FRIDAY, 18 AUGUST
1510 ZULU
UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

"Are you okay?" Harm asked as he parked his SUV in a lot just down the street from the chapel.

"I'm fine," Mac insisted. "Just as I was fine the last ten times you asked. Harm, I've just been sitting in a car for the last hour, not running a marathon. Don't worry about me. I'm getting better every day and I do go back to work on Monday."

Harm looked down at his hands gripping the steering wheel, unsure what to say. How could he explain something he didn't completely understand himself? He'd always looked out for Mac, as she had always looked out for him, but this was so much different. He'd never cared this much about anyone before and it scared him.

Mac was silent for a moment, waiting for him to reply. When he didn't, she continued, "Obsessing over my well-being isn't going to turn back the clock and undo what happened. And that's what you've been doing ever since I got out of the hospital on Monday. Every time you look at my wound, every time I have to stop and catch my breath, I see that look in your eyes - the one that says you can't stop thinking about what happened. You can't watch over me twenty-four hours a day, every day. Harm, I don't want to become another one of your obsessions."

"I'm sorry," he said softly, shrugging. "I just don't know ... how to get past this."

She cupped his chin in her hand and turned his head to face her. "I don't have all the answers either," she said firmly. "But shutting each other out isn't the answer. I thought we would have learned that, if nothing else, from what happened on the ferry. Anyway, we have survived so much together. We can get past this too, but neither of us can do it alone."

Harm gave her a wan smile. "I know," he said. "I just wish it were as easy as it sounds."

"Me, too," Mac agreed, quickly brushing her lips against his. "Now, since we're early and you did say something about getting lunch down here, how about it? I'm starving."

Harm had to chuckle a little at that. It was comforting the way some things never changed. "The O Club is on the other side of the parking lot," he said. "How does that sound?"

"It will sound better once I have food in front of me," she replied.

-----

After a leisurely lunch at the Officers' Club, they still had time to kill before their thirteen hundred appointment, so Mac insisted Harm give her the grand tour of the campus.

"Are you sure you're up for it?" he asked. "I don't want you to over do it." At the stern look Mac shot him, he shrugged and added, "I know, I'm hovering again. Promise you'll tell me if you need to take a break."

"Promise," she said, smiling. "Now, come on. I want to see everything and don't forget to include the stories of all the trouble you got into while here."

Harm raised his eyebrows and grinned at her, a 'Who, me?' look in his eyes, while he made a mental note to find out what Keeter might have told her about their college days during the two days they had spent in the Iranian desert.

Pushing the thought aside, he launched into his role as tour guide. "Over there, just past the lot where we parked," he said, pointing to a large field to their right, "is Worden Field, the Academy parade grounds. Midshipmen are graded on their performance in parades and drill work and based on those marks, the Color Company is chosen."

"I assume most, if not all of these buildings are named after Naval heroes," Mac said.

"Of course," Harm replied. "In this case, Rear Admiral Worden was commander of the USS Monitor."

"The Monitor and the Merrimack," Mac murmured.

"You know your history," he commented.

"So do you," she returned. "What, do they teach you the history of the Academy and all its buildings and who they're named after?"

"Of course," he said, joking. "Naval History 101. It's amazing when you think of all the famous people who walked these grounds - Leahy, Halsey, Nimitz."

"Tell me this," Mac asked, "is there a single building on this campus named after a Marine?"

"At the Naval Academy?" he teased.

"Which Marines attend," she retorted. "Does that mean no?"

"Actually, there is one building named after a Marine," he told her. "Lejeune Hall is named after ..."

"General John A. Lejeune," Mac continued, interrupting, "the first Marine to command an Army division."

"Very good," he said. "He graduated from the Academy in the 1880s, I believe. Lejeune Hall is the phys ed center and also houses the Athletic Hall of Fame."

As they walked towards the bay, Harm didn't comment on several buildings on their left. Mac figured they would get back to them, as she was almost positive one of them was the chapel. He pointed out Lejeune Hall on their left as they passed it. They then turned to the left once they reached the bay and walked along the water front.

"It's so beautiful here," Mac commented, rubbing her arms.

"Cold?" Harm asked.

"I know it's August," Mac said, nodding, "but there is a bit of a chill in the air here. But it feels good."

"That's the wind coming off the bay," he told her. "It can get quite windy here. It's nice during the summer to ward off the heat, but can be very uncomfortable during the winter."

"You've never really talked a lot about your life at the Academy," Mac said. "Aside from the little you told me in Iran about going UA, that is."

"I don't know why," Harm said. "I loved it here, but I think I was so focused on becoming a Naval officer, on following in my father's footsteps, that it wasn't often that I stopped and allowed myself to enjoy life here. Maybe that's why it all got to me and I began doubting myself and I went UA. Anyway, you've never talked much about your college days either."

"Probably because I was still picking up the pieces of my life after drying out," she pointed out, stopping to lean against the barrier along the waterfront as she stared out over the bay. "I think I kind of cut myself off from everyone and just about everything. I was so determined to get my act together, to join the Corps, to prove to myself that I was worth something. I was very lonely during college. I didn't really have a lot of friends, not like you did with Keeter and Diane."

"Thank you," Harm said, coming over to stand next to her.

Mac turned to look at him, a puzzled look on her face. "For what?" she asked.

"For helping me get past her death," he said quietly. "Thanks to you, it doesn't feel like a knife in my gut every time I hear her name. Your friendship helped me get past the pain of her death and that allowed me to fall in even more in love with you than I already was. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there for me."

Mac felt the tears stinging her eyes. Once, it had hurt to think of the woman who had her face who had held Harm's heart for so long, but not anymore. "That's what friends are for," she said simply, reaching over to clasp his hand in hers.

"Not just friends, not anymore," he said, resisting the urge to ignore the uniforms they both wore and to take her in his arms.

"I don't think you could ever quantify what is between us as 'just friends,' even back in the beginning," she pointed out.

"True, but our friendship was the foundation for everything that came later," Harm said, smiling at her.

"You know," she said, "I can't imagine anything better than having fallen in love with my best friend."

After a few moments standing by the water in companionable silence, discreetly holding hands, they continued their walking tour of the 'Yard,' while Harm continued with his narration of the history of the campus and buildings, adding several anecdotes from his life at the Academy.

"I knew you had to have pulled some pranks at the Academy," Mac teased, trying hard not to laugh, after he explained how, on a dare from Keeter, he had snuck out of Bancroft Hall, the Academy dorm, one night and decorated the statue of the Indian chief Tecumseh - which stood at the entrance to T-court, the dormitory's courtyard - with shaving cream.

"Keeter thought I needed to lighten up a little bit," Harm justified.

"Did they figure out who did it?"

"Nah, got away clean," he said proudly. "It wasn't the first or last time the statue got bathed in shaving cream. I think they expect something to happen to the statue at least once a term."

Finally, Mac saw the Officers' club and the parking lot where they had parked off to their right and in front of them the three buildings Harm had bypassed earlier. "On the right is the Administration building," Harm said, "where the Superintendent and Academic Dean have their offices. On the left here is the super's house."

"Very nice," Mac said idly, staring at the building directly in front of them. "Is that ... ?"

Harm took a deep breath. He'd seen the building every day for the four years he'd been at the Academy, but this time was different. This time he was seeing it through the eyes of a man planning to marry his love there. "Yes," he replied, "that's the chapel, the Cathedral of the Navy."

"It looks very beautiful from the outside," Mac said softly. "Can we go inside?"

A bit nervously, Harm took her arm and led her up the steps to the chapel door. They paused just outside the open door, not quite ready to go in. "I can't believe how nervous I am," Mac said in awe. "We're really getting married here, aren't we?"

"I know what you mean," Harm agreed. "Ready to go inside?"

At Mac's nod, he led her inside, stopping at the rear of the chapel. Mac turned slowly, staring at the huge chapel in awe. "It's beautiful," she whispered, mindful of the people scattered in the pews, praying. "I didn't realize how big it is."

"I think it holds 2500 or something like that," Harm commented.

"Twenty-five ...?" Mac asked, incredulous. "Good thing we're not expected to fill this place."

"So what's the verdict, counselor?" he asked, sitting down and gesturing for her to join him. "Want to get married here?"

"It's perfect," she said softly. "I'm glad Frank made me think of it. He's the one who first mentioned that your parents got married here."

"We'll both have to thank him," he said, no longer surprised at what Frank would do for him.

"Excuse me," a voice beside them said. Harm and Mac both turned to see an older gentleman in summer whites, captain's stripes and chaplain corps insignia on his shoulder boards, standing at the end of the pew. "Do you need any assistance?"

"We've got a meeting in ..." Harm began.

"Twelve minutes," Mac cut in as Harm went to look at his watch.

"To discuss getting married here," he finished.

"Commander Rabb, Colonel Mackenzie? I'm Captain Duncan, the command chaplain here," the chaplain said, holding out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Harm then Mac shook the offered hand and the chaplain sat down in the pew in front of them, turning to the side to face them. "It's good to meet you, too, Captain," Harm said, idly playing with the Marine Corps ring on Mac's right hand. "So what exactly happens at this meeting?"

"We just discuss what you want for your wedding, things like that," Duncan said. "Nothing earth shattering, so you can both relax."

Both Harm and Mac laughed a little at that. "Sorry," Mac said, "I think it's just hitting us that we're really doing this. It's been a long time coming."

"Too long, if you ask our family and friends," Harm added.

"Why don't we go back to my office and see if Mary's there yet?" the chaplain suggested. "When I checked a few minutes ago, she hadn't returned from lunch yet."

The three officers stood and Harm and Mac followed the chaplain back to his office. He gestured for them to take a seat while he took his chair behind his desk. They made small talk for a few minutes until there was a knock on the office door.

"Enter," the chaplain called out.

"Sorry I'm late, Reverend Duncan," the woman said as she entered the room. "I had a phone call about another wedding just as I returned from lunch." She turned to Harm and Mac, extending her hand. "Commander Rabb, Colonel Mackenzie, I'm Mary," she introduced herself as they shook hands. "We spoke on the phone a few days ago."

"It's nice to meet you," Mac said. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Harm nervously before asking, "So what now?"

"First, let's discuss the date," Duncan suggested. "Mary told you that we have an opening the morning of 30 September. The start time for the ceremony is up to you, but you should keep in mind that there is a home football game that day at noon, so there will be a lot of traffic around the Yard leading up to game time and after the game."

"I'm not sure," Mac said. "I guess it doesn't really matter what time the ceremony starts. We've been thinking about spending the night before up here anyway, so that we don't have to rush to get here in the morning. How long would the service take?"

"Well, since you said you wanted non-denominational, it would just be the wedding ceremony itself, instead of a full-blown church service," Duncan said. "Depending on how many readings are done, if you say your own vows to each other, that kind of thing, I'd say about forty-five minutes for the ceremony itself, give or take. Then, of course, there's the arch of swords, getting everyone over to the reception location and the reception itself."

"It might be best to keep the reception on campus," Harm said to Mac. "Then we don't have to fight the traffic arriving for the game."

Mary handed him a large envelope she had brought in with her. "Here's the information I told you about on possible reception sites," she said. "If you'd like to hold it on campus, you would coordinate it through the Officers' Club, no matter which location you'd like to use."

"What is available on campus?" Mac asked.

"Aside from the O Club, there's the Alumni Hall, the Alumni House - which is actually just outside the Yard, the Crown Sailing Center is good if you're looking for something small and intimate, or the Boat House on College Creek has nice waterfront balconies," Mary told them. "The most popular site is the O Club, mostly because it is just two buildings away from the chapel. The club can accommodate up to 200 guests."

Mac leaned closer to Harm and said quietly, "If we start at ten hundred, the ceremony would run to ten forty-five. That would leave us fifteen minutes to do the arch and get everyone over to the O Club, assuming we can hold the reception there. I'd say then a minimum of three hours at the reception before we leave. That takes us up to fourteen hundred hours. That should give us a chance to get out of here before the game ends, so everyone can avoid most of the traffic. A place that accommodates 200 should be big enough for what we want."

Harm nodded then turned to the chaplain and asked, "How does ten hundred sound? That should give us enough time to work around the game traffic, yet it's not so early that everyone has to drag themselves out of bed to get ready."

"Okay, ten hundred it is," the chaplain said as he wrote it down on a notepad. "We also need to discuss the format you want for the ceremony, specific personal touches you want to add and things like that."

-----

"Are you okay?" Harm asked as he and Mac stepped out of the chapel and stood on the front steps. "You were very quiet through the last part of that meeting when it was just us and Captain Duncan."

Mac smiled wanly and shrugged, "Sorry. I knew part of this was supposed to be a counseling session, but it still bothers me to talk about some of this, especially with outsiders. Hell, I couldn't even face telling you about Chris until it was too late and I'm closer to you than anyone. But here I had to discuss my disaster of a marriage with a complete stranger."

"Well, I suppose as someone who unites people in marriage," Harm said, "it's the chaplain's duty to make sure that the people involved know what it will take to make the marriage last. And that includes discussing mistakes made in previous marriages."

"I guess," Mac replied, "but I would have rather just said the entire marriage was a mistake that never should have happened and left it at that. Instead, I have to get into specifics about why it ended." She broke off and laughed a little. "I'm the one who doesn't want to talk about it, yet here I am going on about it."

"Why don't we get out of here?" Harm suggested. "We can go home, relax and I'll make you dinner later."

"Make me dinner, huh?" Mac mused. "No meatless meatloaf, though."

"Are you doggin' ...?"

Mac smiled as she jabbed a finger in his chest, teasing, "I think I want a prenup. You are forbidden from making Harm's special meatless meatloaf at any time during our marriage. Violation of that clause will bring about dire consequences."

"Dire consequences?" he repeated. "And what would those be?"

"Push it and you'll find out," she promised, a gleam in her eyes. She started down the steps, then turned back to him, a serious look on her face. "We're really doing this, aren't we?"

"Getting married?" he asked. "Yes, we are - six weeks from tomorrow."

She stepped back towards him and, disregarding military protocol, wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight Startled, it took Harm a moment to recover, but then he returned the embrace, trying to ignore the looks they drew from several passersby.

Mac pulled away and laughed nervously. "Sorry about that," she said. "I'm just overwhelmed. I can't believe this is finally happening. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Sarah."

-----

To be continued…