not quite calm. "It doesn't make any sense. She probably just arrived at the hospital first and they assumed she was Harm's wife or maybe she told them that because it was the only way the hospital would give her any information. Hospitals can be strict about giving out information on patients to non-family members."

"So you're saying that Mac is lying?" Chloe cut in. She couldn't keep quiet, not with that kind of accusation. And this was coming from a man who claimed to love Mac and to want to marry her?

"No, of course not," Mic quickly backpedaled, realizing how that sounded. "I understand she's upset about her …. best friend nearly dying and she can't stand not knowing what's going on, so she probably did let the hospital believe that she is family. But look at this logically. When would this have happened? Rabb's been on the carrier all day…." His voice trailed off as realization struck and his tone took on a hard edge. "When the Admiral came out and announced that Rabb had been pulled from the water, he said that you had already been told that Rabb was safe. But it wasn't just a coincidence that you happened to ring up the Admiral right at the same time that he received word from the carrier?"

"No, it wasn't," Mac confirmed, uttering her first words since her stunning announcement. Her voice still gave no hint of the turmoil surrounding her. "As soon as Captain Ingles called me, I drove to Norfolk and took a helo to the carrier in the morning after the weather cleared. We got married on the carrier by the chaplain that afternoon."

"I don't know about Rabb," Mic protested, going with instinct and fighting back against the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, the one that insisted that every word she said was true, "but you're Catholic and you don't just get married just like that. There's planning and preparations and classes to go through."

"I know that," Mac countered, a bit of the frustration at the last five months of her life bubbling to the surface. "If there's nothing else I've learned during the last five months, it's that. You know what? It's about time I did something that I wanted instead of just going along for the ride in my own life. I wanted a small wedding, not a huge production to rival Charles and Di."

Mic was stunned into silence at hearing her discontent vocalized and thrown in his face. He'd been doing it for her. Why couldn't she see that?

Sarah, recognizing the storm brewing in Mic's eyes, decided that it was time to step in before things got even further out of hand. Right in front of her was the perfect opportunity to deflect attention. "Mac, I think AJ here needs a diaper change," she said quietly. "Why don't you ask Harriet for his diaper bag? I assume you've changed a diaper before."

Distracted, she hadn't even realized that AJ did smell like he needed a fresh diaper. She flashed a grateful half-smile at Sarah, realizing what the other woman was trying to do. "Harriet, where's AJ's bag?" she asked, standing and settling her godson on her hip. "He needs a diaper change."

Harriet was about to suggest that she take him, then thought better of it when she caught Sarah almost imperceptibly shaking her head out of the corner of her eye. Understanding the unspoken message, she bent down to pick up the diaper bag and handed it to Mac without comment. She knew that if things were allowed to continue much long, they would explode. Mic didn't care about anything the fact that he'd lost Mac, and he was exhibiting a clear unwillingness to let her go; while Mac was too tired to think about what she was saying – definitely a recipe for an explosion. And God only knew how Renee would figure into it, especially since Harm was in no condition for her to lash out at.

Mac nodded her thanks and slung the bag over her shoulder, nearly walking into the rest of the JAG crew as they arrived. Mac accepted quick hugs from Jackie and Carolyn, a comforting pat on the shoulder from Alan and a slightly stilted 'Good to see you, Colonel' from Loren before escaping the room.

Renee watched the scene at the door, silently fuming. The rest of them weren't even aware, as far as she knew, of the latest developments, yet they were acting like Mac was the one they needed to comfort, not Harm's long-time girlfriend. She remembered her conversation with Mic about being outsiders. She'd been around long enough that she shouldn't have to shoulder her way into her boyfriend's life.

Mic was fuming as well, but for a slightly different reason. He connected the dots between Mac's sudden departure from the room and her whispered discussion with Harm's grandmother immediately before that. Now, not only did he have to worry about Rabb's interference in his relationship with Mac, but also with that of his grandmother. Making a decision to wrest back control of the situation, he turned to follow Mac out, only to discover his path blocked by a quick-moving A.J., who had anticipated Mic's actions and gotten up to block him. Mic frown, his learned respect for superior officers forcing down his first thought of simply pushing past A.J..

A.J. was counting on exactly that respect to avoid a physical confrontation, figuring that his years in the military would be the only thing holding Mic back. That gave A.J. the upper hand. "Brumby," he said, his voice low so that only Mic could hear, but with enough of an edge that Mic should realize this was not a request, "everyone is here because they are worried about Commander Rabb. That is the only thing that these people are thinking about and you will not distract them with issues which can and will be dealt with later. If you have a problem with that, I have no problem with you leaving. You will not upset anyone further, especially the Commander's family."

Mic read between the lines. He was not to upset Mac. That was what A.J. was telling him. His fiancée had just run off and married another man, on the day that they were supposed to get married, and he was supposed to just sit on his hands and accept the situation? He started to speak, but A.J. crossed his arms over his chest, his expression hardening. Mic was a boxer and could stand up to just about anyone, but the look reminded him that A.J. was a SEAL. If Mic really was an enemy, A.J. could probably kill him without even blinking and before anyone realized what was happening.

Although his stance didn't really change, Mic not being one who gave up easily, A.J. recognized the temporary look of defeat in Mic's eyes. He would back down for now, but A.J. wasn't foolish enough to believe it was anything but temporary. He hoped that by the time Mic decided to press the issue again, Mac would be in the frame of mind to deal with it on her own. "Find an empty spot and sit down," A.J. ordered. Reluctantly, Mic complied, although A.J. was not happy with the spot he chose – on the floor next to the couch Mac had just vacated. He opted not to cause a scene, but would keep an eye on the situation.

That situation diffused for now, A.J. decided it was time for a little reconnaissance. His gaze meeting Gilly's, he nodded towards the door. He didn't think anything would happen if he stepped out. There were several people, starting with Bud and Harriet, who would be like pit bulls to protect Mac. Mic and Renee wouldn't be going anywhere – not without a guard, anyway. Gilly nodded and followed A.J. out of the room, waiting until the door was closed behind them to speak. "Sir?" he began, recognizing in A.J. the air of someone in command despite the lack of a uniform. "What is going on here?"

A.J. chuckled ruefully. "That would be a very good question …. Father?" The final word was a question, the Chaplain's Corps insignia on his collar only indicating that Gilly was a Christian minister.

Gilly nodded, holding out his hand. "Father Patrick Gilly, chaplain aboard the Henry," he introduced himself.

"Admiral A.J. Chegwidden," A.J. returned, shaking Gilly's hand. "Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie's commanding officer. As for what is going on, I've been watching those two together for almost five years and even I'm not sure I can completely answer that."

"I noticed that the most common reaction when Sarah made her announcement was shock," Gilly said, trying to work things out in his mind. "That surprises me when Harm and Sarah both said that they were already planning to get married."

A.J. nearly laughed at that. Over the years, many people, himself included, at learned the hard way that heaven help anyone or anything that got in Harm and Mac's way when they wanted something. Finally, after all the years of dancing around each other, drifting in and out of reach, what they'd decided they wanted was each other. It did not surprise him that they would be evasive with a priest if it would get them what they wanted. Anyway, if Mac had still been wearing her engagement ring from Mic when she arrived on the carrier, it might have been a logical assumption on Gilly's part, one they just went along with. "I see you've been run over by the Dynamic Duo," he remarked dryly.

At Gilly's puzzled look, he explained, "That's what a lot of people who've met them in the course of their duties have nicknamed them. Batman and Robin. Together in the courtroom, they're a force of nature. They've never been beaten. Well, there was that case they won, but there was no punishment awarded to the Colonel they were prosecuting and another case where their client wasn't really at fault, but a plea bargain was made mostly for reasons of political expediency. Opposing each other, well, let's just say that it's interesting and you never really can be sure of the outcome. As a commanding officer, I couldn't ask for two better officers working for me."

"I sense a 'but' in there, Admiral," Gilly remarked.

"Very perceptive, Father," he replied, starting to walk down the hall, Gilly following. A.J. was silent for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts on the last five years. But that wasn't something that could be condensed into a few phrases. He'd witnessed most of it, but even he couldn't say that he understood the entire situation. "The best I can say to even begin to explain it is that sometimes brilliance in one area doesn't necessarily carry over into others."

"Meaning Harm and Sarah's personal lives?" he guessed. A.J. nodded confirmation. "But that's one thing that struck me when I was talking to them before the wedding. They seemed so certain. I just assumed that they were in such a rush because they'd almost lost each other and were afraid to wait any longer."

"That is true to a certain extent," A.J. said. "They did almost lose each other, but that happened before the crash." He hesitated. They were getting into murky waters here, waters A.J. had been wading into far too much over the last twenty-four hours. But Harm and Mac were going to need all the friends they could get and who better to have on their side than a priest, especially if what he suspected was right and there ended up being legal and spiritual issues involved in their hasty marriage. "I don't know what happened, but something did which brought them back to each other literally within hours before the crash."

"And how do Mr. Brumby and Ms. Peterson fit into this?" Gilly asked. "When I met them at the elevator, they said Ms. Peterson's boyfriend had been brought here after an accident. It's not that hard to connect the dots and assume they were referring to Harm. But beyond that, Admiral, frankly this doesn't make any sense."

"Let's say that Mr. Brumby and Ms. Peterson are the exes who weren't aware of the fact that they were," A.J. suggested, sensing that Gilly could draw the right conclusions from that.

Gilly's eyes went wide as he fully realized what A.J. was saying and combined that with what little he did know already. "I'd already assumed that Mr. Brumby was connected to Sarah somehow," he said slowly, still grappling with the truth. "I just couldn't figure out how. It wasn't Harm she was engaged to; it was Mr. Brumby."

A.J. nodded, but felt compelled to explain further. "Apparently," he said, "and I do have to say that this is all secondhand information, Comm …. Harm and Mac were able to work things out between them. But the crash happened before things could be, um, settled with Brumby and Ms. Peterson."

Gilly stopped in front of a large window, silently digesting this information, trying to figure out what it all meant. He lifted his eyes heavenward, murmuring, "Lord, what have I done?"

A.J. was about to say something when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned, finding Mac a few feet away, little AJ dozing against her shoulder, her expression hesitant. "Colonel," he greeted her. Gilly turned and looked at her, his expression neutral.

"Admiral, Father," she said, shifting the toddler in her arms, although whether it was to find a more comfortable position or out of nervousness, neither man was sure. She couldn't hear what they'd been discussing, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that they'd probably been talking about her. "Um …." She glanced down, unsure what to say. By now, Gilly had either been told or started to figure things out. Even though she barely knew him, she felt an overwhelming sense that she'd disappointed him. That she'd disappointed A.J., of that fact she had no doubt. "I know this is hard to understand, but even I don't understand a lot of what's happened between Harm and me the last two years …." She shrugged helpless as she trailed off.

"Since Harm left JAG," A.J. said, a statement rather than a question.

"He needed closure on his that part of his life," she said quietly, taking up position in front of the window and staring out into the blackness. "I understand that now. But it hurt so much when it seemed like he was choosing flying over …. everything else. It's not his fault. I could have been supportive. I could have kept in touch. I could have welcomed him back with open arms. There are so many things I could have done, like listening when he said he needed more time. Instead, I did something that ended up being a huge mistake just to spite him –" She stopped suddenly as she realized what she'd just said. She hadn't even been able to admit that to herself, let alone to anyone else, that she'd initially taken Mic's ring because of Harm, just as she'd finally agreed to the proposal for a similar reason.

"Is that what this is about?" A.J. asked, carefully gauging her response. "Fixing the last two years?"

"Is that what you think, Sir?" she demanded, whirling around to face him. Little AJ stirred in her arms, but didn't awaken. "I love Harm." She looked a little stunned at the words coming out of her own mouth, but soldiered on. It did feel good to say it out loud, to not have to hide from it. "I love that man more than I've ever loved anyone in my life. He's the one I want to grow old with, surrounded by our family …. Sir."

Although Gilly was surprised, A.J. silently cheered at the vehemence of her response. Mac was passionate in her beliefs – she was well-matched with Harm in that – and A.J. now realized that passion was something that had been lacking from her in the last couple of years, especially when it came to the man she'd been planning to marry. She'd seemed to be drifting through her relationship with Mic. For the first time in a long while, he saw a flash of the old Mac.

Gilly's expression softened. No matter what else he thought about this mess that he found himself caught in the middle of, he was convinced that she was telling the truth. He prided himself on his ability to read people and he sensed no covering up. In fact, he wondered if this wasn't actually truth being uncovered, if she wasn't just being able to admit the truth for herself.

"Mac …." A.J. began in a gentle tone. She stared at him, a bit surprised. He sounded so accepting. He almost chuckled, thinking that she was probably remembering his first admonition to the two of them. That almost seemed like a lifetime ago. "You do realize that there will be questions, and things to deal with …."

"I know that, Sir," she interrupted, not really surprised when the expected rebuke didn't come as she began to realize that A.J. was trying to put aside his role as commanding officer to be a friend. Her voice barely trembled as she continued, "But I can't concentrate on any of that now. You didn't see him, Sir. I've never seen him like that. He …." Gilly stepped up to her and put his arm around her shoulder. She accepted the embrace, but didn't return it, struggling to maintain control. She rested her cheek against the top of little AJ's head, closing her eyes. "I can't think about any of that until I can be sure that my husband is going to survive."

A.J. nodded. There would be plenty of time to deal with everything else later. He'd tried all night to believe that Harm would come through this like he'd come through everything else, with a swagger and a cocky grin, but Mac stopped him short. Beneath the apparently collected and calm façade, he could see that she was terrified, perhaps more than she'd been in her life. Just how bad had things been aboard the Henry? he wondered. Was it really that close?

Too exhausted to deal with it anymore, Mac looked down at the child sleeping peacefully despite the turmoil, kissing the top of his head. "Sir, I probably should get him back to his mother," she said, reluctance evident in her voice.

A.J. recognized it and suggested, "Why don't Father Gilly and I take him back to the waiting room? You can join us when you're ready."

She nodded, grateful for the chance he was offering her, and passed A.J. the diaper bag before transferring little AJ from her arms to his. Under other circumstances, Mac might have had cause to smile at the image of her tough as nails CO cradling in his arms the boy he'd delivered two years earlier. "I'll …." she began, reaching out to stroke her godson's hair, "I'll be back as soon as I can. I hope it won't be too much longer before the surgery is over."

A.J. watched her wander off, her shoulders slumping. He prayed for her sake and for Harm's that everything would finally work out. He turned back to find Gilly watching him. "They've got a tough road ahead of them," A.J. commented, at a loss as to what else to say.

"I'm not sure that even begins to describe it," Gilly replied. "I don't know how much you know about marriage in the Catholic Church."

"I'm Catholic," A.J. said, "and I got married in the Church. That was over thirty years ago, but I think I remember enough to know where you're going with this."

"The Church is somewhat strict," Gilly explained, "and understandably so since marriage is considered one of the seven sacraments, about enforcing the rules under which a couple may get married in the Church. Marriage is supposed to be a lifetime commitment, not entered into hastily. And both parties should be free from other …. encumbrances. The Church doesn't uphold the plight troth as it used to, but I think questions can't help but be raised under the circumstances about whether or not Harm and Sarah should have entered into a marriage with each other."

"But of course," A.J. said somewhat sarcastically, "the Church wouldn't have minded blessing a marriage between Mic Brumby and Mac just because they went through some Church-sanctioned classes and just because Mac had managed to convince everyone, maybe even herself, that marrying him was the right thing to do?" He shook his head. Although he was a life-long Catholic and couldn't imagine himself as anything different, sometimes he had to wonder about some of the Church's policies. "How is that right?"

All Gilly could do was shrug. He didn't really have an answer for that one, but looking at it from a perspective outside of that as a priest sworn to uphold the sacraments, he could see A.J.'s point. Marriage was supposed to be sacred, but how could it be considered so under those circumstances? But that didn't make the current situation any more correct.

"Father, let me ask you something," A.J. said. "If there were no Mic Brumby, no Renee Peterson – under the circumstances, would you have any doubts whatsoever that you had performed a wedding ceremony for two people who loved each other?"

"You really believe in the two of them," Gilly remarked, a bit surprised. Although it was his job to be close to people, to be involved in their lives to a certain extent, it wasn't what could be called the norm for most commanding officers.

"Father, if there is nothing else I am sure of in this entire situation," A.J. replied with conviction, "it is that those two people love each other like …. I can't describe it. We could stand here all night and we wouldn't even begin to cover a fraction of what they've been through together. You should think about that. Regardless of the rules and regulations – and have no doubt that I have my own to worry about in this situation – doesn't love like that deserve to be supported and upheld?"

-----

With each sweep of the second hand around the clock hanging on the wall, Mic was growing more frustrated. Right after A.J. and Gilly had left the room, the questions had started, which led to the situation being explained – what could be explained, that is – to those who had walked in after the denouement. He thought Chloe took entirely too much pleasure in announcing Harm and Mac's marriage. He could also feel the tension in the room and feel everyone trying not to look at him. Harm's family had ended up huddled together, talking about what he didn't want to know.

Renee grew tired of feeling just as ignored and settled onto the couch where Mac had recently been sitting, leaning over the arm to talk to Mic. "So now what?" she asked quietly, still mindful of the presence of the others in the room, especially Harm's family. Right now, the last thing she needed was to alienate them with a display of histrionics. "This is a little bit worse than Harm and Mac simply having an affair."

Mic looked up at her. "You've got a gift for bloody understatement, Renee," he said, just as quietly. "My fiancée just married another man."

"I'd have to say that she isn't your fiancée anymore," she retorted, sorry as soon as she saw the flash of pain in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Mic, but she's married to Harm now."

"So are you just willing to accept this?" he asked.

"I don't want to," she admitted, "but right now I don't know what else to do. It's not like I can go ask Harm if he really meant it."

"Maybe that's it," he speculated. "What if Sarah just felt sorry for him and that's why she …." The words stuck in his throat. He couldn't say. That would be tantamount to admitting that it was true, that there wasn't anything he could do.

"So what does that say about Harm?" she demanded, fighting back tears. Just how many more tears can I shed over this man? she wondered. "That he would ask her to marry him, I mean?"

"What if …." he began, considering. "Rabb's got a head injury. Possibly a life-threatening one," Renee blanched at that, but he continued, warming up to his theory, "if the speed with which they rushed him here is any indication. How do we now that he was even thinking clearly? Maybe he confused the two of you."

Renee snorted at the thought. He must really have been far out of it to make that kind of mistake. "And do you really believe that?" she asked.

"Renee," he said, trying to be comforting, "what I do know is that this marriage can't possibly be valid. They didn't have a marriage license. There were no blood tests. And I don't really think the Catholic Church is going to look kindly on the fact that they were misled. They ask a lot of questions and if they aren't satisfied, there is no wedding. There's no way they could have answered those questions truthfully."

"Okay, okay," she said, cutting him off with a wave of her hand, not entirely convinced that he wasn't in some kind of fantasy world where he would have what he wanted if he just believe it. If the world worked like that, she and Harm would already be married. "So what if this is true and someone decrees that the marriage isn't valid? What then? Do you think Mac is just going to accept that and come back to you with open arms?"

"She loves me," he insisted, looking down at the floor as he said it. "Until all this happened, Sarah was going to marry me yesterday."

"I thought about asking you this earlier during our conversation in the car, but I didn't," Renee began, reaching down and putting her hand on his arm. He looked up at her, remembering the conversation she was talking about, sure that he knew what was coming and equally sure that he did not want to hear it. If Renee noticed his expression, she chose to ignore it. "Has Mac ever told you that she loves you? And I don't mean in vague terms that could mean anything, like 'I want you in my life'. Has she said those three words 'I love you'?"

A long moment of silence stretched between them before Mic softly admitted, "No. She never said the words. She would always say something like 'me, too' when I would say them to her."

Renee wasn't sure whether to swear or cry at his response, even if something deep inside of her had been expecting it. She squeezed his arm, silently conveying the message that she understood his pain and shared it. "Do you think they've said it to each other?" she wondered, the question known to both of them to be strictly rhetorical. It was the one question that neither was sure they could bear the answer to.

-----

To be continued….