AN: Forgot to say in part 1, the SP series was my first ever JAG fanfiction, so please keep this in mind and try not to be too harsh when reviewing. Thanks!

See part 1 for disclaimer…

Part 2

1655 Local

Sunset Safari Park,

Sokoto, Nigeria.

Harm and Mac stepped from the off-road jeep and stretched their legs and looking towards the large farmhouse, they saw a woman in her early thirties emerge through the front screen door. As they walked to the steps of the front porch, Mac noted her khaki shorts and shirt with long, rolled up sleeves and couldn't help but think that she looked like she was straight out of the movie, "Born Free."

"Hi," the woman greeted them, "I'm Emilie, Catriona's foster mother."

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb and this is my partner, Major Sarah MacKenzie. We're both from the US military's JAG, that is the Judge Advocate General Corps…"

"Yes," Emilie cut in, trying to keep Harm from explaining what he didn't have to, "I was informed of the court's decision and exactly what is going to take place. I've also been told that Russian officials will be arriving later this evening, to oversee the, uh…procedure."

At this moment, Mac spoke up.

"Yes, Ma'am, the Russian and the American authorities are working together closely on this case. It seems that Miss Carter became a Russian citizen nine years ago. Was that just before she was brought to Nigeria?"

"Yes, Catriona has been living here for just over two years, now. She lived in Russia for just under seven years, from the age of six."

"Was that in foster care, as well?" Harm asked.

"Not in foster care, no. She was put in a home for orphaned children, run by Christian Aid, in Grozny."

Emilie showed Harm and Mac to their rooms, seeing as it would be impossible for them to cross through the park this late in the day. It was at least an eight-hour journey before they would make it to the only commercial local airport. Also, the next flight back, which connected to Dulles, wouldn't be for another few days, so they would set off early in the morning, in a few days time. Emilie excused herself and left Harm and Mac to get settled in. As Mac took in the view from the window opposite her bed, she realized that she would enjoy her short stay at the safari park. Usually, Mac wanted to get the job over and done with, so that she could get back home, especially if she happened to be aboard a particular Navy submarine. Mac suppressed a shudder as she recalled her and Harm's last assignment aboard the USS Watertown. However, Mac was glad of the break that she and Harm would get, after all of the stress that they had been through, lately. She certainly didn't want to cross the park after nightfall and end up as munchies for wild animals. Mac quickly changed out of her uniform and headed to Harm's room, where she knocked on the door, waiting for permission to enter. At Harm's reply, she opened the door and looked in to see that he had also changed into civvies, a pair of jeans, coupled with a white, v-necked tee shirt. As Mac made her way over to the window, she absently noted that the single bed was pushed up to the wall that joined their rooms, as was hers. After a moment, Harm asked her, "Do you want to go through and talk to Emilie? Perhaps we can get her to tell us a bit more about Catriona." Mac nodded to him. As they made their way through to the living room, Harm and Mac paused to look into another bedroom that was empty, apart from the usual furniture and a large, black trunk. Just then, Emilie approached them from the direction of the kitchen and told them, "That's Catriona's room. All of her belongings are packed up to go, but I'm afraid that she isn't around, right now."

As she spoke, they walked through the house and out to the front porch, where they sat down to continue talking. It was then that Harm and Mac noticed that a troop of Russian officials had set up tents in the front yard.

"They just arrived," Emilie told them. She continued, "I offered them rooms in the house, but they declined."

Seeing their confusion, she explained to them, "Catriona's room is the only dormitory room occupied at the moment, as there are no other children staying with us. Usually, we are so overrun that some go to sleep outback in the barn, instead of being cramped into the rooms in the house. They love it, they have more space and it is just like camping out! Just before Catriona went missing, though, we were able to put all of our other children into permanent homes. It's just Catriona and I here, now."

Harm and Mac have both noted the unusual way that Emilie said Catriona's name and could not decide whether it was just Emilie's accent, so decided to confirm just how it was pronounced.

"At first, my partner and I thought that Miss Carter's name was pronounced, 'Cat-tree-own-a.' But that isn't correct, is it?" Mac questioned Emilie.

"Oh, Catriona won't mind how you say her name," the woman assured them, "She lived with us for a month, with us all saying her name wrongly before she corrected us! But the correct pronunciation is 'Cat-tree-unna.' There isn't such emphasis on the 'triona' part. It's said very quickly. She told me that it is originally of Gaelic origin. I don't know when she was renamed, from a very early age, I suppose. Young children are very adaptable. She told me that one of her captors called her by the name because she reminded him of his youngest sister, who had passed away tragically at a very young age. She said he was the only one who never threatened her or hit her. The others were all very cruel to her."

"That must have been a terrible way to live," Harm surmised.

"Yes, I'm sure it was, but she is always very nonchalant about it," Emilie reflected, "She is a strong girl, always brushes anything off, no matter whether it is about the terrible life she has led, ever since she can remember or whether it is someone saying her name wrong."

"I'm sure that we'll all get on better if we know how to say her name correctly," Harm decided.

"I think it is her way of dealing with things," Emilie told them, "She does not often confide in anyone, but locks it all away inside herself. It often worries me."

After a while, both Harm and Mac could tell that it would not be long until nightfall and started to worry about Catriona, who still hadn't made an appearance. When Harm voiced this fear to Emilie, she replied, "I'm sure that she will be home in just a while. She knows that I have strict orders to be home in time for dinner. I will admit, she didn't take the news of the court ruling too well. I'll bet she's out on the grasslands."

Not missing Harm and Mac's worried expressions, she continued, "There's an elephant herd that roams around the area. We recently introduced a young male elephant into the group, whom we raised on the compound. He and Catriona are inseparable and if the herd is ever close to the compound, she stays around with them."

"The other elephants accept her?" Mac exclaimed, surprised.

"Yes," Emilie told them, "she seems to have a way with them, for they treat her as if she were just another herd member. She's what I like to call 'a free spirit'!"

After a minute, Emilie excused herself to begin making the dinner.

Mac got up to walk around to the back porch. The last few weeks had been hard for both she and Harm, but neither of them had been able to mention the fact that they had come so close to losing one another. Mac knew that Harm had to be struggling to come to terms with the fact that she had almost died, after having her breathing cut off by a shipman's stranglehold and that he had been powerless to stop him. Mac was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she did not hear Harm approach behind her and she jumped violently as he touched her shoulder.

"Sorry," Harm apologized, sheepishly. Mac gave him a forgiving smile, more embarrassed at her overreaction than anything else. She turned away from him so he wouldn't see the redness that was creeping into her cheeks and focused her eyes on the low sun on the horizon. Harm could clearly see that Mac was hurting and he knew why, but so far, he couldn't get her to talk about it to him. Again, Harm tried to get her attention.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

OOOO