Disclaimer: None of the JAG characters are mine, they belong ot Donald Bellisario and CBS and whatnot.

Thanks to everyone who's reading and thanks for the reviews! Glad you guys are liking the story. This chapter deals entirely with what's going on back at JAG Headquarters in the US. And it's all set the day/evening before Mac & Vukovic escape (about 17 - 18 hours prior to be exact) so I hope the jumping back in time doesn't confuse anyone. Again, read, review, and enjoy! I might not get a chance to update this or anything else until Thursday night (crazy parents wanting me to do silly things like chores during spring break oP), but Thursday afternoon I'll be back at my apartment so I'll be able to work on all my stories.

Previous Day

JAG Headquarters

2100 ZULU

Commander Turner, Lieutenant Commander Roberts and Petty Officer Coates stood at attention in the JAG office, eyeing General Cresswell warily. He'd called them into his office a few minutes before but so far hadn't said a word. Instead he stared out the window at the snow, his thoughts thousands of miles away. The office door had been closed at his orders when they'd first reported and since then he'd seemed to forget about their presence.

Bud and Sturgis exchanged glances before both glanced over at Jen. She shrugged slightly; despite being the General's yeoman she had no more of an idea about the summons than they did. Discretely Sturgis coughed, trying to get the General's attention without being insubordinate. Cresswell smiled faintly though no one could see, he'd wondered how long it would be before they got tired of waiting. But then the reason he'd called them in came back to him and the smile fled. Heaving a heavy sigh he turned around, his expression reflecting his deep concern, "Please be seated."

The trio exchanged glances again, this didn't look good. Slowly they all took seats in front of the General's desk, their eyes reflecting their own mounting concern. Bud asked quietly, "What's the problem, General?"

Cresswell looked down at his desk for a moment then paced around the desk. Leaning against the front of his desk he studied his two officers and yeoman for a long moment, debating exactly how to phrase his news. Finally he started, his voice heavy, "I called you in here because out of the members of this office you are closest to Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie."

Jen gasped softly and Cresswell glanced at her, his gaze sympathetic. Sturgis spoke quickly, his own quarrels with Mac and Harm momentarily forgotten, "What's wrong with Mac and Harm?"

Cresswell hesitated for a brief moment before he continued, his voice soft, "Commander Rabb, Colonel MacKenzie and Lieutenant Vukovic are all missing."

They stared at him in stunned silence, having difficulty processing what he had just said. After a long moment Sturgis spoke again, a quick glance at Jen assuring him she'd be unable to speak for some time and Bud was too stunned to do so, "Missing where, sir?"

"Iraq."

"I thought Mac and Vukovic were on a carrier? And Harm was supposed to be in Florida?"

"Commander Rabb was diverted, sent out to help the Colonel and Lieutenant with a case involving an F-14 pilot."

"So what were they doing on shore?"

Cresswell sighed and shook his head, "I don't know."

Jen finally spoke up, her eyed red from suppressed tears, "How long have they been missing?"

"Two days."

"Two days!" Bud queried, shocked. "And they just now told us?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Well they're still looking for them, right?" Sturgis asked anxiously, he'd had his problems with both Mac and Harm, hell was in the middle of a fight with his academy buddy, but he never wanted anything to actually happen to them.

"Yes, the men on the ground are still looking, but no one knows where they've been taken. For all we know they aren't even in the country any more."

They all sat in silence, digesting this knowledge. Silent tears had started streaming down Jen's face and Bud looked on the verge of tears. Even Sturgis looked shell shocked, stunned that his long time friend was MIA, possibly even dead. Cresswell scanned their faces then straightened, "You're all dismissed. Take an early day, go home, I'll make the formal announcement to the rest of the office but I thought you three should know first."

The three rose and came to attention before turning to leave. Bud hesitated at the door then turned back to the general. Cresswell arched an eyebrow curiously at him, motioning for him to speak. Bud paused to collect himself them ask tentatively, "Has anyone told Admiral Chegwidden yet?"

Cresswell blinked, it hadn't even occurred to him to tell the former JAG. He shook his head, "No, I don't believe so."

"May I tell him, sir? He would want to know."

Cresswell nodded, "Yeah, you can tell him. Dismissed, commander."

"Aye, sir," Bud nodded and left, making his way slowly across the bullpen to his office. Shutting the door he sat at his desk for a long moment, staring blankly at the papers piled up in front of him. Slowly he began to get ready to leave, placing files and laptop in his briefcase. He pondered calling Harriet but decided it would worry her too much if he called to tell her he was leaving early, better to wait until he was at home so he could be there for her. Finishing gathering his things Bud grabbed the phone next, hesitating briefly before rapidly punching in the phone number for the retired admiral, wanting to dial before he changed his mind.

After two rings the line connected, "Chegwidden."

"Admiral! It's Bud."

"Hi Bud," AJ paused, "Shouldn't you be at the office?"

"I am at the office, sir."

"Oh," AJ wandered over to his armchair and sat down, absently scratching Dammit behind the ears. He frowned slightly, something was off with Bud's voice, "What's wrong, Commander?"

Bud took a deep breath, "I have some bad news, Admiral."

AJ tensed, gripping the phone tighter, "Tell me."

"Colonel MacKenzie and Commander Rabb are missing in Iraq, sir."

"Oh god," he breathed, falling back into the chair. He didn't know what to think, various fragments of memories flitting across his mind. He'd had his problems with both of them, mostly with Harm, but he thought of the pair as his own children, and now his heart felt ripped out. Finally he managed to speak, "What happened?"

"They uh..." Bud had to pause to take a breath, struggling not to cry, "they were on a carrier investigating a case and had to go to shore for some reason."

"How long?" AJ demanded.

"Two days, sir."

"Well they're still looking for them right!" AJ was practically shouting, going into full admiral mode without conscious thought.

"Yes, sir."

AJ took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, "Thanks for telling me, Bud. You'll keep me informed of any developments?"

"Of course, sir."

AJ nodded though Bud couldn't see him, "Have you told Harriet?"

"I'm going to head home and tell her, sir, I thought I should be there for her, she'll be devastated."

"Good idea, Bud." AJ sighed, "Go home to your wife, Commander, thanks again for informing me."

"Yes, sir. I'll call you as soon as I have any more news."

"Goodbye, Bud."

"Bye, sir." Bud hung up the phone and stared at it for a long moment before picking up his cover and briefcase. Heading out of the office, he closed the door and made his way to the elevator. Behind him the General had just appeared from his office to make the announcement.

Sturgis sat in his office, watching in silence as the General spoke to the staff. He'd closed his office door and so couldn't hear Cresswell's exact words, but he didn't need to. He sighed, his gaze shifting to settle on Harm's office. Sorrowfully he studied the empty room, blinds drawn and light out. His briefcase was already packed and sitting on his desk, cover resting on top of it, but he didn't make a move to leave just yet.

He was having a hard time coming to grips with the news. The last time he'd spoken to Harm it had been to accuse him of murder then a distant goodbye. Always he had just assumed there would be time later to deal with it, that they would have time to discuss things, work it out. He'd figured they would get through it, that they had time to get through it. True, their personalities clashed, but they'd gotten through fights before. Yeah, this one had been a bit more extreme and long lasting but it had never occurred to Sturgis that they wouldn't have the time to salvage their friendship again.

His mind roved over memories of the past few months, of the time he'd served as temporary JAG and the months following. He'd accused Harm of being jealous and he still believed it, but now he wondered if some of the problem really had been his own attitude. Sighing, Sturgis dropped his head into his hands for a moment, suddenly life was turned upside down and he had no idea how to handle it. After a long moment he rose, methodically gathering his belongings and leaving the office. He barely acknowledged or even noticed the rest of the staff, making a beeline for the elevator, lost in thought.

Escaping into the solitude of the elevator Sturgis stared idly at the numbers, absently watching them change. He stepped off the elevator and strode through the front door, placing his cover on his head and returning the salute of the guards. Slipping behind the wheel of his car he sat there for a moment, staring out at the softly falling snow. Shaking his head slightly he turned on the car and left headquarters, heading for home, still unsure of how to handle this.

Jen stood in the hallway for a long moment, staring dully at the door in front of her. It seemed like only yesterday she'd watched Harm exit the apartment, heading off to the office. She couldn't seem to grasp the idea that he was gone. He'd been there for her ever since that Christmas years ago, so steady. Then when he'd gotten custody of Mattie he'd acted so much like a father, or older brother.

And Mac, Mac had always been so kind to her, letting her stay with her despite being a criminal, accepting that she had changed, having faith in her as a legal man, getting her the job at JAG. If Harm was her brother then Mac sometimes seemed to be a sister. It had only been a few weeks before that they'd been down on the beach, talking and laughing together after duty. And suddenly they were both gone, missing somewhere in Iraq and no one knew if they were coming back.

The door began to blur, vaguely Jen wondered why, reaching up to rub her eyes. She felt the tears rolling once more down her cheeks. With a muffled sob she turned to her own apartment door. Fumbling with the lock she finally managed to get it open, slipping inside then slumping against the door. How was she going to tell Mattie? The thought had been haunting her the entire way home. She knew she couldn't not tell Mattie but she had no idea how to break the news, she knew Mattie wouldn't take it very well. Harm meant even more to Mattie than he did to Jen.

She stayed like she way for a few minutes more, struggling to regain control of herself. When she'd manage to get her emotions under control she walked to the phone. Her hand trembled slightly as she picked it up from the cradle, carefully punching in each number. She almost hung up when Mattie's voice sounded on the other end but forced herself to see it through, "Hey Matts."

"Jen? What's wrong? What happened?" Mattie picked up immediately on the thickness of Jen's voice and the hesitation. She was starting to panic; she just knew something was wrong. Then it hit her and she started speaking again before Jen could start, "Oh god, it's Harm isn't it? What happened to Harm? Where is he?"

Finally Jen managed to get a word it, "Mattie, Harm's missing in Iraq."

Mattie sank to the floor, clinging to the phone like a lifeline. Her voice was small, thick with tears, "Why was he in Iraq? I thought he was going to Florida!"

"He got diverted, we don't know what happened. He, Mac, and Vukovic had to go to shore for some reason and disappeared."

"Mac! Mac's missing too?" Mattie started shaking, her entire world suddenly felt as if it were falling to pieces around her ears and she couldn't do a thing to stop it. She didn't really know who this Vukovic was, vaguely she remembered Harm mentioning something about him when they'd talked the previous weekend but she didn't really care right now. All she could think about was that Harm and Mac, two people who had been her friends when she needed them most, were missing.

Jen nodded to herself, struggling to speak through the renewed tears, "Yeah, they've been missing for two days."

"Two days? Are they still alive? They're still alive right, Jen?" Mattie was sobbing, starting to freak out even more.

"I don't know, Matts, I wish I did."

"I'm coming to DC."

"I… you… you don't need to do that."

"I'll have my dad drive me, can I… can I stay with you, Jen?" Mattie asked tentatively, suddenly terrified that she'd be turned away.

"Yeah, of course you can."

Mattie sniffled, rubbing away tears as best she could, "I'll pack my bag and have dad drive me in tonight, k?"

"Sure, I'll see you soon."

"They're going to be ok, Jen," Mattie stated with as much confidence as she could muster. She added in a voice barely above a whisper, "They have to be."

Jen nodded again, answering just as quietly, "I hope you're right," then hung up the phone. She stared at the phone for a long time, still crying quietly. A small part of her mind told her that Mattie really shouldn't be coming in town; that it wouldn't do any good, but the larger portion was glad that the other girl would be there. Jen wasn't sure how she'd get through this if she had to do it alone.