The Chrysler dealership that Frank Burnett owned had it's own landing strip, and they had utilized that fact to keep word of their arrival quiet. Some contacts Harm still had at the CIA had fixed the civilian airline records to show that an Albert Zhukov had flown from Moscow to DC and from DC to San Diego. They were also monitoring anyone who tried to hack into government files to find out anything about the JAG staff and their families.

"Uncle Harm, how far is Disneyland from Nana and Pop's place?" AJ asked. He knew that what was happening was serious, but that didn't mean that he wanted to miss the chance to see Mickey in person.

Harm laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. "Not in the plan, kid. Maybe after things are settled back home."

AJ looked upset, but when he turned his face up to complain to his godfather the look Harm was wearing told the little boy all he needed to know. Harm was just as unhappy about the situation as AJ was. So he just looked ahead and tried to keep up with his godparents who both had really long legs and could move at least three times faster than he could. He couldn't understand how Aunt Mac could walk so fast in her 'crazy high' shoes but he knew that it wasn't the right time to ask her.

They were about halfway across the tarmac when AJ felt his godparents tense up. Immediately he started looking around, trying to see what had made two of the strongest people he knew act like the stray cat that hung out around the house and hissed and arched it's back whenever anyone came within twenty feet of it.

Thinking about that cat made him sad. His mother always put out a bowl of water and a can of wet cat food every morning and every evening for the stray. AJ couldn't help but wonder who was going to feed the cat now.

"Hey, AJ, why don't you go make sure we didn't leave anything on the plane," Harm said when Mac put her hand on his arm and drew his gaze toward the dark sedan that was parked across the street from the rental that was waiting for them outside the compound.

Without hesitating AJ turned and ran back to the plane, not looking back.

He knew what was going on and he was too scared to argue with two of the people he trusted most in his life.

"Think they knew?" Mac asked as she opened her purse without looking down.

"How could they? Chegwidden is the only one in DC who knew how we were getting here, and mom and Frank wouldn't have told anyone," Harm said.

"Maybe someone bugged our phones," Mac said as she pulled the battery out of her phone and put the two pieces back into her purse to be disposed of later. It was unlikely that anyone would be able to track the CIA issue phone without CIA issue equipment but she wasn't going to take any chances. "Or your mom's," she added softly, knowing that the next step they had to take was going to tear her partner apart. "Harm, we have to leave." She looked into Harm's tormented eyes. "Your mom and Frank are not the targets here, Harm, but if we don't get out of here we're going to make them targets."

"I know," Harm said, slipping his arm around Mac's shoulders instinctively. "I just wish I could be sure that they're gonna be okay."

They went back into the hanger and got back on the plane. AJ was struggling with the safety belt.

"The black car was the bad people, wasn't it?" AJ asked as Harm helped him with the seatbelt.

"Very observant," Harm complimented.

"We're going to Plan B," Mac called up to the pilot who immediately started flipping switches in the cockpit. She then turned to Harm. "You're sure you want to do it this way?"

Harm nodded and headed for the cockpit. The pilot let a moment later, offering Mac and AJ a sad smile before disembarking and closing the hatch.

"You remember what to do?" Mac asked AJ who nodded and clung a little tighter to Judgy, needing the strength of his stuffed best friend. "Good boy," Mac said, quickly kissing his forehead before going up to join Harm in the cockpit. "He's terrified," she said softly as she sat down in the co-pilot's seat and started strapping herself in.

"It's understandable," Harm said as he did a quick check of the equipment in front of him. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Mac said. She looked over at Harm. "We're in this together."

"Always," Harm replied, reaching over and giving her hand a quick squeeze before turning back to the controls.

They were taxied out onto the tarmac and they took off only minutes before a second plane, identical to their own, took off and headed in the opposite direction. Harm knew a third would be taking off within minutes and heading in a third direction, and several cars would be leaving and heading in all directions. Even though none of them had wanted to think about the possibility of their plans being intercepted it had been decided early on that it was a possibility and contingency plans were put in place.

"Harm, we have to contact the Admiral," Mac said softly. It wasn't likely that AJ would be able to hear them over the roar of the engines but she didn't want to risk scaring him further. Little AJ Roberts had been unbelievably strong through the whole ordeal but he was still a little kid who had just lost his mother and was in the middle of what amounted to the plot of a by-the-numbers spy movie.

"We will once we get to our next stop. We're not expected but I know they'll help us," Harm said as he checked the control panel to make sure they were on course.

"Do you have FAA approval for this?" Mac asked wearily.

"Of course. The airport is expecting us. From there we'll rent a car and go somewhere safe," Harm said. He looked over at Mac. "Trust me. Everything will be okay."

Mac nodded. "I trust you," she said, meaning it wholeheartedly. She honestly couldn't remember a time in her life when she hadn't trusted Harmon Rabb completely. Logically she knew that she hadn't trusted him before they met and that she hadn't trusted him all that much on their first case, especially when he was constantly staring at her like he had known her for years—that had creeped her out completely—but when he continued helping her even after she pulled a gun on him she had known that he wasn't just a cocky flyboy. He was a cocky flyboy who she could trust with everything she had. And suddenly she couldn't remember why she had always been so careful to keep from giving him her heart, as that was the only part of her that she had yet to openly give to Harm. And in that moment she couldn't understand why.

Five hours later Harm landed the plane and Mac sighed heavily, relieved to be back on Terra Firma after spending almost two days in the air. They were taxied into the hanger and after making sure that everything was in proper working order, Harm and Mac left the cockpit and moved to the body of the plane to wake little AJ who was asleep sitting up, never having taken his seat belt off.

"I still say he looks just like Harriet," Harm said, recalling the first visit he and Mac had made to the Roberts residence after little AJ's birth and the mother and son's release from the hospital.

"No way. Those cheeks are all Bud," Mac said. "The eyes, though. Those are his mother's," she added softly.

"Definitely," Harm agreed. He checked his watch. "We've got about a two hour drive ahead of us. We should get going if we want to catch them before they leave for work."

Mac nodded and knelt down in front of their godson, gently waking him while unbuckling the safety belt that was basically all that was keeping the boy upright. "AJ, sweetheart, it's time to wake up," she said gently. "You can sleep in the car if you want, but Uncle Harm's back can't take carrying you down the steps after flying for so long." Harm was going to comment on that, but he knew she was right. His back was killing him.

"Where are we?" AJ asked, stretching and wiping his eyes at the same time.

"Somewhere safe," Harm said. "There's a rental car waiting for us. We're going to go see an old friend of mine. He's going to help us find somewhere to stay until we know that you're going to be safe."

AJ nodded. "Just don't leave me, okay?" he said.

"We're not going to leave you, sweetheart," Mac said gently. She held out her hand to the boy and he clutched to her tightly, the physical connection calming him.

Mac was sure it was only a matter of time before the events of the past few days caught up with all of them and she prayed that AJ wasn't around to see her and Harm when they finally broke down and began to grieve. The moment they stopped running, stopped moving around constantly and stayed in one place for more than five minutes, stopped watching the shadows and using mirrors to look around corners… that was when they would break down. So, until they were safe enough for the three of them to let their guards down for a little while, they had to keep moving.

Harm carried their bags down and threw them in the trunk as Mac pilfered a couple of blankets and pillows from the jet's stash. The airport staff smiled at the sight of the woman juggling a stack of pillows and blankets while not letting go of the hand of a chubby little boy who was clinging to a stuffed animal and looking around like there were monsters in every shadow.

Within ten minutes they were in the simple forest green sedan, the boy already asleep in the nest Mac had made in the back seat, Mac with her legs curled under her body and a blanket draped over top of her covering her up to her chin, and Harm adjusting the seat so that he had enough room for his six-foot-four frame.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going or is it a surprise?" Mac asked, fighting off a yawn. She refused to fall asleep because if she faded then Harm couldn't be far behind. She was the one who got by on almost no sleep. She was the insomniac. Harm was the one who needed ten full hours to get by, and Mac was sure he hadn't slept in almost three days.

"An old friend of the family owes me a huge favour. I can't think of anything better to cash it in on than saving little AJ," Harm said, his eyes finding his godson in the rear-view mirror.

"What did you do that he owes you for?" Mac asked.

"I saved his daughter's life," Harm said. Mac looked at him, prompting him without words for the rest of the story. He acquiesced only because talking would help him stay awake. "It was about six years ago or so… I was just starting out at JAG. Michael and his daughter, Josephine—Joey—were in New York for a week and I went out to visit them for a weekend. The three of us went to the shipyards and I was giving them a slightly unauthorized tour of one of the carriers when Joey slipped on the deck and stumbled over the edge. Luckily she landed in the netting. Michael froze, though. His sister, Ella, drowned in the Atlantic when we were kids… he was having serious flashbacks. I climbed down and got Joey back up on deck as the netting tore away from its anchors. Turns out the carrier was in port because it needed some maintenance that's too risky to do at sea."

"When was the last time you saw Michael and Joey?" Mac asked.

Harm thought for a second. "About six months ago. You were prosecuting in Miami and I was on leave. I had a five day weekend and I flew down to see them."

"Does Joey have a mother?" Mac asked, curious as to why Harm had yet to mention another female.

"Sasha. She's a communications officer on a carrier somewhere in the Gulf. She was Diane's roommate at the Academy… that's actually how we all met. There was a party, off campus, and Michael was in town so I invited him to come along. He met Sasha and there was this automatic connection. Sasha joined our group and then one day she brought Diane by, saying that she was sick of finding her roommate doing nothing but studying all the time and that she hoped we would bring her out of her shell."

Mac looked down at her lap. "Is it going to be weird for me to be there?" she asked. Diane was a ghost in their relationship that they had yet to exorcise and, while she knew they would have to get around to it someday, she didn't feel up to it right then and she knew that Harm wasn't either.

"Maybe a little, but it won't be like it was for me when I first met you," Harm assured her. "Michael knows all about you. He, Sasha, Keeter, and Annie are the only ones who are still around that knew Diane really well."

"Do you think that maybe Annie hated me so much because I look like Diane? I mean, you've said that you were all really close back then… and I'm sure there's more to why she hated me so much, but do you think that the fact that I look like Diane has anything to do with the animosity between Annie and me?" Mac asked.

Harm frowned. "I never thought of that," he admitted. "And she didn't hate you. She was jealous of how close you and I were and she wished she was a strong as you are. She never believed that even you have your weak moments. But… maybe, yeah, the Diane factor might have had something to do with the weirdness. Hmm. I never actually thought about that. Interesting insight, councillor." He reached over and found her hand that was peeking out from under the blanket. "But that doesn't matter, Mac, because Annie is out of my life and Michael has never had issues with bitterness like Annie does. It might be a bit of a shock for him, but he'll get over it."

"Good," Mac said.

Harm drove the rest of the way with one hand on the wheel and the other tightly laced with Mac's. AJ snored softly in the back seat and Mac managed to get a half hour nap somewhere along the way, waking up only when Harm stopped and turned the car off.

"We're there?" Mac asked as she stretched out her aching legs. She knew curling up hadn't been a good idea.

"Yeah," Harm said softly. He gently brushed her hair from her eyes. "I'm gonna go see if Michael's around. You can stay here with AJ if you want, of we can get him to come with us and we can all do this together. It's up to you."

"I'll come with," Mac said, not feeling strong enough to separate herself from Harm yet. Maybe after she had had a chance to grieve and process she would be able to handle being alone, but until she had that chance she knew that she was safer and stronger with Harm by her side. And, judging by how relieved he was when she said she'd come in with him, she had a feeling that he felt the same way about her.

"Good," he said. He leaned over and kissed her cheek lightly. "I know this isn't exactly what you signed on for when you agreed to come with me to take AJ to my mom and Frank… but I honestly don't know if I'd be able to do this without you, Ninja Girl."

Mac smiled at that. It had been a long time since she'd gotten a 'Ninja Girl' out of Harm. "You didn't seriously think I was going to let you go through this alone, did you?" she asked, tilting her head slightly into Harm's hand that had lingered at her cheek after brushing her hair from her eyes. "Like it or not, you're stuck with me, Flyboy."

"I can't think of anyone I'd rather be stuck with," Harm said honestly. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering against her skin for several seconds before he pulled away enough to rest his forehead against hers. "When this is over… when AJ and Bud are safe again… I want to take you out. We can go to New York, have dinner at a fancy restaurant, see a movie or a play, take a walk in the park…" he trailed off. "I know this isn't the time or the place, but I want you to know that I'm finally ready to let go. That is… if you're willing to give us a chance," he said, so incredibly nervous that he was literally shaking. He hadn't been this nervous in his entire life.

"More than willing," Mac said before impulsively moving closer and pressing her lips to Harm's. It wasn't like any of the kisses they had shared before. There was no fear. There were no ghosts haunting them. There was no mistletoe. There was no goodbye.

There was just Harm and Mac, giving in and letting go.