And yet, we cannot let guilt consume us, or we will be unable to deal with the challenges ahead

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.

AN: I would like to apologize for this chapter. It just never seemed to come out right, no matter how I wrote it, which is why it comes so late.

CHAPTER 5: Mic, Gunny, Catherine, Webb

JUDGE Q. PIDD: Quiet, quiet! Please take your seats. Next witness.

PROSECUTOR: Would Commander Michael Brumby please take the stand?

Mic Brumby made his way up to the witness stand, his cocky stagger still very obvious. As he passed by the defense table, he looked over at Harm and Mac and grinned at them. Harm just scowled back at him while Mac met Mic's eyes briefly, then looked away. The sight of Mic only brought back unhappier times in her life.

PROSECUTOR: Commander Brumby –

MIC: (interrupting her and grinning) Mic, ma'am. Just call me, Mic.

PROSECUTOR: Ok, Mic, then. What is your relationship with Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie?

MIC: I used to work to with them when I was on an Officer Exchange Program. I dated Sarah and was engaged to her for a time.

PROSECUTOR: Engaged to her but never married? What happened?

MIC: Sarah kept my ring on her right hand for quite some time, kept reminding me that we were just friends. When Rabb crashed into the Atlantic, Sarah kept pushing off our wedding, saying she wanted to wait until he was found. Then she wanted to wait until he was better, she wanted her "best friend" at the wedding.

PROSECUTOR: So why didn't you get married when Commander Rabb got better?

MIC: She said she wanted to push it off until further notice. I was tired of waiting for her to make up her mind so I told her it was over and headed back to down under.

PROSECUTOR: You're from Australia?

MIC: Yes, ma'am.

PROSECUTOR: Did Mac ever go visit you down there?

MIC: She, Harm, and Bud came down for an investigation for a few weekends.

PROSECUTOR: What happened during that time?

MIC: Rabb and Bud came down for the investigation, Sarah came down a few days later to escort the body to Sydney. Sarah and I spent one day at a beach, Rabb and Bud found us down there, to talk about something with the case. Rabb was pissed that I was on a topless beach with Sarah. He didn't want to leave me alone with Sarah too often, not a fan of me, he wasn't.

PROSECUTOR: I understand that during that trip you and Commander Rabb had an "altercation". What happened?

MIC: Rabb and I hated each other. Ever since he came back from flying, we always knew we were going to strip blouses sometime.

PROSECUTOR: And did you?

MIC: Yeah, we did.

PROSECUTOR: What else happened that trip?

MIC: Sarah and Rabb went out to dinner one night.

PROSECUTOR: Do you know what happened that night on their date?

MIC: I do, ma'am.

PROSECUTOR: How do you know?

MIC: I didn't trust Rabb. I still don't. So I followed them that night.

Mac sat up and gasped. "Mic!"

MIC: I was in love with Sarah. Still am, a bit. She's one gorgeous Sheila.

PROSECUTOR: So what happened that night?

MIC: The two went out to dinner. They went for a ferry ride. Saw the opera house. Sarah kept trying to talk about their relationship, but Rabb kept changing the subject. Never thought the mate would push her away.

PROSECUTOR: What were they saying, specifically?

MIC: Sarah asked him if it bugged him that she was topless that day at the beach.

Mac yelped, "I was not topless!"

MIC: (winked at her, but kept talking)She called Rabb a prude. She offered to go topless for him. Rabb kept changing the subject, talking about the lights on the bridge.

PROSECUTOR: So he refused her offer?

MIC: Seemed that way. Rabb said something about being unable to let go. Said he was "only that way" with her.

PROSECUTOR: Let go of what?

MIC: Don't know, ma'am. But Sarah accepted my ring the next day.

PROSECUTOR: So you proposed to her knowing that she offered to go topless for Commander Rabb only the night before?

MIC: He refused her. After that, I knew she'd accept.

PROSECUTOR: Moving away from that night, how was the rest of your relationship with Colonel MacKenzie? How did you first meet her?

MIC: Sarah was on trial, I was brought in to prosecute her.

PROSECUTOR: Did anything interesting happen during the trial?

MIC: It was an uphill battle the whole way, everyone thought that she was innocent, without a doubt. I accused every male in the office at JAG of being in love with her.

PROSECUTOR: Were they all in love with her?

MIC: It's Sarah. It's not hard to be. They way they were all acting during the trial, seemed like they were all a bit in love with her.

PROSECUTOR: How come you two never married? Why did you break off the engagement?

MIC: Sarah kept pushing the wedding off after Rabb's crash. She didn't want to set another date. Even when Rabb got better, she still wouldn't. So I decided that I was tired of waiting, broke it off, and headed back home.

PROSECUTOR: Did she come after you?

MIC: She chased me down at the airport, but I told her she only wanted me because she was tired of being alone. Sarah only let me in her life after Rabb had rejected her.

PROSECUTOR: How was your relationship in relation to PDA's?

MIC: PDA's?

PROSECUTOR: Public displays of affection.

MIC: Sarah didn't like being touched in public, didn't like kissin' or huggin'. Whenever I said "I love you," public or private, she'd always respond with "me, too".

PROSECUTOR: Do you have any specific examples of this behavior?

MIC: I took her to a party being thrown by my firm and she just stood there, uncomfortable. Didn't make any effort to talk to other women, didn't like it when I tried to show her off.

From her seat, Mac was heard muttering, "cause I wasn't an object to be shown off".

MIC: After the party, we argued about it. She didn't like feeling like a piece of meat on display. The only time she really kissed me in public was at the airport after their trip down to Australia. But that kiss was probably more to make Rabb jealous.

PROSECUTOR: Do you regret breaking off your engagement with her?

MIC: Sarah was never mine. She never loved me like I love her. It was always Rabb.

PROSECUTOR: Thank you, you may return to your seat.

On his way back to his seat, he paused by the defense table, as if to say or do something. He looked at Harm and Mac, his face expressionless, then moved back on his way.

PROSECUTOR: I'd like to call Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez to the stand.

Gunny took his place on the stand, dressed in a dirty uniform. It seemed as though he had been shipped from Iraq and immediately brought to the courtroom.

PROSECUTOR: You are currently serving in Iraq, correct?

GUNNY: Yes, ma'am.

PROSECUTOR: We thank you for taking the time to be here today. It is my understanding that you served at JAG HQ for a few years, is this true?

GUNNY: Yes, ma'am.

PROSECUTOR: Is that how you knew Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie?

GUNNY: Yes, ma'am. The Colonel helped me find a job at JAG HQ.

PROSECUTOR: (turns to the rest of the courtroom) After Commander Brumby broke off his engagement between Colonel MacKenzie and himself, she went TDA to the Guadacanal. (turning back to face Gunny) You went with her on that assignment, correct?

GUNNY: Yes, ma'am, I did.

PROSECUTOR: Did anything happen on that trip, specifically concerning Commander Rabb?

GUNNY: I know that Commander Rabb called the Colonel once while we were down there. After the phone call, he came down there days later.

PROSECUTOR: Did you happen to hear what was talked about during that phone call?

GUNNY: Yes, ma'am. I happened to overhear Colonel MacKenzie's end of the conversation.

PROSECUTOR: What did she say?

GUNNY: She asked him how Renee was, told him to send Renee her condolences. She told the Commander that I was there with her. I heard other bits and pieces but none of it was enough to make sense for me. She obviously didn't want to be on the phone with him, because she fed him some line about not being able to hear him clearly and hung up on him.

PROSECUTOR: What happened next?

GUNNY: Commander Rabb came down for the case. He stopped by her quarters and then several minutes later, Mac came out and Rabb soon followed.

PROSECUTOR: Did you happen to hear what they talked about?

GUNNY: Yes, ma'am. The Commander told her he took the assignment so they could talk, he said that he knew she wasn't going to call him back.

PROSECUTOR: What else?

GUNNY: From what I could hear, Colonel MacKenzie seemed to be annoyed that the Commander had chosen Renee over her. She told him that Mic gave up his Navy and country to be with her. She wanted to know if he would give up his girlfriend for her?

PROSECUTOR: What was Commander Rabb's response?

GUNNY: He asked the Colonel what would happen if he did? She told him to just answer the question.

PROSECUTOR: Did he answer the question?

GUNNY: Not before Colonel MacKenzie left the room.

PROSECUTOR: So he did answer it, but she walked out and never heard his answer?

GUNNY: Yes, ma'am. He said that he would give her up.

At this admission, Mac gasped and turned to Harm.

"You said you would have?" she asked.

"I thought you were still there, Mac."

PROSECUTOR: So if Colonel MacKenzie had waited just a few seconds, she would have gotten her answer?

GUNNY: Seems that way, ma'am.

PROSECUTOR: Why do you think Colonel MacKenzie requested that TAD assignment? Was there any reason for her to want to get out of D.C. for a few weeks?

GUNNY: Commander Rabb had just survived a horrific plane crash into the Atlantic, Commander Brumby had broken off their engagement. It would seem that there was a lot going on in her life at the time, it would make sense that she needed to get away from that all for a time. That's a lot for someone to deal with in such a short amount of time.

PROSECUTOR: You seem to have heard an awful lot of what happened concerning Colonel MacKenzie and Commander Rabb, Gunny.

GUNNY: Yes, ma'am.

PROSECUTOR: How?

GUNNY: It's my job as a Marine to be present but invisible. These times I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. It was at these times that I was trying to find Mac to discuss some part of the case.

PROSECUTOR: You worked with the CIA for some time after your time at JAG, correct?

GUNNY: Yes, ma'am, I worked with Clayton Webb on a few cases.

PROSECUTOR: So were you there when Webb and Colonel MacKenzie went undercover down in Paraguay?

GUNNY: Yes, ma'am. I was also undercover working that case.

PROSECUTOR: What happened on that investigation?

GUNNY: Colonel MacKenzie was undercover as Mr. Webb's pregnant wife; they were posing as diamond experts.

PROSECUTOR: Why Colonel MacKenzie as his wife? Why not someone from the CIA? This was a CIA op, wasn't it?

GUNNY: Mr. Webb liked to use JAG Officers in his investigations, particularly Colonel MacKenzie and Commander Rabb.

PROSECUTOR: Isn't that a bit unusual?

GUNNY: It would seem so, yes, ma'am.

PROSECUTOR: Continue.

GUNNY: The point of the investigation was to track down a terrorist, Sadik Fahid. I was in as one of his men. Everything was proceeding fairly well, but then all of the sudden, something went terribly wrong. Mr. Webb and Colonel MacKenzie were captured and held at Sadik's compound. Webb was tortured.

PROSECUTOR: What else happened?

GUNNY: Commander Rabb showed up in Paraguay. With his help, we rescued Webb and the Colonel.

PROSECUTOR: How was their behavior? How did the three of them interact with each other?

GUNNY: Far as I know, the Colonel never found out that Commander Rabb had resigned his commission to come after her. Colonel MacKenzie seemed to be more thankful to Webb for the whole situation than the Commander. Webb kept fighting for Colonel MacKenzie's attention, playing up his injuries, the seriousness of his condition.

PROSECUTOR: And how did the Commander react to Webb's behavior?

GUNNY: Commander Rabb was obviously ticked that Webb was getting more attention from the Colonel.

PROSECUTOR: Did he fight back for her?

GUNNY: He fought a little for her, but just kept getting shut down.

PROSECUTOR: What as Colonel MacKenzie's behavior in all this?

GUNNY: Like I said, she was more focused on Webb than the Commander. I don't know what, but something big must have happened because when we all got back to the states, Webb and Colonel MacKenzie were dating and Commander Rabb had been shoved aside.

PROSECUTOR: Do you know why Commander Rabb came down to Paraguay? Did he know about the case? Did he know that Colonel MacKenzie and Mr. Webb were being held captive.

GUNNY: Not to my knowledge. The Commander and the Colonel have always had this radar-like thing with each other, always coming after one another when the other was in trouble. The Colonel followed Commander Rabb to Russia several times, he followed her on the investigation on the Guadacanal and down to Paraguay. She followed him once when he was on a case down in a submarine. Colonel MacKenzie was right in the same vicinity as him, in a nearby submarine. Wherever one was, the other was not far behind and sure to follow.

PROSECUTOR: Kind of like Butch and Sundance, huh?

GUNNY: A lot, yes, ma'am.

PROSECUTOR: Thank you, Gunny. You may take your seat.

Judge glances at his watch and then surveys the crowd.

JUDGE Q. PIDD: We have just enough time for two more witnesses before we take another recess. Prosecutor, please call your next witness.

PROSECUTOR: Will Ms. Catherine Gayle please take the stand?

As Ms. Gayle made her way to the stand, Mac leaned over to Harm and asked, "Who is she?"

Harm, feeling tired and a bit stressed, couldn't help but quip, "my wife."

"Your wife!"

He nodded towards the front. "Shh, I'm sure she'll explain it all."

PROSECUTOR: You work for the CIA, don't you, Ms. Gayle?

CATHERINE: Yes, I do.

PROSECUTOR: And you first met Harm and Mac during the Angel Shark incident, didn't you?

CATHERINE: Yes.

PROSECUTOR: Then you were approached by Harm while Mr. Webb and Mac were down in Paraguay, undercover, right?

CATHERINE: Harm found me and wanted to know any information I might have concerning the whereabouts of Clay and Mac. He was desperate to know any piece of information, their location, the details of their case.

PROSECUTOR: How desperate was he?

CATHERINE: He managed to track down Mrs. Webb, Clay's mother, and bugged her for information on their whereabouts.

PROSECUTOR: Did she tell him anything?

CATHERINE: Just that Clay was very protective of those he loves. Harm said he had sensitive information that he had to personally deliver to Mac.

PROSECUTOR: So approaching Mrs. Webb didn't work. What happened next?

CATHERINE: (couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle) Harm begged me for information about Clay. I finally offered to help him if he would do me a favor.

PROSECUTOR: What was the favor?

CATHERINE: My mother was in the hospital, minutes away from her deathbed. Her last wish was to see me married. She wanted to meet the guy who had found his way into my life. All along I had been inventing that guy. So I had Harm meet her and pretend to be the guy I was going to marry. I told him that if he did this, then I would try to help him out.

PROSECUTOR: And so what happened next?

CATHERINE: My mother wanted to see us married before she died. So Harm tracked down a friend, who pretended to be a Chaplain and married us in my mother's hospital room. What was funny, and thank goodness my mother didn't notice, was that the vows Harm's friend had used were those for a same-sex marriage.

PROSECUTOR: So you two weren't really married?

CATHERINE: No, of course not. Of course, there was trouble when my mother suddenly made a miraculous recovery but I decided to help Harm and deal with my mother later.

PROSECUTOR: So what did you do?

CATHERINE: I got Harm on the phone with the CIA Director, who, I guess, gave him what he needed to know. Then Harm went off after Clay and Mac.

PROSECUTOR: Harm must have been pretty desperate then, to have gone to such lengths for Mac.

CATHERINE: It seems so.

PROSECUTOR: Why were you willing to help Harm out?

CATHERINE: The Commander's a good man. Anyone who's willing to go to such lengths, to put in that kind of effort just to track down two people…well, he's a good friend.

PROSECUTOR: Thank you. The prosecution would like to call its next witness. Would Mr. Clayton Webb please take the stand?

As Clay made his way to the stand, he wouldn't look at Mac or Harm. He tried to ignore the fact that they were now holding hands.

PROSECUTOR: You've known Mac and Harm for many years, haven't you, Mr. Webb?

WEBB: It was my idea to put them together on the case with Sarah's uncle. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't have met.

PROSECUTOR: So you sat in the back for 8 or so years, watching them, waiting for your chance with Mac?

WEBB: It may look that way.

PROSECUTOR: I know that many would say that's what you did. Waited around until Harm had sufficiently screwed things up before moving in and going after Mac. Is that what happened?

WEBB: That's how it looks, and seems.

PROSECUTOR: But that's now how it happened?

WEBB: Sarah MacKenzie is incredibly addicting. It's hard not to fall in love with her. I fell for her a little bit years ago. I honestly thought Paraguay was my chance at getting her. The plan was to make her my pregnant wife and hopefully she'd like the role so much that we'd make it reality.

PROSECUTOR: So what changed that plan?

WEBB: Like others have said, Sarah would never fully commit. She bluntly informed me that she was just a rental wife for that case and that case only. It was only when Rabb came down and …. and rescued us, that she started acting like there was something more.

PROSECUTOR: Acting?

WEBB: She only kissed me when Rabb was watching. She was only overly friendly to me when Rabb was around. Sarah was trying so hard to make him jealous.

PROSECUTOR: So you knew it was all an act and yet you dated her?

WEBB: I was in love with her. Any time I spent with her was precious. I figured it didn't matter that she was just trying to make Rabb jealous. I had her and he didn't.

PROSECUTOR: Do you believe that they are meant for each other?

WEBB: Are you asking me whether I believe in fate or that they're soul mates or whatever?

PROSECUTOR: I guess so.

WEBB: It's been nine years since they've met. They've done nothing but dance around each other. I say it's time for them to stop dancing around each other. If they were meant to be, they would have been married with five kids by now! But neither of them can commit in a relationship.

PROSECUTOR: You and Mac are no longer dating, are you?

WEBB: No.

PROSECUTOR: What happened? Why'd you break up?

WEBB: Sarah was tired of "waiting around for me". My job takes me all over the world and all the time. I tried telling her that it was just like hers but she wanted me there more often than I was gone.

PROSECUTOR: So it didn't work out because you were never there?

WEBB: That's what she said. It might have also had something to do with the fact that I used her as bait to capture a terrorist.

PROSECUTOR: You used her as bait?

WEBB: We were trying to capture Tanveer. I had faked my death in order to get him to come out in the open.

PROSECUTOR: So she thought you were dead?

WEBB: Yes.

PROSECUTOR: Was she mad when she found out you were still alive and kicking?

WEBB: She was mad at me for lying to her and using her like that.

PROSECUTOR: So you used her as bait?

WEBB: Sarah spent a lot of time with Tanveer, both trying to find the terrorist. Only she didn't know it was really him. When he was with Sarah, I could keep track of him. When we finally caught him, she was mad about the whole situation.

PROSECUTOR: Because you had lied to her and let her believe you were dead?

WEBB: Yes.

PROSECUTOR: Thank you, that is all.

JUDGE Q. PIDD: Thank you, everyone, we'll take a short recess now.

AN: Thanks to those who continue to read and review. I'll be posting a few backstories, one-shots in a few days that go along with this story. Feel free to click on my profile page and read them. The first one will be posted by Thursday. Thank you!