DISCLAIMER: For all intents purposes, no one has died on the show (except Diane). I claim author's privilege on this one and say that many of these characters just mysteriously disappeared from the lives of Harm and Mac, or if you like, I brought them back from the dead.

I own very little…Webster's defines the words, Bellasario owns the characters, I create the plot.

AN: The reason Harm and Mac are so "quiet" is because they're torn between wanting to put a stop to this embarrassment and trial with all their friends/family/ex's and wanting to fix their relationship problems.

Anyone like the judge?

CHAPTER 2: Dalton, Keeter, Bobbi, Jordan, Alexi

JUDGE Q. PIDD: banging the gavel Order. Please come to order. Let's continue.

PROSECUTOR: The prosecution would like to call Mr. Dalton Lowne to the stand.

Mac's head shot up as well as Harm's. Did they plan on calling on all their previous boyfriends/girlfriends as well?

PROSECUTOR: Why don't you tell us about your relationship with Colonel MacKenzie?

DALTON: I briefly dated Sarah. I offered her a job at my firm and she accepted, leaving JAG and Harm which is what I wanted to happen in the first place.

PROSECUTOR: And why did you want that to happen?

DALTON: I thought that she was too attached to Harm and that working in a private firm would be better for her.

PROSECUTOR: Was it?

DALTON: Obviously not. She quit the firm and returned to JAG and to Harm. She went behind my back and defended Harm and she obviously couldn't trust me. They were both so in love with each other, too dumb to do anything about it. Harm hated me. He hated me for taking Sarah away from him and JAG. They even had their little nicknames for each other.

PROSECUTOR: Nicknames?

DALTON: They called themselves Batman and Robin. I think there were other names but I can't recall. I used to love Sarah but her heart was always set on Harm.

Sensing the bitterness in Dalton's voice, the prosecutor decided to move things along.

PROSECUTOR: Thank you, that is all. My next witness shall be Commander Jack Keeter.

Dalton returned to his seat, giving Mac an almost wistful look as he passed by. Jack, with his usual cocky gait, moved forward to take the stand. Once he had seated himself, he looked over at the defense table and winked at Harm and Mac. Mac almost laughed out loud, some things never changed and obviously Keeter never had. He was still a cocky little flyboy who was very much enjoying the moment.

PROSECUTOR: Commander Keeter, you are an old friend of Commander Rabb, correct?

JACK: with a proud tone Since the academy.

PROSECUTOR: And you are friends with Colonel MacKenzie, as well?

JACK: Of course! The lovely Colonel and Harm came out to help me out with a little problem out in the desert of …you know what? Doesn't matter where. Anyway, Mac and I were going in one direction and Harm was going to have to fly this bird back to the ship and as they were saying goodbye, the two just had to have their own little personal moment, you know what I'm saying? That hug was not a regulation hug between two military personal.

PROSECUTOR: Compare how Harm acted around other women to how he acted around Mac at that time, if you please.

JACK: Harm was always the cocky one, able to win over any woman with smile. With Mac, it was a little different. She seemed to be immune to the flyboy grin, or at least to mine. She and Harm were always teasing each other, seeming to know each other a little bit better than most partners would. When he's around Mac, Harm treats her like an equal. With other women, he always seemed to be a bit more immature.

Harm just shakes his head at Jack as Mac sits next to him, grinning at Keeter's description.

PROSECUTOR: So you would say they're on the same level, intellectually and relationship-wise?

JACK: Oh, yeah. They're perfect for each other. Ol' Harm needs a woman who can keep him in control and Mac is just that woman.

PROSECUTOR: So why did you decide to come today?

JACK: losing some of his over-confidence It's been quite a few years since Diane died and even though she and Mac could have been twins…I think he loves Mac because she's different than Diane, much different. He doesn't give his heart away easily and it was hard enough on him and the rest of us when Diane was killed. It took him long enough to find another woman he could love so much and I think we all know he loves Mac more than he realizes. I think he's just had enough time being alone.

At Keeter's words, Mac couldn't stop the tears from coming to her eyes. Diane had always been a tender subject between her and Harm. She had always wondered how it was for Keeter and Sturgis to know her and to have known Diane.

HARM: Your Honor, the defense would like to request a small recess.

JUDGE Q. PIDD: Granted. The court will be in recess for 15 minutes.

Harm reached over to take Mac's hand in his and pulling her to her feet, led her out a side door to a small room that seemed to be just for them.

"Everything okay?" he asked, still holding her hand and wiping away her tears with his other.

"When did you stop seeing me as her?"

"I'm not quite sure. I mean, I knew you two were different the instant your hand touched mine."

"Was it when we first kissed?" she interrupted.

"No, before then. Although seeing you in a NAVY uniform through me off a bit. I was kissing you that night, Mac, only you."

"Why did you let me believe you were kissing her then?"

"Because I wasn't sure that you would believe otherwise," he answered.

She sat silently for a moment, her tears soon disappearing.

"Do you still want to go through with all this? I'm sure we can back out," he tried.

"Do you want to stop? To go back to the way things were before?"

Harm immediately shook his head. "No, I want to fix things between us. They've been to tense lately, especially since Webb and Paraguay. I don't know where that means we'll end up, but I'm tired of this dance, too."

"So am I. Let's just see where this all takes us," said Mac, wiping her eyes.

"Okay."

"Okay."

Hand in hand for support, they returned to the courtroom, just a few minutes shy of their allotted time. All of the witnesses were still sitting in their seats but were quietly chatting amongst themselves. Harm and Mac would have loved to have known what they were all talking about, but all either of them could hear was bits and pieces.

"…her fault…"

"…Australia…"

"…military regs…"

"…they'll never…"

"…won't work…"

"…but he…"

"…but they love…"

"…no…"

Harm and Mac looked at each other and simultaneously took a deep breath.

"We can do this," Harm said, trying to sound confident.

"Sure."

"Right."

"Of course."

Judge Q. Pidd stepped back into the room and called the room to order.

JUDGE Q. PIDD: The prosecution may now continue.

PROSECUTOR: The prosecution calls Congresswoman Bobbi Latham to the stand.

The court watched as Bobbi regally made her way to the stand, all curious as to what she had to say.

PROSECUTOR: Congresswoman, you briefly dated the Commander, did you not?

BOBBI: Yes, I did.

PROSECUTOR: Would you tell us about that?"

BOBBI: I dated Harm for a short time but it never seemed to work out.

PROSECUTOR: And why was that?

BOBBI: Because there always seemed to be something going on between him and Mac. I never could quite understand why the two of them never got together.

PROSECUTOR: And did you talk to the Commander about that?

BOBBI: Yes, there was one time when I brought it up with him. I told him that I never understood why they never dated. He said it was because they would have just fought all the time. They did fight all the time, but it was more of kind of a foreplay fighting.

PROSECUTOR: And how did Mac treat you?

BOBBI: Oh, she was kind on the outside but I knew my relationship with Harm bothered her. She seemed to have this special hold over Harm, if she needed help he would be there.

PROSECUTOR: Would you say she was jealous of you?

BOBBI: I think that Mac was jealous of every woman that Harm ever dated. But of course, she had nothing to worry about with me.

PROSECUTOR: And why not?

BOBBI: Because he wasn't up for grabs.

PROSECUTOR: Thank you, that is all.

Bobbi smiled and returned to her seat as someone else rose and took the stand.

PROSECUTOR: Your name, please?

JORDAN: Commander Jordan Parker.

PROSECUTOR: And you are?

JORDAN: I am a psychiatrist for the NAVY and one of Harm's ex-girlfriends.

PROSECUTOR: What's Harm like as a boyfriend?

JORDAN: Oh, he's nice guy, intelligent, funny. He's also a great cook. He often plays the part of the chivalrous knight. Not for show, that's just the way his personality is. Harm is very protective of those he loves.

The prosecutor looked back to see Mac's reaction to all this. The look on her face was almost wistful yet knowing.

PROSECUTOR: You had mention a conversation the two of you had once?

JORDAN: There was one time, I can't remember where we all were but there was a whole group of women. We were standing around and the topic of Harm came up. Carolyn Imes had asked me what Harm was like. I thought she just meant as a boyfriend, but she meant something else, you know? I turned to Mac to get her opinion of him and she became quite flustered, saying that they'd never done it. I was quite surprised, as were the others, knowing about all the times they had spent together over the years.

PROSECUTOR: And what happened after that?

JORDAN: Later that evening, she talked to me again about him. I believe her exact words were that she envied me for my "hot new romance". I told her what I now know to be true, that the relationship between Harm and I would only last until she decided she wanted him.

PROSECUTOR: Did she not know that she wanted him?

JORDAN: Mac has always had bad luck with men in her life, I think she was afraid of trying to find something with Harm and having it end up in failure.

PROSECUTOR: Do you think anything between them would end up in failure?

JORDAN: No, I don't believe so. If there wasn't something there, then it wouldn't have lasted this long and the rest of us wouldn't be here. The two of them had said they were just friends and they've always tried to maintain that fact, however, no one has ever believed them.

PROSECUTOR: If I may ask, why did the two of you break up?

JORDAN: Harm was diagnosed with night blindness several years back and that was why he transferred to JAG. However, he found that he could have surgery to correct it and suddenly felt like returning to flying. I wanted a commitment, he was ready for another adventure. Our priorities were different. Flying was what he was born to do, or so he has always believed. At the time, I thought that JAG should have been more important, that I should have been more important.

PROSECUTOR: Do you believe flying is more important to Harm than any woman could be?

JORDAN: Flying was a dream that Harm needed to finish achieving before he could be in a relationship with any woman. He was born and bred to be a pilot and he needed to know that he could still make it in the air before he started anything down on the ground. Harm often doubts himself internally, if he knew he could still fly and fly well, then maybe he could handle letting a woman in his life.

PROSECUTOR: Do you think he has let a woman in his life?

JORDAN: Mac has always been a part of his life, whether he realized or not how deeply she was rooted in it. He was just waiting for her to decide what she wanted before he would make a move. Harm wouldn't want to force her into anything she didn't want, no matter what he wanted or needed. Harm's always had trouble letting himself be loved. He's afraid to be love, to love someone, or to let anyone get close.

PROSECUTOR: Can he overcome that fear?

JORDAN: I believe he already has.

PROSECUTOR: Thank you. You may take your seat. I would like to next call Mr. Alexi to the stand.

(AN: For those who can't recall, Alexi is the cab driver Harm and Mac met on their trips to Russia)

Jordan took her seat as Alexi made his way to the front of the courtroom.

PROSECUTOR: Please state the nature of your relationship with Harm and Mac.

ALEXI: I am from Russia. I am a cab driver, among other things. Harm and Mac have used my services several times.

PROSECUTOR: If you don't mind, I'd like to ask your opinion about something Commander Parker said. She commented that no one has ever believed Harm and Mac to be just friends. What do you think?

ALEXI: The Commander and the beautiful Colonel are much more than friends. A friend does not follow one through shooting and fighting like the beautiful Colonel has done for the Commander.

PROSECUTOR: She followed him where?

ALEXI: She followed him to Chechyna. Through the artillery and bribing guards. I do not know what else the beautiful Colonel would do for the Commander.

PROSECUTOR: Do you think she was in love with him even then?

ALEXI: I know so. She was prepared to die for Commander Rabb, because she loves him. No woman would drive through artillery attacks for a fellow officer willingly.

PROSECUTOR: That is all, thank you.

JUDGE Q. PIDD: Prosecution, please call your next witness.

PROSECUTOR: Would Sergei Zhukov please take the stand?

Mac and Harm watched in surprise as Harm's brother took the stand. Mac could tell that Harm was especially thrilled to see Sergei there, after so many years apart.

JUDGE Q. PIDD: I'm sorry to interrupt, but it seems we need to take a break. We'll take another recess and then continue. Thank you.

AN: Looks like it'll be 7 or so more chapters. Not too long, but hopefully an enjoyable ride. Please review! Thanks.