"Honey, I'm home!" Nate called as he entered the condo.
"You really need to come up with an original sentiment for when you come home." Peach came walking down the staircase from upstairs toward her boyfriend. "I don't know what to do with my days any more." She smiled as she wrapped him up in a big hug.
"Idle hands are the devil's plaything, my dear." Nate joked as he kissed her on the end of her nose.
"I did figure out one thing I can do." Peach toyed, backing out of the embrace and grabbing four tickets from the coffee table. She held up the tickets in front of her boyfriends face. "Tickets for Friday's premiere of the Washington Theatre Company's production of 'Kiss Me, Kate'."
"Why are there four?" Nate asked as he moved over to the couch.
"Well, you came up with this big plan to give Harm and Mac a push in the right direction, right?" Peach asked.
"Not just me, there was also Lieutenant Sims, Commander Turner and Bev but yes, I suppose I was one of the main proponents of the plan." Nate tossed himself down on the couch and picked up the remote for the TV.
"Okay, enough with the big words for a minute. You don't have to try to impress me with your intelligence remember? I'm already sleeping with you." Peach curled up on the couch next to him.
"Honey, no matter how long we're together, I always want you to feel like you're special enough to need to be impressed…if that makes any sense." Nate wrapped an arm around her.
"You're sweet." She kissed his cheek. "Anyway, I figured that we could double date with them to Kiss Me, Kate."
"That might be a little too much for two people who aren't dating yet. Maybe we should take another couple this time." Nate suggested.
"Who else would we possibly take?" Peach asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.
"How about Bobbi and Commander Turner?" Nate asked as he walked into the kitchen to start on dinner.
"Oh no, if I put you and Senator Latham in the same room, all you two will do is talk about politics all night and you'll bore the hell out of anyone else around you." Peach replied.
"What about your sister and Doctor Gary?" Nate shouted from the kitchen.
"My sister is an insufferable nag and you think that Gary's gay; how would that make for an enjoyable evening?" Peach replied.
"You know, you're not this tough to please in other areas." Nate commented as he walked through the living room to take the steaks out to the barbecue on the patio.
"Oh yes I am, you're just much more persuasive in other areas." Peach remarked coyly.
"Fine, what about Mike and Becky?" Nate asked through the open patio door.
"Becky's more of a nag then my sister and Mike would start snoring fifteen minutes into the play. Try again, stud." Peach sauntered over to the open patio door.
"How about Stephen and Lily?" Nate was now getting near the end of his list of names.
"Lily won't be able to find a babysitter and musicals aren't exactly your brother's cup of tea." Peach smiled as she tugged on the sash that held her robe closed.
"I guess we have to go with Harm and Mac but if this kicks up a shitstorm, let it be on your-" Nate turned to see his Nicole standing there in the same peach coloured negligee that she had worn that night in Manila. "So, I guess you want to skip dinner?"
1607 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
"You know, if you're going to be running this place, you could at least make some effort to be on time." Mac joked as she stood in the doorway to the Admiral's office. Harm was the only one other then the Admiral that could sit behind that desk and not look smaller for having done so.
"Mac, I'm running this place, when I come in is 'on time'." Harm joked with a quick flyboy grin. "So how did that Article 32 in front of Colonel Blakeley go?"
"As well as can be expected, there are days on this job that I really wish we could use criminal stupidity as a defence." Mac shook her head. "Blakeley was easier on the kid since he was a Marine, I think. Morris or Sebring would have strung the kid up by his toes."
"You do what you can, Mac. Sturgis had all the evidence, all you could do was try and get a recommendation for mitigation on sentencing. Sounds like you did, I'm sorry I had to give you that one, Mac but that kid needed the best in order to get anything out of the situation, and you're the best." Harm scratched his signature across another form.
"So, how do you like having Coates as your yeoman now that Tiner's gone off to OCS?" Mac asked.
"The girl definitely has a style all her own. I can't believe that she saved Bud's life the way she did, it makes it hard to believe that she's the same girl that she was last Christmas when I brought her by your apartment." Harm mused as he turned in his chair to face the TV.
"Bud's being awarded the Purple Heart and there's talk about awarding Coates a meritorious service medal for her actions." Mac added just in passing.
"With all the shrapnel that they pulled out of Bud's leg, I'm surprised he still retained the use of it." Harm grimaced noticeably.
"Fifteen percent nerve and muscle damage is a big price to pay for being a Navy lawyer, Harm. At least he's put in his sea duty and a Purple Heart will look good on his record the next time he comes up for promotion." Mac twiddled her thumbs idly. "Jarhead's doing good."
"Is he? I wanted to come by and see the little guy but with everything here, you know, I guess I just couldn't find the time." Harm chuckled nervously. "I haven't had time for a whole lot more then just work since I've been sitting in this chair, I have a whole new respect for Chegwidden."
"What's so new about it, Harm? You've sat there before." Mac pointed out.
"Yeah, but that was during a particularly light week." Harm retorted as he dropped his head into his hands.
"As I recall, that week you had to receive a rather harsh tongue lashing from the SECNAV because I maligned the reputation of a Marine Major General." Mac smiled sweetly at the thought of Harm sticking up for her.
"Yeah well, the Major General had it coming and so did Nelson, but I wouldn't have told either of them to their faces at the time, it would be nice to make Admiral after all." Harm smiled as he watched Mac get up form her chair.
"Sir, there's someone from the State Department out here to see you." Coates stood in the doorway to the Admiral's office.
"Send the Secretary in, Jen." Harm chuckled, he didn't think Nate to be the type to ask permission, he was more the Marine who just charged in.
"Now, why do you assume it's always Nate, I might want to visit you, too." Peach came walking across the office and hugged Harm. "After all, it's not every man who would go through hours of torture for a woman that he barely knows."
"Jen said that my visitor was with State, I thought you had to resign after you started dating Nate." Harm said as he hugged her.
"Yeah, but I realize that I influence more policy by dating the Secretary then I ever did sitting behind a desk." Peach laughed lightly. "Besides, if I had said anything else, you would have guessed who it was." Peach sat down in a chair next to Mac.
"Alright, what brings you by? Tell me that Nate isn't planning to abduct any more of my staff. I already had to send Singer out as JAG on the Seahawk, which I was more then willing to do anyway. I just sent Sturgis and Manetti out on an investigation and I've got Mac and Bud booked up in court this week. I don't think I can spare anyone." Harm tossed his pen on to a stack of papers on his desk.
"No, Harm, Nate did not send me here to abduct JAG personnel and with Clayton Webb on assignment, your personnel should be safe from such behaviour for a while." Peach paused for a second. "Nope, I came by to drop off these." She placed the tickets on the desk in front of Harm.
"Theatre tickets?" He picked up the two tickets and furrowed his brow.
"Not just any theatre tickets, the Washington Theatre Company's big Friday premiere for 'Kiss Me, Kate'." Peach settled in the chair.
"Really? That premiere's going to be huge, it's all the society page has been talking about for weeks." Mac added, jumping into the conversation.
"Since when do you read the society page, Mac?" Harm asked, the curiosity playing seriously on his face.
"I was bored alright!" Mac shot at him with a particularly fierce Marine glare.
"Anyway, I was able to wrangle a private balcony for four." Peach started and Harm cut her off playfully.
"Amazing what name-dropping will do for theatre reservations." He observed quickly.
"Exactly. Anyway, Nate and I are going and we figured that you could use the other pair of tickets. You were the only guy we could think of that probably wouldn't be bored to death by the theatre." She laughed as she finished her sentiment.
"Thanks for the tickets, and I'll see you guys Friday?" Harm asked as he saw her rise from her chair. The two of them shook hands before Peach headed out of the office. Mac eyed the tickets that Harm held in his hand. Harm noticed Mac's fixed gaze on the two stiff pieces of paper.
"How badly do you want to go to that Premiere, Mac." Harm asked while taunting her by moving the tickets form side to side.
"Well I read the early reviews and they were pretty good, I guess I wouldn't mind seeing it. But I'm sure that you've already got someone in mind to go with you." Mac shook her head and tried to think of anything but the tickets in Harm's hand.
"I suppose I could take you, Marine, if you would want to go with me." He smiled wickedly.
"You wouldn't be asking a subordinate officer under your command on a date would you, Captain?" Mac teased coyly.
"Just a friendly night out, Colonel." Harm reassured her. The two of them sighed, yeah, just another friendly night out.
2349 ZULU
MADISON THEATRE
WASHINGTON, DC
"I hate the press!" Peach exclaimed as they made their way into the balcony.
"Yes, dear, I know." Nate chuckled a little at his girlfriend's flustered mood.
"What's so damn funny?" She turned to face Nate who just froze in his tracks. "Well?" She began to tap her foot. She loved making him sweat in situations like this.
"It's just that you looked so damn cute when you got all flustered because of those shutterbugs. Honey, I don't like it any more then you do, but for some reason, who I date is apparently newsworthy to some people. But I don't understand why it's important to them how long we've been dating." Nate took his seat and Peach sat next to him.
"You're such a hassle." Peach joked as she lightly stroked his arm. "You're lucky that you're worth it." She cuddled against his shoulder.
"See, Mac; I told you that it wouldn't be five minutes in the theatre and the two of them would be all over each other." Harm joked in a louder then necessary voice.
"Honey, there's a reason that the Marines hate the Navy and Harm's it." Nate addressed Peach but his voice was loud enough to indicate that the words were meant for Harm. Nate got up out of his chair and shook Harm's hand. "What's it like being JAG?"
"I'm eager to get back to the Pentagon." Harm answered quickly. "I now know why the Admiral seems to enjoy chewing me out, it's the only thing that can break up the endless monotonous moments of that job."
"Well that and you shot up a courtroom ceiling." Mac added. She was certainly eye-catching tonight. With all her court dates this week, she hadn't had the chance to go out shopping for a new dress and besides the salary of a Marine Lieutenant Colonel wasn't exactly conducive to that kind of behaviour. So she had to use one of the dresses that she had in her closet from a previous night out. She was dressed in that great blue dress from the Sudanese Embassy party a few years back. After all, Harm had suggested that night that they go out more often.
Pleasantries were exchanged and the group of four sat down to watch the play. "You know this is the first time that this play has been performed in Washington since Cole Porter died?" Mac whispered to Harm as the curtain went up.
"Really? Where'd you hear that?" Harm asked.
"I don't know, some magazine I read through while standing in line at Starbucks this week." Mac answered, when the first lines were delivered on stage all talking ceased for a period. They had peacefully sat through 'Another Op'nin', Another Show', 'Why Can't You Behave?' and 'Wunderbar'. Nate felt a vibration in his breast pocket just as the introduction to 'So In Love' began to play. He politely excused himself and went out into the lobby to answer his phone.
"I love this song." Mac whispered to Harm as the notes and words of 'So In Love' began to echo through the theatre.
"I had no idea that you had seen this show before." Harm replied, trying to keep his eyes on the stage so that they didn't wander over Mac's body as they had done so many times earlier in the evening.
"I saw the movie once when I was a little girl, I had this song stuck in my head for weeks." She replied, Mac wasn't hiding it, she decided to let her eyes trace their patterns over her partner's handsome features. Harm could feel her eyes on him, the air was suddenly heavy and time seemed to slow ever so slightly as their eyes locked. Mac had taken on the same dreamy look that she had worn one night long ago on a Norfolk pier. Her reason had left her as the faint strains of Cole Porter lightly decorated the background.
Harm's mind was still running with the same kind of fighter pilot control that had plagued him for years. He was still her CO until Monday no matter what he felt or how strong he felt it, he couldn't……he just couldn't. Could he back away again without shutting the door behind him? He needed that infamous control for just a little while longer. "You look absolutely gorgeous tonight, Sarah."
"Thank you." Mac bowed her head in resignation, it seemed like that was all she was going to get out of Harmon Rabb tonight.
Out in the lobby, Nate had his cell pressed to his ear as he paced the dark red carpet. "This had better be important." Nate threatened in a gruff tone.
"Yeah, bossman, we got a lot of traffic coming in over the wires tonight." Spinner sounded panicked as he talk to his boss.
"We always have a lot of traffic on the wires, Spinner. That tells us that they're working." Nate remarked sarcastically.
"No, boss, this is a lot of traffic and it's something that our code-crackers haven't been able to decipher." Spinner's voice was gaining a nasal quality.
"Arctic, Pacific, Gulf or Atlantic?" Nate asked, his interest peaked by Spinner's last admission.
"Can't tell, chief." Spinner answered.
"Fine, Spinner, get on the horn to Naval Intelligence, they've got some computer whiz kids over there that should be able to track the signal to its original relay station. When they do that, have them crack the code and only call me when you've done all this. Understand?" Before Spinner could answer, Nate flipped the phone closed and headed back up to the balcony where he saw his lovely girlfriend still rapt in the plot of the play.
"Any close calls back there?" Nate asked in Hebrew so that neither Harm nor Mac could understand what he was saying.
"Do I look like I have eyes in the back of my head?" Peach asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, but I'm assuming that you have a reason for having that compact in your hand." Nate tossed her a crooked smile.
"I forgot, you've got that whole Sherlock Holmes, body language thing." Peach whispered in his ear. "There was one near-kiss moment but nothing big. Someone's got to light a fire under that boy."
"I agree, my dear." Nate took her hand in his and they continued watching the play. There were a few more musical numbers before the intermission came and everyone emptied out of their chairs and out into the lobby for a few minutes. Nate and Harm led the two girls out into the lobby and in the stereotypical female way, the two of them went off to 'powder their noses'. Nate and Harm leaned on the bar. "So, how's your date going?" Nate asked as if in passing.
"It's not a date." Harm shot back as if he were awaiting the question.
"Alright, it's time for me to analyze." Nate cracked his knuckles and jerked his head to one side to loosen up his neck. "First off, you two are dressed to the teeth. You're wearing a nicely tailored suit rather then your uniform or something you just happened to find in your closet."
"How could you…" Harm started to question but Nate raised a hand to silence him.
"The stitch marks on the cuff of the pants are recent which tells me that you either just had the suit tailored or you just bought it; in either case the steps were taken in preparation for tonight. Secondly, you didn't pick Mac up and come right here, that's evident from the recent stain on your lapel." Nate extended a finger and wiped the stain. He caught a whiff of the substance. "Alfredo sauce means you went to an Italian restaurant and it was probably that three star one about a block from here since neither of you would want to be late for the play. I'm assuming you paid for the meal?" Harm nodded at his friend's question. "Also, Mac's dress shows signs of recent alteration which means that she was preparing for tonight well in advance as well. My better half and I have talked, we both think it's a date, Harm. And the evidence agrees with us."
"Didn't your mother ever tell you that it was impolite to carry on conversation in Hebrew in front of people who can't speak the language?" Harm tried to shift off the topic.
"Nice transition to topic change." Nate wasn't biting. "Harm you're a lawyer and from what I've heard and read, a damn good one, evaluate the evidence, is this a date or what?"
"No, it's not a date, it's just two people who are close sharing an evening together." Harm replied.
"I may be wrong, but isn't that pretty much a word for word description of the word 'date'?" Nate challenged. "Harm, face it, the hard part's over, she's already out with you. Now you've just got to do right by the Navy and the Marine Corps and make a move on her for Christ's sake. A woman like that isn't going to wait for eternity." Nate had carefully selected the words in that sentence.
"I keep forgetting that Mac told you about Sydney." Harm rolled his eyes. Nate chuckled at Harm's predicament. "This isn't a date."
"Riiight." Nate was openly sarcastic as he turned toward the bartender. "Vodka martini, please."
"Nate, would you mind not, I mean no vodka." Harm asked like he was intervening on the behalf of Nate's liver but Nate knew why Harm was asking him to stay away from the vodka. Nate cancelled the drink order. He watched as Harm walked over to greet the girls as they came back from the bathroom.
"Not a date, my ass." Nate huffed as he smiled and walked back over to Peach. The intermission lights rang to signal that everyone should move back into their seats for the second half of the show.
The four of them sat there watching the remainder of the play. Nate was hoping that his phone wouldn't vibrate again until the play was over and if he was really lucky, it wouldn't be until the car ride home. Most of the second half came through without a hitch onstage or off but halfway through 'Brush Up Your Shakespeare' Nate felt that harried vibration in his breast pocket again. He leaned over to Peach. "Any chance someone put in a pacemaker while I was asleep?"
"Afraid not, honey." Peach replied softly.
"That's what I was afraid of." Nate replied with a sarcastic smile. He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and flipped the phone open to see a text message displayed on the screen. Only two words were written. BOSS! URGENT! Nate typed in a reply message to calm Spinner and get him to explain himself. Spinner's reply came only seconds later and it certainly was cause for alarm. BOSS, NORTH KOREA ENRICHED URANIUM! Nate practically sprang out of his seat after reading the message. He turned around and grabbed Harm by the sleeve. "We need to go."
"Not right now." Harm glanced passingly at Mac to get his point across. Nate pushed Spinner's latest text message into Harm's face. Harm read it quickly before nodding at Nate. Nate walked over and kissed Peach on the cheek.
"I'll be in late tonight, honey. I love you so much." He pressed his lips to her cheek again. "But they really, really need me right now."
"I know." She whispered in his ear. "I know you tried to put this off earlier but you're a Marine and you'll always answer when duty calls."
"No more PS2 commercials for you." Nate replied with a quick laugh. One row back, Harm was trying to explain to Mac the reason for his sudden departure.
"Mac, I have to go, I really wish I could tell you but I really can't you're just going to have to trust me on this one." He stopped for a second. "This isn't how I wanted the evening to end." He placed a light kiss where at the corner of her lips where they met her cheek. "Goodnight, Sarah." Just then Nate tapped him on the shoulder and the two of them went sprinting out into the lobby and out to the car.
"Not a date, my ass." Nate remarked as they climbed into the car.
"Don't you start." Harm warned.
"Where to, sir?" Burke asked from the front seat.
"White House, Burke. And double time it if you wouldn't mind." Nate indicated and the driver rolled up the dividing glass.
Back in the theatre, the play ended and Peach and Mac got up from their seats. "Well, it's Friday night; the boys are off in their latest re-enactment of a Tom Clancy novel, what say we head back to the condo, order some pizza and watch some chick-flicks?" Peach elbowed Mac in the arm playfully.
"You're on, sounds like a great girls night." Mac chuckled as they headed out into the parking lot. Harm had given her the keys to his Vette as he rushed out of the theatre so that she would have a way home. "So, what do you think the guys are up to?"
"Must be pretty important. I haven't seen run that fast since back in '94 when Nate was trying out his Arabic on the Saudi ambassador and he accidentally made a rather innocent yet offensive remark about the Ambassador's wife's nose." Peach joked as the two women got into the car.
0245 ZULU
THE WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM
WASHINGTON, DC
Nate and Harm were guided down the corridors by Marine escort. They ran into the SECDEF and National Security Advisor, both of whom were taking the same route to the high tech room. "Well don't you two look like you just came from the prom." The SECDEF taunted lightly.
"I'm surprised you were able to pull your head out of your ass long enough to come up with something that clever, Ramsey." Nate volleyed a shot right back. The group that was now numbering four walked through the doors into the situation room. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Director of Central Intelligence, the Vice President, Spinner and the President were already there waiting for them.
"Alright, now that everyone is here, can someone who is supposed to know this, tell me why we didn't know that a rogue dictator was this close to obtaining weapons-grade uranium?" President Andrew Russell never was one to mince words.
"Simply put, sir, we don't know what happened. There must have been a break down somewhere between our agent in Pyongyang and his chief of station in Seoul. That's the only explanation." The Director of the CIA offered his explanation.
"I hate to interrupt, but some of us weren't given a full briefing on what the situation is, so if you wouldn't mind updating Captain Rabb and I so that we can assess just how badly the CIA fucked this one up." Nate tossed an annoyed glare at the Director.
"See, I knew there was a reason you were here. Someone other then me has to be able to cut through the bullshit." President Russell smiled at his Secretary of State. "Mr. Knox, if you would update the Secretary and the Captain." Spinner stepped forward.
"Well, all night we were getting wire traffic coming from the pacific, we tried everything to crack the code and find out what the message was. Naval Intelligence was able to track the transmission to a station in Pyongyang that was relaying the message to North Korean ships that were on exercise in the Sea of Japan. The message we were finally able to decipher was one that was being relayed to a fast-attack sub." The gravity of what Spinner was saying hit everyone in the room pretty hard. "They were using the Navajo code that we used in the Second World War. Kind of ironic when you think about it."
"You'll excuse us for not laughing." The Vice President jumped in.
"Lay off the kid, George. He knows what he's doing." The President jumped in to defend Spinner. "Nathan, what are our options?"
"Well, if we can confirm our intelligence. The smartest thing would be to take it to the Security Council. North Korea isn't a member but China is and they'll be our biggest obstacle. The Russians won't let North Korea have nukes and they'll move to get them the hell out of there. The British would certainly support such a strong solution and the French will as well provided that they didn't sell the North Koreans the equipment to enrich the uranium and even if they did, they might support disarming North Korea." Nate had his hands in his pockets. "Once again the problem becomes China."
"So, does wonderboy have a solution for how we get China on board with a plan to get rid of North Korean nuclear potential?" The Vice President taunted.
"I prefer Captain America, George. There are only two things the Chinese understand on the international stage, force and coercion. Using force against China would be suicide but I think we might be able to coerce them on this one. Granted we're going to have to swallow every last ounce of humanity left in us."
"What are you thinking of Nate? I mean, I can tell from the way you winced that it's bad, but how bad are we talking here?" The President prodded.
"Sir, currently, our foreign aid to China amasses in excess of twenty billion dollars. Meaning that we carry most of the foreign aid to that country. We have to threaten to cut it, and I mean really threaten them. They can't think we're screwing with them because they'll try and call our bluff, they have to honestly think that we'll cut it. We won't of course, that's the beauty of it. A move like this would be in China's best interest to keep quiet too." Nate had to sit down, he couldn't believe what he had just said.
"What makes you say that?" The Director of the CIA asked.
"Simple, the one thing Beijing fears more then anything else is a repeat of Tiananmen Square. If it got to the Chinese people that Beijing was willing to risk their welfare to protect it's position in North Korea, it might create the basis for another revolution." Nate answered.
"Alright, we've got our position for the UN. Captain Rabb, what are our options for removal of the uranium program?" The President shifted his attention to Harm.
"Well, ideally the UN would force North Korea to open up and they would send in UN technicians to dismantle the program. However, if my own experience is anything to go by things rarely run so smoothly at the UN. Sir, the next best option for us would be to allow the CIA to sabotage the site by blowing it up. The problems there arise with the fact that any caught CIA agent would be tortured and killed for espionage and that a blast that size in an area with weapons-grade uranium would create a nuclear crater, likely the size of Nagasaki. So, if it's a rural area, it would kill thousands of people but it would look like the North Koreans were using an unstable reactor and it just blew up in their faces. If worse comes to worse, sir, we can always fallback on air strikes. They're an act of war but it would give us reason to incite revolt and get the people to rise up against Pyongyang." Harm concluded.
"Assuming that their will isn't completely crushed." The CNO chimed in.
"Alright we've got our outright plan and under the SALT and START treaties we can justify them using international law." Harm added.
"Okay, if we know what we're doing, every can go grab some sleep and we'll set to it tomorrow." The President dismissed the sit room and Harm and Nate headed out toward the waiting limo.
0406 ZULU
NATE'S CONDO
FOGGY BOTTOM, DC
Nate walked into the condo, having dropped Harm off at his apartment before heading home. He loosened his tie before heading over to the stairs that led to the second floor. He came upon the most heart-warming scene in the living room. Mac and Peach asleep with the TV on and playing old reruns of 'Moonstruck'. He walked over and kissed Peach on the forehead. She stirred lightly and he eyelids flashed open. "Hey, baby." She stated drowsily, she saw the question in his eyes as he surveyed the living room. "Girls night." She answered to the silent question.
"Come on, let's get you upstairs." He lifted her off the couch and cradled her in his arms.
"I was fine on the couch." She whispered in his ear.
"I know, but I'm not fine without you." Nate replied and she lightly kissed his lips.
"I love you so much." She murmured into his neck.
"I love you, too. So, what did you get out of Mac?" Nate asked out of curiosity.
"It wasn't a date." She replied as Nate let her down on their bed. The two lovers looked at each other and voiced a similar thought. "Not a date, my ass."