PART 7 – On Land, At Sea

Three Weeks Later
1236 Local
Rabb & Galindez Investigative Services
Pacific Beach, California

Harm stretched his legs out under the long conference table that could sit twelve but currently only sat five, though their company had grown to a total of seven investigators. Within the last few weeks they had managed to find a few more investigators for their group and a second secretary which would run the office and keep Harm and Victor's affairs in order. The woman, Natalie Butler, was Tom Boone's niece. As Tom had helped Harm secure his reservist billet, he was quite happy to help his friend out. "I realize we've burnt a lot of man power on this, Jarvis, but we have no choice."

As with most places, there was always a hot head. Within their firm it was a brash 27 year old named Ted Jarvis who was formerly with the LAPD SWAT team, but was booted for brawling with a fellow officer. Make that, three fellow officers. "We HAVE a choice. If strike now, while the iron is hot, we can catch him. . ."

Gunny scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. "Jarvis, we went over this. . .Mrs. Brown does not want us to get him NOW. She wants to know, without a shadow of a doubt that Carl Phillips took her jewelry, it's that simple." The case they were discussing was one which Harm lovingly called 'The Caper Of The Missing Heirloom.' Amanda Brown, the beautiful, leggy brunette that had recently inherited her father's stables, was just getting into the swing of running a successful stud ranch when a $20,000 family heirloom (a necklace given to her mother by her father) went missing. It was suspected that the ranch foreman, a Carl Phillips, stole the necklace as payback for being fired from his job. "We're obligated to do what the client wants."

"That's nice Galindez, but we're burning a ton of dough while you two yahoo's figure out what to do about the bastard." Jarvis shifted slightly when Harm and Gunny both pinned him with a gaze that could kill. His face, which normally shone with a look of indifference, turned white as a sheet. "I, uh. . .sor. ."

"Did he just call us yahoo's?" Harm asked, turning to Gunny with a raised brow.

Gunny nodded. "Yes, I think he just did." He took a couple of deep breaths. After being in the Marines and having the ability to lead men safely to and from battle, dealing with a punk like Jarvis wasn't up his alley anymore. "Do me a favor, Jarvis, get the hell out of here before I use some sort of Marine death trick on you and then get Harm here to fly a Hornet up your six."

Dejected, Jarvis stood up, his eyes cast downwards to a spot on the floor. "I didn't mean to offend either of you, it's just that. . ."

"Jarvis, save it. . .we'll talk later when the three of us have had a chance to calm down." Harm continued to pin the younger man with a death glare and waited for him to leave to address the others. "Guys, I know this business is tough, if it wasn't we wouldn't be in business. . .But disrespecting Victor or myself isn't going to get you anywhere. . . Mike, how long until we can wrap this up?"

Mike Benson, a former San Diego police detective and a primary investigator shook his head slightly. Though his experience was vast compared to Gunny's or Harm's, he knew when to keep his mouth shut until an opinion was asked of him. "I'd say two more weeks. . .I already have someone inside Phillips' bank hoping to get a glimpse of what he's keeping inside a security box."

Nelson Delgado, a Cuban refugee who'd only received his residency a few months earlier nodded. "Jes boss, if he try anysing estoopid, I'll be there to cash it." He said in a rich Cuban accent as he pulled up a foto-sniper camera (a regular 35mm camera with a 300mm telephoto lens mounted on a rifle-style stock with a trigger.) and grinned.

Harm was amused with the Cuban's enthusiasm. Since the man was an ex-photo journalist on the island, his skills were excellent for surveillance. "Alright, anything else?"

"Hey boss." All of the men turned towards the door where Jarvis was standing with a smug grin. Both Harm and Gunny stared at him with a common interest. "Not you Victor, I meant Harm. . .there's this fine as hell chic here to see you."

Gunny patted him on the arm. "Wonder which one of them it is?" The group around the table erupted in laughter. Ever since Gunny and Harm had taken over the business the influx of female clients had gone up. It was no doubt that some of these women hoped that their charms would woo the two men into giving them some 'extra, private assistance.'

"Don't start. . .Let's not forget you have a few of your own." In fact, one of the women had kissed Gunny rather passionately when they had found the man who stole her Mercedes. Harm stood, rounded the table and made it out to the hallway. "What's her name?" Glancing up towards the receptionist's desk, his eyes met hers and in an instant, that radiant smile was there. "Mac!" Once he reached her side, he enveloped her in a tight hug.

"Hey, flyboy." She was dressed in her class C's, Khaki blouse, green slacks and black shoes. Her cover she held loosely in her hand as she greeted him. "I was in the neighborhood, decided to pass by."

"You look like you're going somewhere?"

Mac nodded, adding a sigh of frustration. "Yea, to a carrier. . I sent Vukovic & Mayfield TAD to the Henry for a JAGman investigation. Mayfield, somehow has some stomach bug, Bud's too busy with an appeal. . ."

"And you don't trust Vukovic with any other of your officers." He filled in for her with a chuckle. It was sad that it had to come to this, that she had to be forced to handle personnel which she didn't want or need under her command. "Well, I'll be seeing you aboard then." He added a cocky smile when she rose her eyebrow in confusion. "Carrier quals."

"Oh!" Mac successfully squashed the disappointment in her voice with a sound of elation. Even though time had passed, she never really got over his ejection over the Atlantic. "What time are you leaving?"

Harm checked his watch. "In about two hours on the COD, you?"

"I think we have the same flight." They shared a look of amusement and wonder. "Well, at least we'll be able to chat on the way over."

"Yep, we have to catch up. . .I haven't heard from you in a few weeks."

Though it would have been easy to point fingers as to why they hadn't been in contact, they'd each had to blame themselves. Between Harm training the newbies, Mac preparing for conferences and their mutual, but silent agreement to keep things at a distance for a while, they'd both conveniently 'forgotten' to stay in touch. "Busy, very busy."

"Yea, I know what you mean. . ." They stood their in silence smiling at each other as the secretary tried to figure out what was going on. She'd never quite seen Harm so taken with a woman, and she would know, several of them would flaunt themselves all over him. "Sooo. You wanna check the place out?"

"Yea, that would be. . .uh, nice."

Harm turned to the secretary. "This is our secretary Claire Baines. . .Claire, this is Colonel Sarah MacKenzie, my former partner from JAG."

Claire, who had come up with her notations that Mac was 'the one that got away,' gave Mac a little wave. "A pleasure ma'am."

Glancing out the door, Harm spotted Mac's red Corvette parked just across the street. "Hey, you think I could ride with you over to the base? Gunny was going to take me. . .but since you're going. . ."

"Not a problem. We don't have to go home for your seabag, do we?"

Harm shook his head. "Nope, I've been keeping a spare one in the office." He led her through the hallway and opened up the wooden door

"Ah, I wonder who you got that from." Mac said with a wink as she walked into the conference room where several men were staring at her with a look of utter amusement.

As soon as Gunny saw the woman which the men were gawking at, he sprung out of his chair and dashed across the room. "Colonel." He enveloped Mac in a bear hug then stepped back slightly so he could take her in. "You look well, ma'am."

"Gunny, unless we're both in uniform, it's Mac." She admonished with a grin. It was always difficult to train people out of military formality. That was probably a good thing, but moments like these, despite the fact that she was in uniform, she needed to be an equal.

"Sorry, ma'am. .. I mean, Mac." Turning to face the bewildered men, Gunny introduced the lot. "Colonel Sarah MacKenzie from the JAG corps. . .She and Harm used to be partners."

Jarvis, who had much the same problems keeping his mouth shut as someone from Mac's office, cleared his throat and chuckled. "Yea right, 'partners.'"

"Is there something you want to say, Jarvis?" Harm shot off at him with a voice that was perfectly hitting the tone of a CO. "Because, you're riding on a thin line and trying my patience. Unless you want to be checking the classifieds by this evening, I suggest you stow all of your bull. You read me?" Placing his hand on the small of her back, Harm escorted Mac out of the conference room. "Just down the hall is my office." He said, as they turned into the last office of the lot. With a huff, he settled into his chair and glanced up apologetically. "Mac I'm sorry about Jarvis, he's a prick."

She couldn't quite suppress the smirk on her face. Why was it that every office had someone like that. "Well, I guess you and I have similar problems in our offices."

"Yes, but you can order your problem to go away. . .here, just because I order him, doesn't mean he has to follow." Sighing, he turned on his computer and went to his e-mail client. "Sometimes I miss military formality." Hearing a knock on his door, Harm looked up from the monitor. "Enter."

Gunny poked his head in, then came in fully before closing the door behind him. "I apologize about Jarvis, maa-ac. . . Ahem, he's. . .young." It was the best explanation he could come up with. The guy was just young and brash. "Don't get me wrong, he's good at what he does, but he doesn't seem to be able to keep his trap shut." He settled himself in the guest chair next to Mac and smiled.

"Hey, I have a similar problem in the office. . .I know what you're up against." She offered with a wry smile. "It's great to see you Victor."

"You too. . . We have to catch up, maybe the three of us could head to dinner when Harm returns?"

"Actually, when we return. . .I'm headed to the Henry as well. . .some thing COs have to do on their own." Sighing for what had to be the millionth time since the beginning of the day, she glanced down at her hands which held her cover. "So much for a nice, relaxing weekend."

"If you want to let out stress, I could borrow a super Hornet and have you as my back seated." Harm suggested with a well placed flyboy smile that actually made her feel a whole lot better.

It wasn't even marginally tempting to go flying with Harm. Sure, if possible, she'd consider going up in Sarah again, but going supersonic, hell no! "How about 'no,' Captain."

Next Day
1352 Zulu
USS Patrick Henry
The Pacific Ocean

It was raining; not so bad that the flights had to be grounded, but enough to bother her stomach. Whatever Mayfield had was contagious and, to put a cap on it all, Mac had been feeling queasy since she awoke. "Yea, that's all I need. . .A stomach bug." She said to the doctor and nurse who were attending her at sickbay.

"Ma'am, this could be a touch of the mal de mer, you know?" The doctor, Lt. Commander Paul Larkin said, hoping to ease his patient's worries. "I know the weather isn't very rough, but the pitching of the deck can make you sick. . .When was the last time you were onboard a carrier with bad weather?"

Mac tried to think back and, as far as she could remember, it had been quite a while. Her last few times had been smooth sailing. For the most part, unless completely necessary, the Captains would avoid bad weather at all costs. "It's been a while, Commander."

"Okay, what we'll do is give you an injection for the seasickness, if it doesn't pass in . . let's say, two hours, come back here. . .This medicine won't make you drowsy, I promise. If you do need something for the nighttime, come back, I'll leave a message with the overnight nurse to dispense the good stuff." He said with a grin, then moved to the side to prepare the needle while the nurse raised the sleeve of Mac's uniform and cleansed the area with an alcohol swab. "Alright, Colonel. . .this should do the trick." He injected the needle into her vein and pushed down the plunger.

She was a little more than thrilled that this Doctor was gentle with his hands. The last Naval doctor she visited couldn't find a vein if it was pointed out to him. "Thanks, Doc." Groaning as her stomach lurched suddenly, she hopped off of the table. "How long does it take to work?"

Larkin turned to her with a grin. "No more than fifteen minutes. If you're still feeling queasy, you should hit the rack for a little bit, wait for it to kick in."

"I thought they usually tell you not to lay down." She wasn't trying to be a smartass, but it came out sounding that way.

"Ma'am, would I lie to you?" He placed a hand over his heart as his grin widened. Mac knew it for a fact that he was flirting but she chose to ignore it.

"Thank you, Commander." After rolling her sleeve back down and straightening her uniform, Mac slowly headed out of sickbay and through the maze that was a US Naval Carrier. Stopping for a moment, she contemplated heading to her quarters. "No, that's the last thing I need." Fresh air, that's what she needed.

As she was heading up the stairwells to Vulture's Row, Mac was nearly bowled over by the group of overly enthusiastic pilots. Harm wasn't with them, she noticed. Then again, from the moment they'd arrived, she hadn't seen nor hide or hair of him. Wistfully, she recalled coming aboard a carrier some nine odd years ago when she was a newly appointed Lt. Colonel and Harm was one rank her junior, but having the time of his life as a pilot. 'I belong here.' He'd told her with such a strength in his voice that she believed they'd never meet again. And yet, somehow, he'd wound up back at JAG, starting his career over for the third time. She'd never admit it to him openly, but it worried her each and every time he flew. That evening, when he'd crashed into the Atlantic, had taken her worry onto a new level. It downright scared her and despite how much she wanted to hate them while they were apart, part of her still wished him luck around the times when she knew he'd probably be scheduling his quals.

Stepping outside, she was pleasantly surprised to find that, though the clouds had not lifted, it had stopped raining. Holding onto the railing, she leaned forward, threw her head back and took a deep breath of the sea air. Sure, it was mixed with a little bit of jet fuel, but that was alright. Staring downwards, she watched intently as one of the Hornet's lined up with the catapult. Despite the frequency of which she'd been on carriers, it never really ceased to surprise her how well oiled a machine the ship was. Her thoughts were temporarily drowned out by the sound of a Hornet being shot off the ship. She watched as it tipped slightly, trying to get more air under its wings to help with elevation. Almost as soon as it had taken off, another was lining up for a landing.

The moment the Hornet's wheels were about to hit the deck, a pitching motion dipped the carrier to the right. This made the pilot miss the wires and he needed to try another pass. Mac breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the Hornet heading up into the air again. During a brief conversation with Harm about his ramp strike, he'd revealed that part of the problem had to do with the pitching of the deck making it too unstable for him to correct his position. Not that he could see, at that given point in time everything had appeared so fuzzy to him it was a miracle he'd see the ship at all. Frowning, she kept an eye on the Hornet as it rounded the carrier and lined up once again. This time, the landing was picture perfect and she felt herself breathe a sigh of relief when the pilot emerged unscathed.

"Wow, that was sudden." She glanced down at her stomach, placing a hand over it as her body told her it needed food. Apparently the medicine had worked if her hunger pains were an indication. Part of her didn't want to eat, for fear of it coming back up with a vengeance. But, she knew her body well and if she didn't put something in her stomach, she'd feel much worse. Sighing, she headed back into the carrier and towards her quarters deciding on a shower, then food, and then a nap.

It took her less than half an hour before Mac entered the officer's mess. Glancing around, she was happy to note that neither her client nor anyone pertinent to the case was around. She really wasn't in the mood to discuss the case until her head felt much better oriented. With a soft sigh, she slipped into a chair at a table in the corner of the room. Like it usually happened when Harm was in the room, she felt a twinge of energy and immediately knew he was there.

"At least you didn't dump her into the drink, Hammer." Captain Jack Keeter, the CAG, said as he patted Harm playfully on the back.

As much as he tried to make his death glare look sincere, Harm just chuckled at his friend's antics. "You make it seem like every plane I fly ends up being another waste for the poor taxpayers." He placed a plate of veggies on his tray and then moved forward. "Besides, I haven't had any airplane malfunctions in years."

Keeter nodded. "I know, which means, you were due. . ." He really didn't want to rag on his friend, but the truth of the matter was that ever so often, pilot ego had to be shaken. "Hey it wasn't your fault, that deck pitched harder than I'd ever seen. . .I am not so sure I'd be able to land her either."

"I'll be sure to add that to the report the skipper wants me to file." He patted his friend on the shoulder and was about to head to a different table, when he spotted Mac out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, did I mention Mac was onboard?"

Turning slightly, Keeter caught the sight of the Marine with her head hunched over some files. His smile brightened slightly as he shoved Harm towards her. "I am the CAG, Harm. I know she's on board. And yes, you've mentioned it about three times". Grabbing Harm's shoulder firmly he pulled him back and whispered. "Ever heard the word 'smitten?'" Chuckling, he shoved Harm forward again, earning him yet another death glare from Harm.

Harm meandered his way through the tables towards Mac's. "Hello, Colonel, may we join you?" He smiled brightly when her head cocked up to look at him. Although, if she felt anything like he did, they were both very aware of each other's presence.

"Captain and Captain." She said with a chuckle and waved to the chairs across from her. "I'd be honored for two pilots of your caliber to have an early dinner with a lowly Marine lawyer such as myself." There was a twinkle in her eye as she joked with them. It did feel good to be carefree with Harm. It almost erased all of the bad things of the past. . .almost.

"Mac it's great to see you." Keeter gave Mac a quick hug and sat to her left with Harm sitting to her right. "Sorry I couldn't say 'hello' earlier, but I was kind of busy."

"Not a problem, I didn't take offense."

"But, apparently Harm here wanted us to reunite, he kept telling me that you were aboard." With a sardonic smile, he glanced at Harm.

Okay, so that was certainly an interesting assessment she thought. "Is that so?"

Keeter nodded, grinning evilly at Harm. "Yep, I think he mentioned it at least thre. . .oww!" He bent under the table slightly to rub the shin which had received a swift kick. Turning towards Harm, Mac gave him a strange look but was met with a shrug and a smile. 'What is he up to?' She thought, chuckling at the men's antics. "So. . .ah, Mac. . .How long will you be with us?"

That was something that she couldn't answer. Simply put, she had to figure out where Mayfield was, get together with the client, start a new strategy and then start to poke holes in Vukovic's case. "Not too sure. . .I have a feeling I'll be stuck here for about a week or so." Her tone voiced her disappointment.

"Jeez, don't sound so excited!" Keeter teased with a nudge. "Well, if Harm's gone before you leave, I'll be sure to keep you company." His own tone sounded suggestive to anyone who wasn't familiar with Jack Keeter. Despite himself, Harm's face was starting to burn a slight tint of red. He knew Keeter was teasing, but what he was trying to figure out was why it bothered him so much. Mac wasn't his and he wasn't hers. So what was the problem?

As for Mac, well, spending several days in the desert with the man enabled her to break through his flyboy exterior. "Yea, you were pretty good company in the desert. . . I think the term was 'If I don't keep you safe, Harm'll kill me?'" Amused she watched as Keeter's cocky expression turned to one of embarrassment.

Harm stared at his two friends with a hint of embarrassment himself. Why was he getting jealous at Keeter, again? "Hey, I know you two were only worried about me and whether or not the plane's computer would fry me out of the sky."

That was one thing he was certainly dead on about. "Nah, we were just worried that an F-117 was a bit too much plane for a lowly Tomcat pilot." Keeter joked.

The three remained seated together sharing amusing stories about the two pilots Naval Academy Greatest Hits as the weather outside worsened. Mac was happy to note that the medication had helped even while the ship was pitching. But, it was amusing how not even strong medication could keep the nausea down when a certain someone made their way towards their table. "Sirs, Ma'am. . .I am sorry to disturb you but I was hoping to have a chat with the Colonel." The three looked up to find Lt. Vukovic standing in front of them with a slight smile.

"Hey there, Vic." Harm said with a grin then pointed towards Keeter. "Lt. Gregory Vukovic, this is the CAG, Captain Jack Keeter."

Vic shook hands with Keeter, then slid himself into the chair across from Mac as Harm pushed it out with his foot for him to join. "Thank you, sir."

Trying to not let Vic get to her was starting to be a full time job for Mac. She tried as much as possible to 'behave' and not play the role of the overbearing commanding officer. "I'm assuming you want to speak to me about the case?"

"Yes, ma'am. . .there is some evidence I've recently discovered." He pulled up a folder and motioned towards it. "If I may?"

Harm took Mac's empty tray out of her way, slipping it under his own. "Thank you." She told him, then took the folder from Vic. Quickly, she skimmed through the information, her eyes falling on a piece of evidence that Mayfield hadn't had a chance to look over as a result of her being sick. "Mmm, interesting."

"I asked her so called 'best friend,' Seaman Tipps about the incident. . . Seaman Raftery lied about the harassment charge."

"How can you be so sure?"

Vic pointed at the folder. "Flip the page." There in all its glory was a picture of what appeared to be a man and a woman having very consensual sex. "I apologize about the nature of the pictures, Colonel. . .Seaman Tipps had taken them with his digital camera."

There was something about the case that smelled fishy to her. There was something familiar about it seeing as she and Harm had worked so many of these cases. "It's a love triangle." The statement left no room for argument, she was certain of it. "I've worked a few of these, so has the Captain here." She said pointing at Harm. "There might be a bit more to it than we think."

"I was hoping this would wrap things up sooner, Ma'am." Shyly Vic smiled at Mac.

Keeter stared at the younger man who he noted was looking a tad bit green in the gills. "Weather not up to par, Lieutenant?"

"I'm afraid I've been land locked a bit too long." Vic confessed before standing up. "Excuse me sirs, ma'am. . .I think a trip to sickbay is in order. . have a good evening."

Harm and Mac turned to each other both with a look of utter shock. "You said something to him, didn't you?" She accused, biting back a satisfied smirk. "I mean, he was so. . so."

"Docile?" He offered with a grin. "Yea, I might have said something. . .You know me, Mac, I can't keep my mouth shut." That grin of his went up in wattage.

From his standpoint, it was just too damned easy to say something in hopes that his friend would make a move on the woman. But, if Keeter knew anything about Harm, was that it was difficult for him to let go, even when a beautiful woman wanted him in the ways that Mac wanted Harm. If he was unsure of their relationship the first time he met Mac, by the end of their time in the desert, Keeter was one hundred percent sure that the Marine was in love with his oldest friend. For that matter, his friend wasn't immune to the Marine's charms. "Ahem, well I can tell when I'm being the third, wheel. . .catch you two around." Both Harm and Mac stood up to object, but Keeter shoved Harm back in his seat. "Really. Besides, I have to go check and see when we'll be up again. . . If the weather doesn't improve we'll do your night quals tomorrow."

"I'll be ready." And he would be, though Harm never really liked night flights much. However, as the good aviator that he was, he learned to adapt and overcome. Turning slowly towards Mac he found her staring at him with a raised brow. "What?"

"Oh nothing, just trying to figure out what that was all about?" She waved her hand between Keeter's former seat and Harm, then leaned back comfortably. Oh how she loved to make him squirm and right now, that is exactly what he was doing.

"That?"

From the moment they sat down, Mac was keeping tabs on the strange behavior from Harm. "Yea, like you kicking Keeter. . . and you turning beet red. . I would say you were jealous for a moment there, Harmon."

"Jealous of what?" Despite the fact that he was trying to downplay it all, Harmon Rabb Junior knew he was caught.

"Keeter and I."

The words slipped out before he had a chance to sensor them. "There is no Keeter and you."

Her smile went up in wattage and all he wanted to do was crawl into the bowels of the ship and pretend this never happened. "And jealous of what happened in the desert." Mac plowed on, getting the reaction she was looking for. True, she wasn't looking to fall for him again, but a moment like this was just too good to pass up.

"Something did happen?" Harm quickly said, shocking both himself and Mac. "I uh. . mean. . .if. . um."

Ah, sweet victory. "How about some coffee? I'm buying." Harm's mouth opened and closed almost as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. "I'll take that as a 'yes.' I know how you like it." With a sassy grin, she stood and headed towards the coffee machines.

Harm sat there, dumbstruck at how saccharine sweet and suggestive the comment sounded. If he didn't know better, which he did. . .well, he thought he did. . . Was Mac interested in him? Yes, there was an attraction there which would always exist. And yes, he'd wanted her that night he turned her away outside of McMurphy's. But, there was a reason why he didn't push and why he didn't just take what he wanted. Harm was scared of losing what they just got back. With a sigh, he realized that he'd unknowingly put them on the same path they were in before.

"Hey, why are you so glum all of a sudden?" Mac asked as she set a cup of coffee in front of Harm, then slipped into her chair. "I go get some java and you look like your dog just died. What's up?"

It would be easiest to lie to her and not get that emotionally involved right at this moment. "Nothing. . .Just sucks that I can't get up there tonight, you know?" Okay, so it wasn't a total lie, he was hoping to wrap up quals and get his six back home to the case he was working on so diligently. "And I have this case, the one with Quinn and Patterson. . .I need to find more angles."

"Oh, I forgot to ask, did the flash thingy have anything important?"

He literally breathed a sigh of relief that she'd changed the conversation. "More names. . .She had this file chockfull of names and addresses. It was listed like a billing file, but I have a hunch. . ."

"Go with your hunch, Harm. . .they are usually right." As she placed her hand over his in a sign of reassurance, Harm felt himself relaxing slightly. There was a look in her eyes of positivism that, he swore, she fed into him by just one touch. It made him feel whole and invincible, but, then again, she'd always done that to him, he was just too stupid to realize it until it was too late.

Casually, he turned his hand over so that his hand held hers. "I'm glad you're here, Mac." They spent a few moments just staring at each other with a look of wonder. It wasn't until they saw the Skipper entering the mess, that Mac snatched her hand back. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Sighing, she pressed a hand to her head, and groaned slightly. Damnit, she really didn't want to have another shot for sea sickness.

"You okay?"

Mac nodded, slightly pouting at her traitorous body. "Yea, just feeling under the weather since I've been aboard, you know? I went to sickbay and got prescribed something for sea sickness."

"You're sure it's not something else?" He asked tentatively unsure if that was a territory he was allowed to with her.

She didn't pin him with a death glare and it actually sounded as if she were relieved. "I'm not pregnant if that's what you're thinking. . .I mean, I haven't been with someone in a while and thank God that was over."

Harm had noticed the tone she'd used, it was similar to her accounts of her past life, the parts that she was ashamed of. "Sounds like a jerk?"

"He was." Mac admitted, but his pushing for answers wasn't going to work. Michael Rose was a man she didn't want to bring up in any fashion, not even conversation. After unnecessarily checking her watch, she stood up and motioned towards the hatch. "I am going to go hit the sack. . .Good luck with the rest of the quals."

"Thanks and you too. .. uh, with. . .the case." He waved slightly at Mac, then settled into his chair with a loud sigh. He sat there for a second or two longer, contemplating the next move. Yes, he'd settled into the role of playing her 'best friend' again, but that didn't mean he couldn't push things along, did it? No! Quickly he came to his feet and headed towards the hatch. He took a peek at either direction catching a glimpse of Mac's retreating form. "Hey, Mac?" When she didn't hear him right off, he decided a more formal approach for the benefit of enlisted personnel. "Colonel MacKenzie?"

Mac turned slightly and waited for Harm to make up the space between them. He stood a regulatory distance from her and only leaned in when he noted they were alone. "Yes?"

"Look, umm. . .before I forget and we go weeks without seeing each other. . .have dinner with me when we get back?. . .You can come over to my place, I can cook anything you like." He tried to make it all sound tempting as possible without any conditions or underlying meanings. "We can catch up some more." The fact of the matter was that he wasn't interested in spending another few weeks without seeing her. He'd noted, that though they were getting some rhythm back, the time apart had slowed them down some.

"Anything I like huh?. . Veggie Lasagna."

Harm was slightly thrown off kilter that she'd so readily agreed. "Okay, great." He couldn't help that flyboy smile even if he tried. "I'll probably get to dry land before you do, but once you get home, call me. . .If you don't have my number, you can find the office in the phone book."

"I will. . . and thanks, Harm."

That smile of hers made him feel all warm inside. He knew she wanted to spend time with him and that was a magical sign that things were going to be alright between them. "I'll let you hit the rack, jarhead. . .Good luck with your case." He wanted to hug her or do something to make that impromptu conversation a little less awkward. But, it was Mac who made the first move, touching his arm and squeezing gently before heading off to her quarters. Just a single move touched him more than words could say.

ManicPenguin: Cool nick! LOL! Yea, the decision to have Harm not be Navy 24/7 was a weird one, it's certainly different and not everyone's cup of tea, but I had this whole amusement to see him out of uniform and doing something else that had it's adventure for him.

EY: :sighs: Not sure how many chapters to be perfectly honest. It will hit the teens because I have list of "scenes" and ideas that have to be put in. Teens, maybe twenties? Dunno, once I get a groove it keeps going and this story has a huge groove to it. Fair warning, my last story went for about 180 pages so. ;)

FoxyWombat: You just like closet scenes period. ;) And the gutter is nice, many of us are in there. ;)

BiteBeccy: Okay, so umm… maybe they'll work out? Is that good enough? ;)

Sammy85: Aha, so another person who loves closets? ;) Read my other story The Fine Art Of Dating, they have a few adventures in closets. ;)

Anothershipper: Yea, yea, trying not to make you guys wait, but it's been busy here and my laptop needed fixing. :( Sucks really. Yea, the adventure was there, and they'll have a few more.

Kittyx: thank you!

LtJGMEg: What fun is easy! I mean, c'mon:P

Jamie: Umm, I mean, Your Majesty. :P Yea, I was going to make it harder for them to get out but then I started getting bored LOL! It would have been too much. Besides lots more will happen to them. So, need to save the good stuff. ;)

Nix707: Anyway isn't a word? WTF! YES IT IS! If I use it, it's a word, and that includes typos. ;) And yea, I have an idea who anon is and he's an annoying little twit who I sent to hell on a list and has, subsequently run from it. Could be wrong, but the whole way Anon posted just rung a bell. Ya know?

Froggy: Lol Puddle Of Goo LOL! Sounds like a band. ;) Good, so my teasing has worked, I am now happy. ;)

BlueJay: Well, so that's about three people for Harm not keeping his distance, I would agree, but you know how stubborn the man can be. ;) Sexy and Stubborn, but stubborn non-theless. ;)

DansingWolf: Thanks! I was hoping I wouldn't bore you guys to tears. I've done SOME research, I have a PI book that I might get ideas from well, might nothing, I will get ideas from. And I get magazines for a bunch of gadgets that you can only buy if yo are in law enforcement or military. Why do I get it then? Not a clue, they just send it to me. I buy a set of BDU pants and every military agency sends me stuff now. :P Maybe it's a good thing I can't buy them, I am not so sure my neighbors would like me using some hyper powered night vision goggles. ;) Would be cool to learn to disarm my alarm and pick locks… all in due time. ;) Okay, yes, I've lost it. ;)

Freezepop: Thanks! Trying to post as fast as possible. :)