Return To Me

by Radiorox

COMPLETE Harm and Mac went to separate ends of the world and never stayed in touch. Four years later, when Harm returns to the States, he and Mac find that you can’t fool destiny. That friendship is the road that leads to the heart.

22. Assistance Of The Female Persuasion 2

Welcome to Part 22. Right off the bat, I'm letting you guys know. My want to update a lot isn't going to happen. We have the same teacher and though he is pretty cool, the man apparently has an affinity to giving DAILY exams. Now, if it were a simple exam, I'd be happy as a clam. . .they aren't. So, postings are going to be slow again. Bare with me, I am about two chapters ahead of this one and I know where things are going. Only thing I am picking and prodding is the ending, but that's nothing new.

It'll come. :) So, here we go. . .enjoy.

Jackie

Thank you to: froggy0319, trekker4life, Abigaile, BlueJay, dansingwolf, Nix707, Tracy, LieutenantjgMegAustin, n.k, EY, jaggurl, LtCmdrFlygirl, Feverish Dream, ady, AgtDanaM, starryeyes10, DD2, KittyX, FoxyWombat, Dessler, JAGJenni, daisymh, Bite Beccy, Sam, Cristina, JamieAClassyone, The Obsessed Three, Dessler, Snugglebug, BlueJay, Britainy, verochan, EasterBunny, Any, freezepop, cbw, highplainswoman, Denaliyasha, outofit, anothershipper, marinejag, Rebecca05, prinnie, TB, Jill, eagleandrose, Daisymh, Eve, Pain, Manic Penguin, Sammy85, JAGFan89LAS, Bail's Other Daughter, MiDushiNoSushi, Lisa, writingmom, Katie, TVAngel, Anita, William, Jecho, tara, Anonymous Skeleton, Acer-127, TB, Mxfan214, KiKi, Ruli, Heather, janlaw, judy52sa, XBlue, M, bluejay742, Odakota, marineJAG, michelle UK, janlaw, Kristie- and you anonymous peeps- for the feedback:)

Part 22 - Assistance Of The Female Persuasion Pt. 2

1825 Local
Mac's House
San Diego, California

"Oh, my God." The 'solvent' she was smelling was that of the fresh coats of paint on her newly painted walls. Furniture, the ones that had been destroyed were now replaced with new ones. The pictures which the intruder had left scattered haphazardly along the floor were now framed, being displayed on the shelves of a new entertainment center. There was even a new television set.

She walked slowly forward, noticing that the dinning room table was set for two and lit with only two tapered candles which sat in the middle. Turning towards the kitchen, she found Harm wearing a funny looking apron (a blue one with sunflowers on it), holding one single, blood red rose. "I hope I didn't scare you too much." He said with a smug grin as he stepped towards her. "It was the best way to get you back here at the time I wanted." He hadn't taken much of a risk, the police had literally told her to stay the hell out until the investigation was done. But, just the other night as they lay in his bed at Frank and Trish's home, one of her concerns had been having to fix this place up again. Something she wasn't sure she could do alone.

So, he'd taken the task by storm, using his connections and the settlement money from his insurance company to put her place back into shape. It was all a great idea, topped off with dinner for the two of them and maybe, just maybe, a little more. But, the fact that she hadn't moved and hadn't said anything worried him beyond belief. What if he'd made some sort of grand mistake in fixing the house for her? God knows there were worst things he could do, but he knew Mac could, sometimes, be difficult. "Mac, say something. . .anything." Dejected, he brought the hand with the rose down.

The words that came out of her mouth weren't the ones he wanted to hear. "Harm, what the hell did you do?" Displeased would be the best way to describe the sound of her voice.

Oh God. This was so not the response he was waiting for. Sure, he'd figured she'd be shocked, maybe even a little angry that he did all of this alone, but her tone of voice put him in much distress. "Please tell me you like it, the paint is a little lighter, but just a little, they didn't have the original one you had... and uh. .. Mac? Talk to mmmerrmm."

He didn't get a chance to finish what he was saying. Stepping forward, Mac crashed into him pulling her to him for a soul searing kiss that he'd not quite expected. The rose that he was holding fell from his fingers and onto the floor as he wrapped his arms around her, more to keep his balance than anything else. When they broke away the term 'dazed and confused' could be applied to Harm, whose eyes were heavily lidded and clouded with desire. Mac chuckled, then reached out, placing a hand on his cheek. "Sorry about that."

Harm shook it off enough to realize the flower had fallen. Bending down he picked it up and offered it to her again. "Erm, sorry. . .I ah. . .you ah. . .Well. . ." Harmon Rabb Junior at a jumble for words. No surprise there. Shaking himself again, he sighed. "Do you. . .uh, like it?"

"Yes." She turned towards the dinning room, noting that things were in better shape than before. It didn't even seem like anything out of the ordinary had happened there. In short, "It's perfect." Mac turned back to him, smiling happily. It was the first real smile he'd seen from her since this had happened. "How'd you do all of this?"

Taking her hand, he ushered her towards the dining room, holding a chair out for her to sit in. "Well, one of those nights that I told you I was with my 'girlfriend,' I was actually here, with a few new team members." He grinned. It was a bonding experience of sorts, a way for him to get to know the three new members of the team which consisted of Jaclyn Reese, a 32 year old former secret service agent who had been moonlighting as a PI in Los Angeles, Daniel "Dan" Black, 40, former Miami Police Department's Inspector who was looking into changing scenery and Carlos "Charlie" Vega, a 27 year old photo journalism major.

That trademark eyebrow hit her hairline. "You brought your new staff here?" Mac wasn't ticked off about the revelation, only amused at his tactics of interrogation. "Is that a new show of uniformity? A group that paints together stays together?"

"Hmm. Could be." He chuckled.

Putting all joking aside, it was awe-inspiring that he cared that much. He always had, she guessed, but there were times when she was sure Harm would tell her to 'suck it up' and deal. Definitely, things had changed with him and it was obvious he'd realized that part of making a relationship work meant taking charge - on occasion. Despite her 'never,' 'we both want to be on top' speech that she'd given him at that cab stand in Paraguay, there were certain times that she NEEDED someone to take charge and not have a compliant slave that did everything she wanted. No, she needed a PARTNER and while it was true that things were never ever going to be fifty-fifty, it was nice to try.

Still, the task that he had put upon himself was surreal and obviously expensive. What she hoped was that he hadn't dipped into the monies given to him by the insurance company to compensate for the explosion. "Harm, you shouldn't have, you know? You have to let me pay you back for all of this. . .It had to cost a fortune."

Harm shook his head. "I got a deal with Frank's brother who owns a chain of furniture stores throughout Southern California and the rest, consider it a labor of love. . .and, if that's too much to ask, it'll be part of your payment for helping me in the Levi case." He grinned impishly, no matter what she tried he wasn't going to let her pay him back. He did this because he wanted to and that's the way it would stay.

"You're not paying me for helping you with the case, that's insane. . .I offered to help and I meant it, no strings attached."

"Mac, you're doing a job for me and as such require some sort of compensation." He glared at her, not angrily but in a way that let her know he meant business. "I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, MacKenzie." Even if it meant pulling out the big guns. Evilly, he pulled the lid out of one of the pots which held pasta with creamy Alfredo sauce and chicken. Food was usually something he could use in negotiations with her and his Pasta Alfredo tended to work wonders.

Groaning, she tried to stop that tactic from working, but it was no use. She had given in from the moment he opened up the pot. "Bribing me with food, Rabb? Sneaky." Oh, hell, if he wanted to help her, she would let him and just find her own ways to pay him back. "Feed me, will ya?"

"Yes, ma'am." He grinned, plopping a healthy portion of food on her plate.

0925 Local
Joint Legal Services Southwest
San Diego, California

Rear Admiral Jacob N. Schilling was, for lack of a better term, a jerk. His rank allowed him to do whatever he wanted and questions would not be asked. Everything under his command moved smoothly and with an efficiency that kept other bases on their toes. As far as the higher ups were concerned, complaints about the man could be ignored as he did his job and did it well. It really didn't matter that, for the most part, women under his command were virtually non-existent. The ones that had survived were issued spotty jobs, always with a male that was higher ranking. And then there was Colonel Sarah MacKenzie, the thorn at his side from the moment she stepped into that position.

The JAG had wanted her there and that was that. Case closed. There was nothing he could say about it and bitching to the SECNAV befell deaf ears. So, he waited for her to screw up, everyone in command usually did. Her tiff came in the form of ex-Marine Michael Rose and their little affair which had sent waves through the base. Little did anyone know that he'd all but brainwashed Michael into dating the fair Colonel, knowing full well that his shady past was a mixture of sexual harassment and abuse which was blackened out because Michael was his 'nephew' by marriage. Everything that he expected to happen did. They dated, something sinister ensued, but instead of the woman winding up leaving her job or worse, Colonel MacKenzie was still there.

"Admiral on deck." Bud yelled, bringing everyone in the bullpen to attention, including Mac who was standing outside of her office watching the activity.

The Admiral didn't wave anyone off, he never did as he walked directly up to Mac, stopping no more than a foot away. "Colonel, your office, now."

"Aye, sir!" Mac did a flawless about face, then marched into her office, stopping just short of the desk as she waited for his instructions. One thing about the man, he rarely entered JLSS and chose to reign with an iron fist from his own office at the other end of the base. If he was here, something must have gone wrong, something that he would, no doubt, blame on her.

Schilling paced behind her, slightly rounding her right side as he came in for the kill. "Just what the hell is going on, MacKenzie?"

She kept her eyes forward, glaring at a spot on the wall and not flinching. Thank God for Marine training. "Sir?"

"I have received word that an unauthorized Marine has been in your offices. Care to tell me why?" He glared at her with a look that could kill.

Mac scrambled for an answer, as far as she was concerned, the only unauthorized Marine was done away with in less than an hour. Then again, she had seen someone that looked like him. "Sir, I can assure you, I have not had anyone in my office who is unauthorized."

"Really?" He pulled out a picture from one of his pockets, a screen capture from a security camera that clearly showed one Ted Jarvis masquerading around as a Marine holding a file folder in his hand. "Because this shot was taken yesterday. It's obvious he was stepping out of JLSS' file room." He held the picture up for her to see, waiting impatiently for an answer. "Your answer Colonel."

"That is Staff Sergeant Van Edee and he was not authorized by me or my Chief Of Staff. If he was here, I suspect it was to visit Lt. Commander Vukovic. . .They are friends." This was not starting to sit well with her. Why would a man that she so vehemently wanted out of her office still be hovering around?

Schilling nodded, reached over onto her desk and hit the button for Jen's office. "Petty Officer, get me Lt. Commander Vukovic in here yesterday." He barked, then waited patiently as Vic sauntered into the office, also coming to attention.

"Lt. Commander Vukovic, here as ordered, sir." From what little he knew about Schilling, Vic tried his best to stay the hell away from the man. He would prefer Mac's wrath to an Admiral's with a bug up his six.

As he did with Mac, Schilling showed him the picture. "Who is that?"

Vic glared at the picture, squinting a few times as he tried to formulate an answer. 'Oh shit.' He thought, 'This isn't good. . .What the hell was his alias again?' He cleared his throat as his eyes shot forward towards the wall. "That's. . .well, I don't know that man, sir."

'That's a lie!' Mac wanted to yell, but concealed her rage by biting on her inner cheek. Somewhere in the recess of her mind she could see her job being flushed down the toilet. Schilling was looking for anything to get rid of her and this could be it. "Sir, permission to speak freely." God, she was going to sound like a high school drama queen at any moment. When permission was granted, she turned to Vic. "The Lt. Commander was seen by various persons on my staff interacting with Staff Sergeant Van Edee. . .I am not sure what his agenda is but he is lying about never knowing the man." Well, that didn't sound too bad.

"Is that so, Commander?"

'Damn.' His mouth opened and closed a few times. "I'm sorry, sir. . May I see the picture again?" He glanced at the picture, this time actually reaching out to bring it closer to him. "Yes, sir. . .That's Sergeant Van Edee, he's a friend of mine. . .He came in to see the Colonel about joining the staff, but it turns out we already are over staffed."

"And why was he coming out of the file room?" Schilling asked, pointing towards the area that Jarvis was stepping out of, an area that was normally off limits to anyone that didn't work there.

Vic sighed. "Sir, I am sorry. . .I was showing him around in hopes that the Colonel would reconsider."

"Showing him around?" Mac spat out, the Marine death glare making itself present. "I told you I wanted that man out of my office. . .That picture was taken two days later."

Schilling wanted to laugh, the expression on both of their faces was priceless. "Well, we have a bit of a predicament here, don't we?" He paced behind Mac and Vic, letting them stir as he tried to figure out what he wanted to do. Alright, so it wasn't enough to toss MacKenzie out on her six, but it was enough to get her rattled. That combined with Michael's parole could be just the mixture to send her over the edge and out of JLSS. Who knows? When she was gone, maybe he would put up that Vukovic fellow. Apparently the SECNAV liked the kid, that was always a plus. "What was he doing with a file?" No matter how he spun it, MacKenzie would go down on record that as a CO she allowed unauthorized personnel in an area with such confidential information. "An answer would be nice."

Part of it WAS her fault. A good CO would have investigated herself, but no, instead she headed back into her office to speak with Detective Sawyer. God, she could have even asked Bud to look into it for her, but she didn't. "I don't have an answer, sir." She said honestly, waiting for a berating from him.

"Well, I want you to find out." The admiral said simply, then turned and headed towards the door. "You have until next week to give me a full report along with a reason why I shouldn't just toss the book at you, MacKenzie." And with that, he was gone.

The moment Schilling stepped out, Mac was on Vukovic faster than a surface to air missile. "Who is he really?"

Shaking his head, Vic held his hands up in defeat. "Ma'am, I swear, I only know him. . . we're not close." Yep, keep lying Vic, if you were Pinocchio that nose would be long enough to span the entire world. "He was just an acquaintance and I swear, I didn't know he was in here yesterday."

Mac was furious. Scratch that, furious wouldn't come close to describing the rage she felt. "I want you in that file room and I want you to find what he took, if he took anything. . .Dismissed."

Stepping outside of her office, Vic couldn't conceal anymore the grin that he had been holding back. Jarvis had taken whatever he wanted and both Schilling and Mac had bought his little story. As a result, Mac was going to have some trouble in her life. Really, all of this was turning out to be kind of fun.

2345 Local
Mac's House
San Diego, California

They hadn't done the undercover thing that evening. Despite the fact that Mac had a lousy day, Levi was not in town, or so Harm's sources said. The pictures he'd received earlier that day had Levi and a group of five well dressed individuals boarding a private plane to Las Vegas. The case would resume another day. With these change of events, Harm had decided to order pizza and rent a movie, something that would wind them both down. The last few days had been crazy. He hadn't expected though for Mac to be THIS frisky with him, especially in the mood she was in earlier when the spoke over the phone.

Mac's mouth was hungry. . .insatiable to be correct. She kissed him as if it would be their last time. It was hungry, powerful and so damned sexy that it wasn't too difficult to turn him on. "Let's take this upstairs." He suggested between kisses that were quickly leaving him breathless and she agreed. It was time to christen the new four poster bed that he'd purchased for her.

That night as she lay in his arms, Harm felt her stiffen slightly. Something was wrong and it wasn't the story with Van Edee, Schilling and Vukovic that he helped rid her frustrations over. "What's wrong, Sarah?"

Sarah. He never really called her that, but when he did, Mac felt it all the way to her soul. His voice was always sweet and gentle when he used her given name. "Nothing really."

"Yea, right. . .By now, I think I know you pretty well. .. I know that look." He kissed the tip of her nose, grinning slightly when her forehead scrunched up in thought. "You can talk to me, right?"

Mac nodded. "We need to talk about something. . .serious."

Serious. That wasn't ever a topic that he could consider fun or exciting, it was anything but. And, by the way she was looking at him, he had a reason to panic. "Okay. Should I be worried?"

"No, but I should be. . ." She trailed off, sighing deeply, as she wriggled slightly out of his grasp. If he was going to negate her request, she wanted a chance to, at least, be able to bold and not be so close to him. Being so close seemed to sever her thinking process. Breathing deeply, she summoned up the courage. "It's about us."

"Oh-oh." That really didn't help matters much, but he couldn't help it. "Sorry." Harm said, noting that sad look on her face took a turn for the worst. Could things really have gotten so bad so quickly? For the love of God, he hadn't even done anything wrong. Damnit, they were together and he still couldn't get over his insecurities around her?

"You don't need to look THAT worried, sailor." Yup, but for her own attempted bravado, Sarah MacKenzie was NERVOUS. This was a big deal and something she wasn't too sure she could recover from if he denied her. Yes, he had a right to, what she was going to suggest was a big, big step and not something she considered with anyone else. "We've been getting pretty serious." They were more than serious, if it had been high school, she'd been wearing his ring, his letterman, or whatever silly little thing teens did now a day to let others know you were 'off limits' to another suitor. "Right?"

He agreed. They had regained a level of trust that was deeper than what they'd shared before. Harm was sure their friendship was intact and this thing between them, this love story, was more than he could have hoped for. "We have."

"Well, I. . ." Mac hesitated. No, this wasn't easy for her. Despite them 'figuring it out' it was still new for her feelings, her desires to be so out on the table. So, she took a deep breath and leapt forward, hoping he would catch her if she fell. "Okay, there's no easy way to say this so I'll just blurt it out. . .Move in with me." This was a big deal. Despite the fact that he was, theoretically, living with her, this had a sense of permanence. It was also something that she had not asked of anyone else. Not Clay, not John, not Dalton and not even Mic, who had barged in on her life rather than let her set some sort of pace. True, she had followed blindly, but what can you do when the man you love doesn't love you back? You settle for second best. Well, not anymore.

Harm felt the tension wash away from him completely. "Move in with you?" He hadn't really thought that his repairing of her home would come to this. Truthfully, there were no ulterior motives to that endeavor, just a guy, wanting to help a friend out. She didn't have to know that he'd sunk a good chunk of change into making this place inhabitable again. "You want me to move in with you?"

"Well, you're living with me now. . .I mean. . . It's not that much harder to make it permanent." It really wasn't, they just needed to change 'some' things. Tone down the MacKenzie flare and bring in a bit of Rabbness. "Unless, you're going to take whatever insurance money they gave you and rebuild your home, which I understand, the land over there is really breathtaking." And she did understand, but she didn't have to like it.

"I miss it sometimes. Well, I miss my deck, which I built myself, by hand." The house had been perfect, it just needed a family as it was much to be for him, by himself and Mattie, on occasion. "Anyway. . ."

Mac reached her hand to his face, caressing his cheek gently. "I'm being serious. . .I want you to move in with me." Her eyes reflected the seriousness she felt. God, she'd dreamed, several times of what it would be like to live with him, to share a space. It probably wouldn't be easy, nothing between them ever was, but it would be fun trying. Plus, they'd reached some understanding and this would be the perfect way to allow it to grow. "We can fix the den up, put two desks in there, one for you, one for me. . .or turn it into a bedroom which Mattie can use when she visits. . ."

And then, she mentioned his daughter. It took that for him to realize just how serious she was in her decision. Mac wanted him there, all of him, including the girl that had chipped away the rough edges of his heart. Harm was amazed by Mac. Simply and completely amazed. "You've really put some thought into this?"

"Endlessly." Since they returned home from their sailing excursion, it was all she thought about. Though they hadn't been 'together' for long, the years they'd spent as partners and friends were enough for her. Loving him and being loved by him was just a bonus. A very sweet bonus. "I want to be with you, Harm, and not just when it's convenient for us or on the weekends because we didn't have the time to see each other." Frowning slightly, she lowered her eyes away from him. "If you don't want to, it's fine. . .It won't change things. . .I just want to put that out on the table. . .Open it up for discussion."

But, in his eyes, there was no need for discussions. If she wanted him there, that's where he'd be, with bells on. He wasn't going to pass this opportunity or any others when it came to her. "Well, I don't know." Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't tease her. That childlike quality of Harmon Rabb Junior would never change.

"I understand. . .It was just a. . .suggestion. . ." But the more she stared at him the more she realized he was joking, tricking her. "You are such a jerk." She couldn't help but smack him, kind of hard, on the arm.

"Hey, oww!" He laughed and so did she. See, it really wasn't that bad to tell the truth, sometimes you even get the world in return. "Yes, I'll move in with you." Surprising how simple some things could be.

At least, they were simple in that specific time and space. For, when you venture out of your comfort zone, things will change. . .

The Next Night
2250 Local
The Angels Nest Bar & Nightclub
San Diego, California

To Harm's dismay, Mac's choice of outfits really didn't improve. True, it wasn't as racy and lacy as a few days ago, but the tight, blue number clearly screamed 'I'm out to catch a man.' Sitting at the bar, she couldn't help but laugh out loud at Harm's aloof expression earlier that night. "You are wearing underwear under that thing, right?" Men could sometimes be so ridiculous. "What's so funny, Marine?" She heard him speak over the transceiver, chuckling a bit more as the recent memory kept replaying in her mind.

"Same thing I found funny on the way over." She whispered, waving the bartender over and ordering a virgin Piña Colada. Mac couldn't help it if she was actually in a good mood that evening. The man that she loved agreed to move in with her and, thankfully, no files had been taken from JLSS. Schilling was still an ass who would, no doubt, try to post some sort of black mark on her record, but she would find a way out of it, she always did. There was one thing, however, which concerned her. "Where the hell is Levi?" It was getting late, much later than the time he normally headed towards the club. She was tired of getting hit on, tired of denying dancing with other men. It was starting to look suspicious now and she didn't want to be obvious or look too clingy when it came to Levi. "Not even his goons are here."

It was when she turned to the right that she realized something was different. The painting which she'd admired earlier was gone. . replaced by something else. "Harm, a painting is gone."

Harm was watching her through the binoculars, this night she was able to sit in an area which boasted a better vantage point from his angle. "Painting? What painting?"

"There was some fancy painting on the wall last time I was here. . .If am not losing my mind, it and another painting are gone. . .different ones were put up in their place." Her mind was already working overtime. It was starting to make sense now. "Maybe that's how he's doing it. . .Would make sense why the FEDS never found out."

Harm agreed. "Damn, Marine, you still haven't lost your touch." It never occurred to him that the operation would be that simple. For the most part, money launderers usually had some over the top scheme that was near to impossible to penetrate. But, if Mac's discovery was dead on (Harm trusted her instincts on this one) then it was easy to see why the FEDS never figured it out. It was much too easy. "Now we just need to figure out where he's sticking the cash."

Mac sighed. "Guess it's time to rev up the MacKenzie charm and see if I can take a peak at the books."

That was the intention all along, to befriend Levi and allow Mac to check into the unseen part of his business. The way he seemed attracted to her like a moth to a flame made it look relatively easy. Hopefully, he would show up that night with the urge to have the companionship of a beautiful woman. "Just, please be careful."

"I will. Now, go mute. . . he's here." She whispered, surprised that Harm hadn't warned her about his arrival earlier.

Harm was stumped as well. From his vantage point he could see all of the ins and outs of the club, how the hell did he miss Levi? "Good luck." This was going to be a long night, he could feel it in his bones.

Like clockwork, Levi found his way over to Mac who was sitting at the bar, pretending not to notice him. He placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder, grinning smugly as she turned to look at him. "Evening, you are looking gorgeous tonight, Sandra." Without asking and without warning, he took her hand, pulled her off of the barstool and weaved her through the crowd towards the dance floor. He pulled her to him possessively, his hand already dropping down to her six. It was his custom to take what he wanted and that included women. "That's a lovely scent you are wearing."

"It's called 'Touch.' And yes, it's particularly seductive." No holes barred, that was the plan for the night. A plan that had to work quickly because neither she nor Harm wanted to spend more time on this than absolutely necessary.

The seduction, if you could call it that, didn't take too long at all. Before she knew it, Levi was taking her back towards his office, assuring her that it would be a better place for them to talk and become 'acquainted.' She knew what he had in mind and that was the one boundary she wasn't planning on crossing. "Here we go, let me just get us some champagne."

Mac was about to let him in on her little secret (the fact that she doesn't drink) until she realized he'd have to leave her alone. . .in the office. Alone – in the office. "I'll go freshen myself up, do you have a bathroom in here?"

Levi grinned and pointed towards the right. "Over there, baby. . .Make yourself comfortable." He leered at her hungrily, tonight he would be one hell of a lucky man. "I'll be right back."

"Don't make me wait too long." She said breathily, adding a sultry wink for good measure. When he closed the door, she placed her ear against it, waiting until his footsteps seemed distant before stepping into the office which was in a room farther inside. "Alright, Harm. . .I'm inside and alone."

"Good." So far, things were going well. Hopefully he would get what they came for and it would be the last time that Samuel Levi would ever see Sandra McKinley again. "Hopefully he'll have the computer on. If not, turn it on and try to get him out of the room again so you have more time."

She'd hoped it wouldn't lead to that. This evening Levi was expecting something from her that she was more than just a little reluctant to give. "It's on." With a sigh of relief she dug through her purse, pulling out a flash card which she slipped into the computer's USB port. "Alright, flash is in and scanning." As it scanned she took out her make up case, touching up her lipstick to at least appear as if she'd actually been in the head. "Harm, is it receiving?"

In the SUV he glanced at the laptop noting that it was quickly taking in information. "Yes, coming in quickly too, that's a plus." Not much longer now and he could rid himself of this mess while impressing the FEDs "Besides, I don't need much. . .Give it thirty seconds longer."

"Alright." Standing, she headed towards the door, opening it up and peaking down the hall. Levi was no where to be found. "He's still not back so I think we can take in a bit more than that."

Harm frowned. "No, Mac. . .I am not going to risk you getting caught for this. Trust me, it's not worth it."

"Fine." She'd only wanted to help. Once the thirty seconds were up, she removed the device and placed it into her purse but not before Levi had reentered the room, confused as to why she was in his office. "Oh, hey, baby. . .I was looking around for a radio or something. . .I'm in the mood to dance."

Levi wasn't convinced, but he went along, for now. "Yea? Well, we can do our own type of dancing to our own kinda music." He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight to his body, so much that she was having trouble taking a breath. "God, you are so hot." His hands were already headed towards un-chartered territory when he had them smacked away. "Woah, what was that for?"

Mac grinned. "I want to dance. . .It gets me in the mood." Playfully, she tugged his tie out from under this suit and then pulled on it. "You want me in the mood don't you?" She gave him a mischievous look that could seduce a man in a single breath. Then, for good measure, licked her lower lip. "I want to be in the mood for all of the wild things I have planned." With a girly giggle, she tugged him out of the office, immediately bumping into someone, a big someone.

True to Harm and Mac, things were NEVER easy. "Sarah?" The use of her given name caught her off guard so much that she turned, receiving the person that had uttered it. "I must be the luckiest man alive." There, standing before her was Michael Rose, in the flesh, looking better than ever with a grin that chilled her to the bone.

Mac's breath caught in her throat. It didn't matter that she had been preparing herself for this, in that instant the only thing that she remembered was what he'd done. Her body shivered and she could literally feel the crunch of the past, of when he'd thrown her into the kitchen cabinets. Somehow, she stopped herself from verbalizing his name. Instead, she fell back into the façade that she'd created and turned back to Levi who was giving them an odd look. "I. . .I have to go." She tried to push through and past Michael, but he held her in place, backing her into the office.

From his vantage point, Harm could see absolutely nothing. The cameras that were on her, suddenly decided to stop working. "Mac, who is that?" He knew she couldn't outright answer, but hoped she'd find a way to tell him anyway. Damnit, what was going on?

Levi seemed confused and yet, despite all of that, he turned to Michael, taking his hand in a friendly shake. "Michael, glad to see you finally made it."

Michael? The moment Harm heard the name, he sprung into action, jumping out of the car and opening the back to pull out the sports jacket and tie he needed in order to enter the establishment. "I heard Mac. . .Hang on, I'm coming." Running across the street, he stepped into the line, pushing his way past the patrons, vying for a closer shot at the door. "Damnit, move!"

"How do you know Sarah?" The more he used her name, the more Mac wanted to crawl into the ground and disappear. Jesus Christ, when things went wrong, it really was in spades, wasn't it? His hands hadn't come off her at all.

"Sarah? I thought you told me your name was Sandra?" Levi glared down at Mac, pinning her with a gaze that would have frightened most.

Impatiently, Harm stood at the club door, he could hear the discussion through the device in his ear. God, what had he gotten her into? "Mac, I'm coming. . .Hang on." He repeated, shoving in farther and nearly starting a brawl as he did.

"It's SANDRA . .I told you. . .Maybe you didn't hear me right the first time?" Mac countered, hoping it would work, hoping that, for her sake, Michael wouldn't do something stupid.

Both Levi and Michael laughed mischievously. "Where's your lover, Sarah?"

Almost as if on queue, the door swung open and in came in a semi-conscious Harmon Rabb being carried by two of Levi's goons.

- - - - - -

NK – Thank you! My threats to computers usually work. It's this shifty eyed thing I do that causes my contacts to fly out. Yup, Gunny's got himself a babe ehehehe.

Yes, I am wicked with cliffhangers, but you guys read it still so it does work :grin:

MarineJAG – Jarvis is a bit more than he seems, he's not just having a grudge but he's directly linked to someone so he has a real agenda. As for Mac's house, I guess she liked it. . .;)

Nikki – Ding Ding Ding, yer right! We are not giving away prizes, but doesn't it make you feel GOOD that you were right about the 'site that blew her away'? ;) Could be worse, could have been Clay LOL!

MichelleUK – Not a clue about "No Regrets" and about DPB – they didn't know what they had or how to use it. I mean ratings would have HIT the roof to see them dating. Have them date, like really date without getting intimate and I would have had a bunch of things get in the way, make it funny again. JAG used to have some GREAT comedy. Like everytime they try to get intimate SOMETHING happens, dinner goes wrong, they have a slight fight, Mattie shows up, stuff like that. Morons, really. Threw the show away for what? To piss off shippers. Uh huh.

Heather – Thanks! I was happy to pass it! 3 more months to go. THANK GOD!

Lisa – More more more! You have more! ;)

LtJGMEG – Nope, was Michael that destroyed her home.

Froggy – Thanks! I was worried, but went by pretty well. I finished a 100 question test. . .scratch that 120 question test in 15 mins. Not bad, eh? Mac and Levi, yea ICK. The guy is like. . .damn, eww. . .TOUCHY! Vickypuky will get his, just not yet. I need him. God, shoot me now, I said I needed Vic!

Anon Skeleton – Still loving this nick, BTW. ;) And I am a cliffhanger junkie, so nice that I stuck them back to back, right! Right! RIGHT!

Odakota – Levi is a major creep, when I started writing him, I had him a bit of a pasty that Mac could deal with. But, then I am like, NAW! Make him a jerk that we really hate so readers won't feel slightly bad that he was being used, etc. Creeps need to be written as such:D Vic, Levi and Jarvis – just like the jelly between your toes. ;)

Alix33 – Bud doesn't know Jarvis. . .But, Harm might make the connection soonish. ;) It may be a bit too late though. :(

Jamie – Bud is and will help out some, but it'll all bit a bit too late. . .What a jerk Jarvis is, huh?

Starry – Thanks!

Janlaw – Thank you! I am glad they are going well too. Some people, I don't get. Imean, it's not a cheap course it's about a thousand dollars a month and people are NOT even bothering to TRY. Someone has a 35 in the class! A 35! I don't get it, really, I don't!

Kristie – Yes, he did! Isn't Harm just like the bestest:Grabs her Harm Clone and grins:

TVAngel – YES! A Cliffy! I am A Cliffy addict:D And thank you about the test!

Bluejay – Yup! You were right! ;) Some of you guys are too smart:P