Disclaimer: I don't own JAG and I don't own anything worth suing for... unless of course you want my kids. Have you ever read, "The Ransom of Red Chief"?

This was supposed to be one chapter and we're done, but I guess it's back by popular demand. This is going to have to be the end of it though because I just don't have time to finish this properly. If someone else wants to run with it, feel free.

I apologize for the massive delay. Real life caught up with me in spades. Remember I said I didn't have time for a long story? I don't have enough time for a short one either. I tried to get this ready so I didn't have to agonize over it anymore. It is now 2:01 am so I'm sure there are typo's. I ran a spell-check but that doesn't cover everything. My fault and I apologize.

Thank you for your reviews - I wasn't sure if this was going to fly, but apparently it did very well. Yes, I know how big a collie gets. We just lost our Golden Retriever/Chow mix so I know all about large and fuzzy dogs. We are the proud new owners of 2 collie puppies, but we can't pick them up until July 22nd. As for the apartment, I figure Mac runs pretty much daily and once the puppy gets big enough they can go out together.

1800 Local

Georgetown, Virginia

Harm approached Mac's apartment with mixed degrees of delight and trepidation. The look on her face when he had told her the pup was hers was worth the dressing down he had received while Mac was out of the office. Fortunately, the General was in a forgiving mood and had let him off rather easily. The worst of it had been as he was headed out the door when the General commented, "AJ told me to watch our for you two." Harm was afraid to question the meaning of that statement too deeply.

He set down the bag of dog food and knocked. He wasn't surprised when the door opened almost immediately. They'd barely had a chance to talk that afternoon and he was sure she had some words for him. Whether they were good or bad, well, that was the real question.

Mac let him into the house, still trying to figure out what to say to him. One part of her brain was furious with him for the embarrassment in front of the General. The other part was madly in love with the puppy and thrilled that he had gone out on a limb like that to make her happy. Maybe there was hope for them yet.

"Good Lord, Harm, what did you do? Rob PetsMart?" In addition to a medium sized bag of Eukanuba puppy food, Harm was carrying a couple of huge bags.

He grinned. "Not quite. I stopped by Applebee's and picked up something for dinner and this is just a few things to get you going. The plan was for you to take this stuff with you earlier but the General kind of killed that idea." He began unloading the bag onto her kitchen table. Mac watched as the pile on her table grew to massive proportions. A food bowl. A water bowl. A collar and leash. A handful of squeak toys. Two balls. Dog chews. A small dog bed. Brushes and combs. A book with the obnoxious title, Puppies for Dummies.

"Dummies?" Mac pointed to the book She couldn't help herself.

"Hell, Mac. It's been decades since I had anything to do with a puppy and I'm sure it's been equally long for you.."

A sad look crossed her face. "I've never had a puppy. The couple of dogs we had when I was growing up were strays that wandered in. They never lasted too long though. They'd get underfoot when my dad was in a rage and he'd toss them out. And Jingo was old when I got him."

She always managed to surprise him. As much as Harm thought he knew about her childhood, even after almost 10 years, there was always something new to learn. Damn Joseph and Deanna Mackenzie for not letting Mac have a normal childhood. "Puppies are a different breed than a grown dog. Especially Jingo. He was trained to be obedient. This little girl is going to give you fits for a while. I picked a Collie for a couple of reasons. They are incredibly intelligent so she should be fairly easy to train. She going to be a big girl, and they are a herding breed so she's going to need a good amount of exercise. You guys can play in the park until she gets a little bigger, then she can go running with you in the mornings. She'll love that. I couldn't picture you with one of those little yappy dogs that are only good for decoration.

Mac smiled and patted Harm on the arm. "Like that little thing Paris Hilton totes around with her all the time? No thanks. I think you made the right choice."

" I really wasn't angling for you to buy me a dog," Mac walked over to stand next to Harm, "but I'm glad you did." She reached over and gave him a short hug. "Why don't we eat while she's sleeping and then we can try to come up with a name for her."

They unloaded the bag of food. He had brought the Shrimp and Spinach bowl for himself and a plate of riblets for Mac, They sat on her couch and ate in silence for a while before Harm remembered. "Oh, I almost forgot," he reached into his pocked and pulled out his wallet. "I picked this up for you, too." He handed her a PetsMart gift card. "Just in case I forgot anything or you can use it to have her groomed. I also talked to Harriet after you left. She said that anytime you need to go TAD you're welcome to leave her with them. Of course, I'm always available too."

A part of Mac wanted to protest that he was doing too much, but over the years, she had learned the hard way that Harm didn't say what he was feeling. He showed you. Maybe it was time she started watching rather than listening. "Thank you. For..." the words just seemed so inadequate considering all he had done for her this year, "everything, And I promise, if we're not gone together you get first option to dog-sit for me."

Harm smiled. It seemed like this was the first thing he'd done right in a long time. It was worth every cent he'd paid. Mac leaned into his side giving him the courage to move to a more sideways position on the couch. He shifted his legs so that she was leaning against his chest. It was encouraging that she wasn't pulling away. They sat together without speaking for almost half an hour before Mac realized they hadn't named the pup.

"What are we going to call her?" she asked.

"Hmm. Harm thought for a minute. With us being military we ought to be able to come up with something fitting. Reville is already taken by that mutt down in Texas (A/N: As a 1988 graduate of Texas A&M, I love Rev dearly, but I can see a graduate of the Naval Academy feeling differently).

After both of them made a few suggestions of regular "dog" names, which just didn't seem to fit, Mac had an idea. "The last movie we saw together was The Lord of the Rings. Why don't we name her Arwen?"

Harm thought about it for a minute. He got up an walked to the other side of the apartment, Mac watching in confusion. "ARRRRRRR Wennnnn," he yelled. He walked back to the couch nodding his head. "It could work. It's not hard to call - sounds good. Do you really like it?"

Mac nodded her head. "I think it's perfect. It's something we both liked and it gives her the majesty she needs. Something better than "Lady", every town has hundreds of them."

Harm smiled and pulled her back into his chest. "So," he asked, feeling the nerves tighten up in his throat, " does this mean we're in this together?"

Mac smiled as she thought about all that could mean. And for once she wasn't scared by it. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Harm smirked as he looked over to where the pup was beginning to wake from her nap. "If she's both of ours, who is going to take her outside?"