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.

23. Present and Past Lovers

Ah, another cliffy resolved. But, wasn't it a goodie! Jarvis haters, here's your chance to learn just a little bit more about him. . .Maybe something you didn't want to know, but nevertheless, you will learn! HEhehee Muahahaa!

Jackie

PS: Thanks for sticking to this story. It's a long one, but it's been fun to write. :) Thanks gang!

Part 23 – Present and Past Lovers

2315 Local
The Angels Nest Bar & Nightclub
San Diego, California

"Where's your lover?" Levi leered over Mac, his eyes taking on a look more dangerous than she'd previously seen. She wasn't going to answer and doubted very much that they could coax it out of her. Marine training had her prepared for moments like these. But, when the door flung open and Harm's half conscious form was dragged in by two very large men, that resolve started to crumble. "Ah, Lucas, Mark, thank you. . .You may step out."

When the pair had spotted Harm at the entrance of the establishment knowing full well that once he heard Mac was in trouble, he would want to rescue her, that's when they nabbed him, pelted him over the head with some blunt object and then dragged him to their boss. Tonight, they would be well compensated for their assistance. The two men unceremoniously dropped him on the floor almost as if he were a sack of potatoes without feelings or emotions. Harm groaned audibly when his upper body hit the floor. Michael rose his eyebrows up in amusement. He kicked Harm's side, grinning as the other man groaned in pain. "He's pathetic."

Levi held Mac as she tried to lunge towards Michael. "Now, now, now, Colonel, that's not a good idea."

"Colonel? How do you. . ." Her eyes floated back up to Michael. This was a trap. "You set us up."

Michael chuckled. "Yes, and it was relatively easy. . .I saw you here the other night, dancing with Mr. Levi. . .But what amused me the most was that, when you stepped out of here, you went back to Rabb's office." He smiled triumphantly. "That's when I decided to have a sit down with Mr. Levi and fill him in on what Rabb does. . .I knew that if he thought you were in danger, he'd leave his post and come in here to get you."

Levi turned Mac around, shaking her roughly. "Is he right SARAH? You working for some PI firm?" He let her go, thrusting her forward so that she collapsed over Harm's body.

"Harm." Mac breathed out as she came onto her knees next to him, ignoring a slight pain on her ankle. As quickly as possible, she checked his body, finding that nothing was broken. "You didn't have to hurt him." She spat, staring up at Levi and then at Michael as that famous MacKenzie ire began to take shape. "What do you want from me?" She asked her former lover, in a tone laced with the hatred she felt for him.

Michael sighed. She needed an explanation? "I want you, Sarah. . .But, you know that." Dramatically, he came to sit on the sofa near her and Harm. "I've been following you for so long and you never noticed it, how does that happen?"

"Maybe I hoped that you were locked away for good?"

He laughed in a sinister way that made her skin crawl. "There was no reason to lock me away for good. . .Besides, parole boards are a funny thing."

Mac shook her head. "You aren't supposed to be out! It was at least fifteen years."

"You know, all of that can be changed if you just ask nicely. . .Or if you happen to have an uncle who's an Admiral with a fear of you tainting his good name." Grinning, he moved on the sofa, sliding himself even closer to the two of them.

"Uncle that's an Admiral?" In a flash, Harm's eyes opened, blinded by the light, head aching against the dull pain at the base of his skull. He'd been listening quietly, hoping to delay any confrontation just a little bit more. However, this revelation, snapped his head up in a heartbeat. "Do you mean Schilling?" Damn, what if Mac had been right about Schilling all along? What if he had been setting her up? "Is it Schilling?" He urged.

But, Michael didn't answer, just shot them both a saccharine sweet smile. "I've been watching you. . .I've been watching for weeks. . .His house, the sailboat . . .I've been watching you for so long and you never noticed. . .I saw your meeting with him. . .I saw you give your body to him. . .Really Sarah, how much of a little whore can you be? How could you let him seduce you?" Frowning, he stood up and shook his head. Michael looked completely remorseful and just a bit disgusted at the notion that his 'girl' was with someone else. "Because of my jealousy, I almost lost you and I am sorry. . .I mean, when I torched his house, it was meant for you to stay away from him."

"You did that?" And here Harm was blaming himself for the whole ordeal. Both he and Gunny's fears had been incorrect, it hadn't been a client or a mark. "You could have killed her!" His anger couldn't be contained and now, even though that evening seemed so long ago, Harm still felt guilty. She shouldn't have been there that night. Then again, how was he to know?

"I didn't think she'd be there. . .It was dark and I couldn't be sure that it was Sarah." Michael added with a shrug. "I was just trying to take care of the competition.. .I never thought it would have thrown her straight into your arms."

Mac kept a hand on Harm in hopes of keeping some contact with him if things got ugly. "Whatever you are aiming for, isn't going to happen." She turned to Levi. "We know about the money laundering scam. . .We know about it all."

Levi had been deathly silent during that time, it was part of the agreement he made with Michael. "Artwork is a very easy currency to use." He shrugged, "But, you're not going to have the chance to tell anyone about it." He grabbed Mac, roughly bringing her up to her feet as he searched her purse. "Where is it?"

Mac was defiant. "Not a clue what you're talking about." That was a bad mistake, a second later the back of Levi's hand connected with her face.

"Don't hurt her, Levi." Michael warned, tugging her roughly away from the other man so he could check on her injury, but Mac wasn't lifting her head to him, she refused to.

Impatiently, Levi rummaged through her purse, finally digging out the flashcard which she'd used to transfer information to Harm. Little did he know that the card he found was a decoy and the real card she'd managed to strap under her nylons. "Ah. ..here we are." He dropped the card to the floor and brought his heel down over it, crushing it hard. "No more information. . .Sorry about that Mr. Rabb."

"That's where you're wrong." Harm stated with conviction. "Men like you always get caught." He then shoved his hand into his pocket, producing a transceiver that would alert the FBI. It was common practice between his firm and law enforcement agencies to have a 'plan b' in the off chance things would get sketchy. With men like Levi, no one wanted to take any chances and both nights a small contingency of FBI agents sat, waiting.

When Levi pulled the device out of Harm's hand he was surprised to see that he'd been trumped. "You bastard." The moment he went to strike Harm, the door was all but blown open as two fully armed FBI agents stepped in.

Michael used that moment to plot an escape. He grabbed Mac's arm and bent it in a fashion that made her lean her back into him if she didn't want it broken off. From the back of his pants he produced a long, shiny object which he brought upwards. "Don't . .Don't move. . .Else she's dead." He held a knife to her throat, the edge nipping her skin.

Harm rose his hands up, showing Michael his palms in a gesture to make the other man realize he was not a threat. "There's no need for that Michael. . .It's not you we're after. . .Let her go." He kept his eyes on the knife which had nicked her skin, causing a thin crimson line to slide down her throat. "You say you want her, this isn't the way to go about winning her back."

"I DO want her." He told Harm as he pushed the knife a little deeper.

Mac winced audibly as she fought to keep her body rigged in case any slight movement would cause the knife to bite even deeper into her skin. She could feel the slimy substance rolling down her neck and was helpless to stop it. Thankfully, she had Harm's eyes on hers, conveying that he was just waiting for an opening. So she gave him one, in the form of a loud groan.

"You're hurting her." Harm said calmly, leveling his gaze down to her throat. "The knife is cutting her."

To Michael, it was almost an afterthought that the knife could, potentially, hurt the woman he wanted so much. This wasn't in his game plan, this wasn't what he was looking for. He wanted Mac and he wanted her alive and well. The plan with Levi was just to eliminate Rabb and take Mac, making her realized hat he was the one for her. Realizing what Harm was telling him, he lowered the knife and bent her head to the side. He spotted the area of nipped skin and the blood that was rushing down her throat. "Sarah. . .I." The knife came down to his side as Mac pretended to faint. It was all that Harm needed.

Michael hit the ground with a hard thud as Harm crashed over him. They wrestled for control of the knife, Michael having the upper hand as he was in better mental condition than Harm who had a pounding headache. "Let it go!" He demanded, using his other hand to repeatedly hit Harm on his already tender ribs. "LET IT GO!"

Mac turned to the agents. "Do something!" She yelled, wanting to strip them of their weapons in order to save Harm. "Damnit, do something!"

One of the agents shook his head, then lowered his rifle. "I don't have a clean shot!"

Harm groaned out in pain as Michael elbowed him to the ribs. It caused the knife to become loose and slide out towards Mac. The knife was in her position in just mere seconds. She turned back to the battle finding that Michael was over Harm attempting to choke the life out of him. "Michael no!" She brought the blade down into Michael's back, not hitting any major organs but inflicting enough depilating pain to bright him off of Harm.

"Are you alright?" She kneeled at his side, placing her hand over his throat, noticing some slight bruising. "Can you talk?" Flashes of the Watertown and their battle with psycho Corpsman Hodge came to mind. It had taken several days for him to regain full use of his vocal chords. They'd almost lost each other then. "Harm?"

He took a deep breath and coughed the air out of his lungs. Harm's gaze settled on hers. "Yea. . .Yea, I'm fine. . .I'm fine. . .We're okay." Harm sat up and tugged her to him, holding her in his arms for a few seconds. "I guess we'll have to file this one away with all of our other adventures?"

Mac released him and chuckled. "It's so much fun hanging out with you." She helped him to his feet. "Let's get out of here."

2312 Local
Theodore Jarvis's Home
Mission Bay, California

A massive amount of paperwork covered the coffee table he was working on. "Shit!" He grunted, wiping a paper clean after he'd spilled coffee on it. Jarvis set it aside in order to let it dry, then reached for another. "My, my, my." Everything was there in black and white. Detail after detail after detail about one Harmon Rabb Junior. What he found most intriguing, though, was the classified information that he managed to finagle from the CIA mainframe using the JAG computers.

"Central Intelligence Agency." Hmm. That certainly WAS interesting. Not only did the Naval Captain have an illustrious life as a pilot and then a lawyer, but he'd also dabbled a bit with the CIA. Happily, he threw his head back, howling in laughter. This was just getting better and better and better.

A knock on his door startled him and though few people knew the real Theodore Jarvis, especially his posh living situation – a condo on Mission Bay – he was protected. Reaching towards the edge of the coffee table he grabbed the .9mm Walther PPK – the James Bond Gun – (Jarvis was a closet Bond fan) and headed towards the door with all of the cockiness of a man on a mission. He pushed a few buttons on a LCD screen adjacent to the door and up sprung the live image of an incredibly sexy blond woman standing in the hallway just outside his door.

She leaned up against the door, impatiently waiting for it to open. "Well, well, well." Jarvis grinned, opening the door and stepping backwards to let her enter. "Funny meeting you here."

The blonde rolled her eyes, walked passed him and went immediately to the kitchen. "Do you have something to drink?"

"Hello to you too." He closed the door behind him and followed her into the kitchen. "Is that any way to greet me?" Smugly, he smiled at her, leaning against one of the counters as she pulled out the bottle of vodka he always had chilling in the freezer. He took the bottle away from her, placing it on the countertop. "Well?"

With a dramatic sigh, she stepped forward, enveloping Jarvis in a hug, culminating with a kiss on the cheek. "Happy? Now, give me the damned bottle."

Reluctantly he agreed, then turned and took two glasses out of the cupboard. "So, what brings the great Manda Patterson out here?" He grinned sheepishly. Damn he was feeling good lately, even better now that she was here.

"Well, little brother, just making sure you aren't screwing with our plans." Manda Patterson was not a woman to be reckoned with, a woman that didn't take a step without knowing what its end result would be. This meant that she was fully aware of Harm's investigation and everything surrounding it. Oh yes, she knew all about it.

Despite all of the dirt and details that Rabb and Galindez were able to dig up on her dealings, the information was superficial at best. What they didn't know was that Manda Patterson wasn't just a woman on the payroll of a major narcotics runner. She was the daughter of a ruthless drug trafficker who had been shot and killed around her twenty first birthday. Manda never recovered from her father's death and somehow, she'd 'inherited' the family business and wound up using an advertising firm as the foreground from where she ran her deals. It wasn't luck that brought her to meet Randy Quinn, the man Harm had uncovered. That man that was now spending life in prison for the deal he made with Harm who was posing as an Australian at the time.

It wasn't even luck that brought Harm onto that case. No, it was a well laid, well thought out and precise plan. In simple terms – she wanted Quinn's power and to knock him off of the throne, so to speak, meant that others would HAVE to come to her for their narcotic supplies. They needed HER and since the FBI and DEA were inherently impossible to deal with, she sent Ted Jarvis (real name Theodore Jarvis Patterson Argeneau), her baby brother (Half brother, really – Their father was notorious for being a ladies man), into a small PI firm and waited. She waited and waited. That was the key to the whole plan. For her to wait and seduce Randy Quinn. To involve herself in his affairs and allow for Jarvis to mesh with his coworkers, to be trusted. A year later, he led both Gunny and Harm to the case and they'd been blinded by it ever since.

The whole involvement had worked out relatively well, Rabb had gone after Quinn and as a result the man was now in jail, serving a life sentence, but that wasn't all. If Manda Patterson had her way about it, Randy Quinn would not live to see even a fraction of his sentence. She needed him completely out of the picture. After that was accomplished, she was unstoppable. True, she still had a persistent problem by the name of Harmon Rabb on her hands, but she trusted Jarvis would take care of that. How wrong she was.

Jarvis took the bottle away from her, quickly serving them both half a glass of the good stuff. "You don't trust me, Mandy?"

"Tell me again how the hell you got fired?" She rose her eyebrows in question. Manda NEEDED him at that office, it was the only way to dig up information without it seeming suspicious. Without him being caught.

"Your goon, the one I let into the office. . .Well, he decided to attack one of my bosses. . .They figured me to be their number one suspect." Course, it didn't help Jarvis much that he was just an ass to begin with. This wasn't the first or last time he'd screwed the pooch, so to speak.

Manda headed out of the kitchen, coming to sit on one of the sofas. She suspiciously eyed the paperwork on the coffee table, then turned to Jarvis. "Teddy, you were running that big mouth of yours off, weren't you?" It wasn't surprising, it had happened before when she was trying to seduce the original owner of her ad agency into complying. Jarvis was a screw up, he'd always been, but that didn't mean she couldn't use him. And it didn't mean she didn't love him. Sighing in annoyance, she downed some more of the drink. "Really, Ted, you need to learn to keep that big mouth of yours shut. . .Now I have to work double time on Rabb." Bending forward, she took a sheet off of the table, her eyes going wide from the details. "Is this. . .Is this real?"

Jarvis nodded. "He worked for the CIA, flew for them, even did a few secret missions for them."

She let out a long whistle. "I think we may have gotten over our heads with this one."

"Naw, Rabb, at the moment, is much too involved with his girl to really pay attention.. . He just wants to wrap up this case with you."

"How'd you get all of these without being in his office?"

"Well, I wouldn't have gotten them from his office, that's for sure. . .I met some idiot JAG at a bar, turns out he works with Rabb's girl who is a Marine Colonel and the commanding officer at the JAG office in San Diego. . .JAG's computers can pull out just about anything."

Alright, so her baby brother WAS good, if only that spitfire attitude would calm down. Knowing intimate details was one thing, but this time around, it seemed like Jarvis had gone too far. "And what the hell do we need this much information for, Teddy? You planning on selling secrets to the other side as well?" She teased, but found that Jarvis was not amused.

"It's details that we can use to make sure YOU are safe, Mandy." Sighing, he took the file from her and placed it over the one with the coffee stain. "Now that we know his talents, I can protect you better." He took another sheet and handed it to her. "When you join the CIA, for whatever reason, you need to tell them your fears." He pointed at a section. "It's all there in black and white. . .So are the types of training he had. . .Trust me, we can use plenty of it while he thinks he's seducing you. . .I mean, the man flies. . that alone is perfect to move the stuff from point A to point B. With a little leverage, we can use him, really use him."

Manda nodded, alright so the details MAY be important. "What leverage?"

Jarvis grinned, he'd already thought of that. God, had he thought of that. "Marine Colonel Sarah MacKenzie." He riffled through the papers, producing Mac's service record which he handed to Manda. "That's his girlfriend. . .We can use her to get to him."

"Ah, yes. The old, kidnap my lover trick?" He was getting too predicable for her liking. "We've done that before which means we need someone to watch her."

"I already thought of that." Rolling his eyes, Jarvis came to sit next to her. "Lieutenant Commander Vukovic."

"Who?"

"He's this jackass that works for her at the JAG office. He's also in love with her and is keeping tabs on what she does. I've pushed him enough to the point that he believes I am right about getting Rabb out of the way. . .It'll work, you know my mind games always do."

"And what if this Vucowhatever decides to do a little snooping? Frankly, I don't think involving someone from the outside is a good idea, it's never been a good idea, Teddy." Standing, she headed towards the kitchen, fetching the bottle of vodka. "I mean, doesn't the guy find it peculiar that you have it so badly for Rabb?"

"Vic thinks I am a disgruntled worker, out to get him because I got fired." It was a good cover, after all and, technically, Jarvis was pissed off about it.

"Well, technically you are, aren't you? Pissed off I mean?" She chuckled, poured more vodka in his and her glasses, then opened up the sliding glass door, stepping out onto the balcony.

Jarvis shrugged. "Whatever, it was a stupid job." He stepped out onto the balcony, leaning against the wall. If there was one thing Jarvis hated, it was heights. Enviously he eyed his sister as she stared out to the world below. "I hate it when you do that."

"That's why I do it." She didn't turn to look at him, only stared out into the city, sighing contentedly.

1225 Local
Joint Legal Service Southwest
San Diego, California

There was a rustle and bustle on the base that day, so many things had happened in such a short period of time that most personnel's heads were spinning. Over the weekend it was announced that SECNAV Sheffield was stepping down, his replacement, a woman named Caroline Hewitt was put into the position. Almost as quickly as she settled in, Hewitt was handed her first problem of the day: Rear Admiral Jacob N. Schilling. During the investigation on Michael, it was discovered the true identity of the man. As promised, Harm had sent the information to JAG HQ and Creswell had sent one of his JAGs to investigate in order to keep everything impartial. They had done the investigation in two days and on Friday morning, to everyone's surprise, two NCIS Agents had Schilling under arrest.

Harm was on base that day, he wanted to be there in the off chance she needed him. They stood side by side as NCIS, who was called in by Creswell, brought out box after box filled with pictures of female personnel which had been reprimanded or fired by him. When they'd searched his desk, right at the top had been pictures of Mac with intricate details about her military career. One of the pictures was the ones the hospital had taken of her injuries when Michael was put into custody. "He was obsessed with you, Colonel." The NCIS agent had told her as they finished the investigation.

Harm and Mac now stood in the center of the bullpen, watching the overhead screens as pictures of Schilling's arrest played over and over again. "It's over, Mac." He said softly, turning to give her a soft smile.

"Thank you." She told him, resisting the urge to kiss him soundly. Instead, she took his hand, giving it a light squeeze. Grinning, she gave him a once over. He did look sexy as hell in that flight suit. (He was in that day evaluating two new members of the team before they met in a week). "Go, your boys are waiting."

"Boys and girls, Mac. . .This is the new Navy." He grinned, gave her hand a final squeeze and then stepped out of JLSS. Mac stayed rooted in place watching him leave with a dreamy expression. She hated the Superhero types and yet, was happy to have HIM in her life.

From his office, Vuckovic stood, hidden behind the blinds which blocked him off from the rest of the world. He scowled audibly. "Rabb. . .You don't know what you're messing with." He wasn't exactly sure when it had begun to bother him so much – the relationship between Harm and Mac. All he knew was that it was eating him up inside. Damnit, he'd nearly wooed Mac – then a Lieutenant Colonel - during their first trip to San Diego almost five years ago. Of course, Rabb had called and she'd changed completely, her eyes lighting up in a way he only saw when a woman was in love. During dinner that night, she wasn't the same, her mind wasn't on the flow of conversation, he knew it was a couple thousand miles away, back in Washington. When she'd received her new billet and refused to take him along, Vic knew it wasn't because of his unorthodox methods. She felt something for him that scared her. Something that made her remember the mistakes from her youth which she wasn't going to make again. Little did he know that the only attraction she felt for him had to do with Vic reminding her slightly of a younger Harmon Rabb Junior.

It had been hell to get transferred into JLSS since both Creswell and MacKenzie had fought hard against having him there and yet, a door had opened in the form of a favor he did for the SECNAV. Ever since then, he was Sheffield's boy with perks that no one could have imaged. But, the one perk he wanted the most, the one that came in the form of an olive skinned, brown haired, brown eyed, sexy as hell, female Marine Colonel, always eluded him. True, it was pushing both ethical and legal laws, but he didn't care. Too many nights he lay in bed, his mind conjuring up one steamy image after another about the things he wanted to do to Sarah MacKenzie. Even if it was for ONE night. He had to have her, come hell or high water. And Vuckovic didn't know a woman he couldn't seduce.

Startled, he drew back from the blinds when another pair of dark, angry eyes met his. Without askance, the door to his office opened and a second later, Lt. Commander Tali Mayfield stood a few feet away. "Jealous Gregory?"

He snorted at her comment, then moved away from the window fully. Mayfield was someone he just didn't trust, and for good reason. She knew him well and he was certain she would be the one to notice a difference in him that had started when he teamed up with Jarvis. In the last week his conscience wasn't bothering him as much. Greed, envy and lust were his power, his drive. "I am only envious at what I can not have."

Mayfield chuckled wholeheartedly. "You've lost your mind, Greg. . .It doesn't matter how much you lust after the Colonel, she doesn't like you." She said the last words in a sing-song voice that had irritated him incredibly. "Keep your pencil in your pocket and try to find someone else. . .I mean, Jesus, how many women are there on base and in San Diego and you're still hung up on her?. . .You're becoming utterly pathetic." She placed her arms across her chest and glared at him in disgust.

Vic slipped into his chair and sighed. "This has nothing to do with any feelings I have for Colonel MacKenzie, because I don't have any for her. . .It has to do with that creep, Rabb. . .You saw how he left her that night. . .What makes you think he won't do it again? Then we'll have a hurt and pissed off Colonel running around here chewing our heads off. . I'm thinking about her and us, Tali."

"Ah, yes, thinking about her." She was less than convinced at his plight. "That's why you stare at her as if she had 'take me I'm yours' written all over?" Vic shot her a look that would kill and Mayfield chuckled again. "Look, find a woman, get laid. . . Get it out of your system and do your job." That smile wiped completely from her lips, she moved forward, almost stalking him. "Unless you want me to bring up the past."

"You don't know a thing about my past, only the things that you ASSUME. . .And when you ASSUME you make an ASS out of U and ME." He grunted out flatly, knowing she was right. The details that Mayfield had about him were damning should someone bother to look. Jarvis had found it, it wasn't too unfathomable for someone else to discover it as well. "What I do and don't do with Colonel MacKenzie isn't your business."

"She's a senior officer, you could ruin her and I am not going to let that happen." Decisively, she turned to head out the door when he grabbed her arm and turned her roughly towards him. "Let. Me. Go." She punctuated, her eyes darkening.

Vic resisted for a moment, then let her go, slightly coming to his senses. "If you tell anyone about this, I'll deny it, you realize that right." She didn't answer him, but gave a loud, un-lady like snort as she headed out of his office. Angrily he took a pen and chucked it across the room. He'd have to be much more careful.

As she stepped out of his office, Mayfield spotted Mac still in the bullpen, her eyes cast up towards the screens. "Colonel, I need to have a word with you." She was done giving Vukovic chances.

Mac opened her mouth, wanting to suggest another time, but promptly closed it again, an aloof expression coming to her features. Mayfield was rarely the type to ask for personal conversations. It had occurred a time or two in the past, but there was a concerned look in her eyes that Mac could not ignore. "Yes, of course Commander, please. . ." She ushered the woman into her office, then promptly followed behind.

It was rather amusing to see Mayfield standing at attention when it was her suggestion to speak, but it was something she liked about the younger woman, her ability to be a consummate professional. "Permission to speak freely ma'am?"

"Have a seat and if this is going to be as serious as it sounds, call me Mac, rank doesn't apply at this moment." She watched Mayfield settle into her chair, then play with the OCS ring on her finger. "Tali?" She urged.

"It's about. . .Vuckovic." Tali said gently, wincing slightly at using the man's name. It wasn't that she despised Vukovic, but her feelings for the man were turning extremely less than pleasant. "Okay, he. . .he has an. . .an unhealthy obsession with you."

Not able to help it, Mac chuckled. "Yes, I've noticed."

"Mac, this is not something to take lightly. . .He's. . .look, he has a lot of. . .issues."

"Issues?"

This wasn't a conversation that she had with most people, not even close friends or family. But, she felt she needed to share it with the Colonel, to brace her for anything that was out of hand. "Vic is the way he is for several reasons. He had a bad childhood. .His father was a drunk."

Both issues hit home to Mac and though it was true that she hadn't always been the epitome of the perfect officer, she'd more than paid her dues. "That's not an excuse. . ."

"And I am not making them up for him. . ." Tali interrupted, then said in a tone so quiet that Mac almost missed it. "He and I were engaged once. . .I left him at the altar." To say that Mac's jaw dropped was an understatement. "I know what you're thinking. . How could anyone marry him? Yea, I think the same thing now." Sighing, she shook her head. "I was younger then, stupid, believed he loved me. . .What he loved wasn't me, it was the fact that I was helplessly infatuated with him. . .But, the night before the wedding I found. . .details of a few things that he'd done."

"What things?"

Mayfield shifted slightly. She was never the type to repeat information that she wasn't sure of herself, but something had given her a gut feeling that marrying Gregory Vukovic would be the biggest mistake of her life. "There was a claim that he had harassed a young woman. . .While there wasn't conclusive information, I had a gut feeling."

"Sexually harassed?" Christ, what type of monster had the SECNAV forced into their office?

She nodded. "He tried everything to get me back, thankfully I was posted far away from him. That didn't stop Vic. . .He found me, I mean it's easy to do in the service. . .He found I was dating another guy and started. . .I don't want to use the term stalking, but it was close enough." At Mac's concerned look she said, "He never did anything. . .Didn't threaten me, really, but he was showing up a lot, trying to get me back. . .I thought it was utterly charming at the time, but didn't take him back."

Mac nodded, she could understand that, her own issues with men more than often had her staying far away rather than taking them back. "Why are you telling me all of this? Has he done something that caused you to believe you are in danger?"

Tali shook her head. "No, not me. . .He doesn't like you and the Captain. . .together." Shrugging, she shifted again, this was difficult to tell your commanding officer even if she was being a friend at the moment. "I told him it was none of his business, but I am not sure he got the memo. . .There's something in his eyes I don't like. . .I don't have conclusive information, I just want you to be careful, ma'am."

"This is a lot of information to digest. . .almost hard to believe."

"I know how it sounds, Mac. But, you've gotten to know me. . .I never ever get involved in tawdry tales. . .But, I felt I should just warn you. You're an excellent Commanding Officer, fair, nonjudgmental. You pull your weight and then some and I believe you'll end up being the first female JAG and hope to work under you then. . .I don't want some jerk destroying all of that for you."

"Thank you for the concern. . .I know this sounds like commanding officer's hoopla, but I am really thankful to have you on my team." Mac smiled earnestly, then stood up as Mayfield did as well.

"Thank you ma'am." She returned the smile, came to attention, then made a perfect about face out of the office.

Once the woman was out of her office, Mac collapsed back into her chair. "Great. . .Just what I need." It seemed like she was always being pushed from one thing to another. She expected it and knew it wouldn't be easy. She didn't want an easy ride, but above everything that had already happened now she had to deal with an obsessed junior officer. Worst of all, this weekend she'd be alone as Harm went under cover trying to snag Patterson. "Oh well, nothing a hot bubble bath couldn't cure." Course, when she took that bath there would be a 45mm on the toilet next to the tub.