Chapter 38

Before he left to go have dinner with Mac Harm called Tom Johnson to ask about the passport, besides if nothing else Harm would need Mattie's birth certificate to get her passport and registered at school. Tom answered the phone and sounded content on the phone. "Tom I was wondering if this summer when Andy goes to visit his friends and family in Australia if Mattie could go." Harm knew it was one point he needed to smooth over with Tom. He didn't need an international kidnapping charge. "She'll need an up to date passport, did you or her mother get her one?" Tom explained that two years ago he had taken his wife and Mattie to the Bahamas on vacation. They'd all gotten passports for that.

"Harm, I don't make much, but I'd like to send Mattie with some spending money." Harm agreed to that. The two fathers decided Harm would call Mattie on Tuesday and ask if she wanted to go. Monday, she went to her Ala-teen meeting and was usually exhausted afterwards. Harm made a note to himself to talk to Andy about Ala-teen and attending a few meetings.

Harm called AJ Chegwidden to see if he and Mac could stop by. Because the admiral had an idea of what was going to occur, he told them to be there at 1930 for coffee.

Harm and Mac ate dinner at her place, she told him she had contacted the manager of the building and had given her a months notice. She would be out by the end of June. "I guess this means we'd better not have the wedding any later than July third." Mac said this as she took the plates into the kitchen.

"Like I said, we can always use the backyard if we can't find a church at this late date. Harm I don't want a large wedding, and to keep hurt feelings to a minimum I think we should just have Andy, Mattie, Chloe and Sergei in the wedding party."

"I like that, if Sergei can't make it I'll ask Frank. I'll call Sergei when I get home, I'll have a better chance of getting him home."

"We should probably pin down a date first."

They arrived at the McLean, Virginia home of Admiral Chegwidden. Harm was inexplicably nervous though, "Admiral, I think you know why we're here. I asked Sarah last night."

"And she said yes." Sarah McKenzie said with a grin that wouldn't quit.

"So have you two set a date?" Chegwidden felt like a proud father.

"No, but we want it as soon as possible, we both want a small wedding so that helps. In fact, we're not going to have a military wedding. I asked Uncle Matt to give me away. I know since he's in Leavenworth. I asked him to send either an audio tape or video tape and he'll do it. If that falls through, he's going to write out something and he'd like you to do it."

"I'd be honored to do whatever you want me to do."

"That's not all the news from this weekend, sir." You remember Mattie, my boss at Grace Aviation?" The admiral chuckled, the girl was a real pistol, a pint sized version of Harm

"You know I tried to get custody in December but her dad showed up. Well when we were at Blacksburg this weekend flying Sarah, we ran into Mattie and her dad. To make a long story short, Tom is struggling to stay sober and he'd rather Mattie be happy and with someone he know loves her than someone in the system and have no contact with his daughter. One of the advantages to small town living; we were able to talk with Tom's lawyer, the judge saw us Saturday afternoon, she Okayed it. Mattie comes to live with me at the end of the school year."

"That's great news, she's going to give you a run for your money, and I have the feeling you were a lot like her at that age."

Mac thought that assessment was probably right on the nose and she started to laugh,

"Not funny, Mac" Harm said grinning.

"But this will give you some experience when we have a child together."

"Heaven help us, I think I'll retire or whatever hair on my head will be gone completely when that kid hits the terrible twos." He laughed and the two subordinate officers felt comfortable laughing, after all, it was at their expense.

"We want it before July fourth." Harm declared

"That's just a few days after the coalition turnover in Iraq, with your new job, do you think that's wise?"

"We can't really do it much later; Andy and likely Mattie going to go to Tasmania in July. We won't do it while the kids are gone. That much is non-negotiable." Otherwise I'm up to just about anything," the future groom said.

"Well, my next door neighbor is on the board at the Botanical Gardens, they occasionally do allow weddings there. I'll call her, give her your name, Mac, and have her call you. If you will excuse me for a minute" with that the admiral stood up and walked over to the side table where he had his address book and phone. He opened the small address book and looked it up, and then punched the numbers on his phone and waited. "Sharon, this is AJ, I have a favor of you, I know you are on the board of the Botanical Garden's, two of my officers are getting married, and they need a place, they want to get married soon, no they aren't headed off for Iraq. Sharon I was wondering if you can check and see if they could use the gardens in June. Yes, they are here, I'll hand the phone to Colonel McKenzie. That sounds even better see you soon." He hung up the phone.

"Admiral, is she coming over here?" Mac queried. This neighbor sounded like a handful.

"No, she's laid up with a broken ankle. She'd like us to come over 'straight away'." Harm and Mac stood and followed the admiral. They walked out the back door and through the woods for a short distance and came up to the back door. "Sharon, its AJ." He said after he knocked.

"Come on in," the voice belonged to a much younger than they expected woman. She was in her mid-fifties.

"Sharon Alexander, I would like for you to meet Lt. Colonel Sarah McKenzie and Commander Harmon Rabb, they just have gotten engaged."

Sharon greeted them and told them all to sit down. "I don't need a stiff neck to go with this ankle" her comment was wry. "Congratulations. May I be direct, how long do you want the engagement."

"Not too long, we don't want it in July because Harm's son Andy is going to be visiting family in Australia and will be gone for three weeks. Other than that we are pretty flexible."

Sharon opened her lap top computer that was on the table next to her. She opened the file which contained the reservations for the gardens. She was glad she'd bought a wireless computer. "I have two dates, one on the 21st of August and the other is short notice, but it's on a Friday, June 18th, in the evening."

Harm and Mac both liked the botanical gardens, they hadn't thought of that as a location to get married. "Can we get everything done in five weeks?" Harm asked.

"I'm a Marine, we can." Mac stated. It helped the dress she was thinking about fit her like a glove and would not need any altering. She tried the dress on a few months earlier when she had gone shopping with one of the civilian JAG employees who's mother was overbearing and needed help not being pushed around.(AN: This woman made Harriet's mother look like a pussy cat.)

"The eighteenth of June is fine with us."

"That settles it, the eighteenth of June it is."

"As far as the cost of the rental of the gardens, AJ here has talked about you two for what seems like forever consider it my present to you two." Sharon Alexander said in a tone that told them that arguing would get them nowhere.

They talked for a few minutes more, finalizing the times and then the three left and walked back to the Chegwidden home.

Chapter 39

"I'll announce your transfer tomorrow at staff meeting, and then I'll let you announce the engagement then.

"I'll also try to keep your caseload as light as I can, easier said than done because of the mess in Baghdad, Mac."

"Thanks Admiral for everything." Harm and Mac then got into the car and left. Mac was rummaging around in her purse; she pulled out her cell phone. "Harm, what's your mom's number, we need to let her and Frank know." Harm took the phone and punched in the numbers giving the phone back to her. "Hello Mrs. Burnett, this is Mac…Hi, Mom, this is Mac" Harm smiled, Mac was told to call her future mother in law Mom. "We set a date, it's the eighteenth of June…I've got the dress in mind…I'll email you tonight. Here's Harm." She held the phone so Harm could drive with both hands.

After a few minutes of Trish talking Harm finally got a word in edgewise. "I'll talk with Mac and she'll let you know by no later than tomorrow."

"What does Mom want?" Mac had not been able to hear both sides of the conversation because of traffic.

"She was asking if we were going to have a military wedding."

"You in a tux, or you in your dress whites? I'll have to think about it." Mac said pretending to think about it. Even though it was a great idea, they decided to go with a civilian wedding; Harm would wear a white tux.

She decided the girls could decide which wanted to wear marine green and which wanted to wear Navy blue but she had an idea Chloe would wear the green and Mattie the blue. She had seen the dresses at the boutique. They could be used for special occasions and not just as a bridesmaid dress. She decided whatever Sergei would wear Andy would wear the other color. Fortunately, tuxes at short notice was easier, especially in a metropolitan area.

Harm drove Mac home, walking her to her door. "You call Chloe and let her know."

On the drive back to his nearly empty loft Harm called Sergei, thankful the cell company had an international plan. To his surprise, Harm actually reached Sergei on the first ring. "Sergei its Harm…No, grandma is fine…Mac and I are getting married…what do you mean finally…June eighteenth…yes this year…Do you think you and Galena could make it…Great…Sergei I would like for you to be my best man…Great, see you soon." Harm had caught his brother going out the door, leaving for work so the call had to stay brief. Sergei said he'd would let him know when they were coming.

Chapter 40

Monday May 10, 2004

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church Virginia

0925 local

The staff meeting was just about over. The new cases handed out and it seemed to Sturgis Harm had been handed cases which seemed beneath a senior attorney. Either Rabb was in the doghouse again or something big was up.

"Two more things before we wrap. Commander Rabb is transferring to another duty station his last day here is the twenty-eighth. He'll be a legal military liaison at the White House. The second, Commander Rabb" he yielded the meeting to the newly engaged Commander.

Everybody in the room, with the exception of Chegwidden and Colonel McKenzie, were surprised at the first announcement. However, a transfer meant one thing; they all had a feeling what the second announcement would be. "I'm transferring to the White House because Mac and I are getting married. I asked her on Saturday and…"

"I said yes." Mac beamingly told the group as they headed back to their offices.

As expected, everyone gave his or her congratulations. Ever the romantic, Harriet asked if they set a date.

"June eighteenth. We want a small wedding, and the wedding will be at the Botanical Gardens. "But that's about a month away." Harriet wailed.

"We're only going to have family standing with us. Chloe is Mac's maid of honor Sergei is my best man. Andy and Mattie will also be standing with us.

Mac told Harriet "I called Chloe last night I think I heard her scream in DC. She's going to email me her measurements so if any alterations are needed they can be done."

"I'm calling Mattie tomorrow and I'll ask her then. That reminds me Mac, I need to call Judge Priest and let her know."

"Commander, who is Judge Priest" Harriet questioned.

Mac intervened. "She's the judge that gave Harm custody of Mattie on Saturday."

"Who's Mattie? Harm got custody, how old is she?" Harriet was confused.

"Mattie was my boss while I was crop dusting, she's fifteen, I found she was living by herself and tried to get guardianship of her. Her dad managed to come back in time for the hearing in December. The fact I was single along with the fact the loft didn't pass inspection doomed me. The court decided to give her father custody. On Saturday, Andy, Mac and I were down at Blacksburg and ran into Mattie and her father. He told me he's having a harder time staying sober than he thought he would. He realized he could very easily lose Mattie if he screws up. All he asks is regular contact with Mattie. I think Mattie, deep down, doesn't want to lose her father. We were able to see the judge on Saturday, the advantage of small town living, and she'll come to live with us at the end of the school year."

"I'll tell you more at lunch Harriet; I have court in nine minutes" Mac told Harriet. They left to do their respective duties.