"Did someone call?" Keeter's head popped up over a row of slot machines.

"Keeter, what the hell are you doing here and how did you get here?" Harm walked over and pulled Keeter into a bear hug.

"Well, lucky for us, Gunny's hangover wasn't too bad so when he woke up to take a piss at around 0230, he found your note and woke the rest of us. We all figured that we'd been through too much with you and Mac to miss the big wedding so we called a buddy of mine who runs a whirly-bird school and he lent us a helicopter." Keeter was rather animated with his hand gestures.

"I can only imagine what the three of you decided to get for a wedding present." Harm laughed.

"Already taken care of." Sturgis walked up behind Keeter. "We all chipped in for the honeymoon suite for you and Mac."

"Thanks guys, even though I know that's your own subtle way of telling me to have lots of sex with my bride to be." Harm sounded touched even though he was laughing.

"Yeah, well, the Gunny was the most reluctant about parting with his money." Keeter chuckled lightly.

"Well, he's a Marine what do you expect." Harm answered.

"Hey, aren't you marrying into the Marines?" Bax came walking up behind Harm and gave him a pat on the back.

"Oh yeah." Harm turned around to see that Mac and Kate had disappeared. "Where did the girls go?"

"Kate told Mac that she found a bridal boutique nearby. I can't remember if it was in the hotel or not. Anyway, Kate argued that just because you two were technically eloping didn't mean that Mac hadn't earned a wedding dress. Mac agreed after Kate agreed that it would be our gift to the two of you." Bax smiled weakly.

"Now when you say 'our gift' you mean……" Harm was waiting for Bax to finish the thought.

"Kate kidnapped my Amex card." Bax smiled sarcastically.

"I guess the only thing I'm paying for this weekend is the use of the wedding chapel and minister." Harm commented as they all walked over to the check-in counter for the hotel.

"We didn't have the time to bring everyone's dress whites down so, we can't do the arch but we'll all salute you, how about that?" Sturgis suggested.

"We didn't have enough money left over to get separate room for all three of us, so we'll all be penned up in the same room tonight down the hall from you, Hammer. This means that you and the Missus have to promise not to be too loud tonight." Keeter suggested as they all moved toward the elevator.

"Hey, it's not like I'm known for broadcasting." Harm protested with a shocked tone.

"I don't know, sir. These guys told me about one time at the Academy where you pulled the old gag of putting a sock on the door-knob. They said that they didn't have to see anything because you and the girl you were with could be heard through the door, sir." Gunny finished and Harm's old roomies were trying to contain their laughter at Harm's expression.

"That happens once and you three can't let it go after twenty-years!" Harm turned to face his three buddies who were now laughing openly and heartily.

"Oh come on, Harm. That day was funny as hell. I mean, we all get back from chow to find a sock on our door and some porno-worthy dirty talk coming from inside. That was classic." Bax gave Harm a playful slug to the shoulder.

"It wasn't that bad!" Harm raised his voice in protest.

"Harm, I thought I was going to have to rinse my ears out with holy water." Sturgis started. "I never, in my life, would have bet that I would hear Diane use the phrase; 'Oh yeah, big boy, give it to me hard!' and that was on the lighter side of what she was saying that afternoon."

"Yeah, I think Sturgis was blushing for a good week after that. God knows he couldn't look Diane in the eyes for the rest of the year." Keeter added as the elevator bell dinged to signify their floor.

"So that's why you were always looking at the floor when she was talking to you? I thought you just had some kind of foot fetish." Harm joked much to Sturgis' annoyance.

"You know, just because you're getting married, doesn't mean that I won't hit you." Sturgis warned mockingly as he handed Harm the cardkey for his room.

"You know, none of us has a change of clothes, we're gonna be smelling pretty rank tomorrow." Keeter pondered aloud.

"Nah, there are a bunch of gift shops on the boardwalk; we'll just pick up some shirts from them." Bax informed him and all the guys stepped into their respective rooms.

1440 ZULU

ANNE'S BRIDAL BOUTIQUE
ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY

"Mac, are you sure you don't mind me being here? I mean with everything that's happened in the past and all?" Kate questioned as she and Mac wandered into the shop.

"You know, I think normally, there would be a part of me that would be very insecure about you being here. But yesterday Harm just said so much about not living in the past that I've kind of adopted that philosophy. Also it helps to know that you've got a guy of your own." Mac smiled genuinely.

"Yeah, that I rarely see. I mean it's one thing when we're both in San Diego but normally he's off on tours and chain of command inspections for the other SEAL teams or I'm off on assignment somewhere. I mean, when he told me that he was going to Surface Warfare School, I practically dragged him to bed for putting some real stability in our lives. He may only be home for six months, but there'll always be liberties and it puts him in line for his stars and that means eventually they're going to anchor him to a desk at the Pentagon. I'm sorry, I'm blathering on endlessly about Ethan and it's your wedding day, you should be the one blushing about your groom to be."

"I don't know what to really say. It's all so wonderfully overwhelming I mean, this time last Friday I was sitting on my couch all alone, eating popcorn and watching the movie of the week on cable trying to comprehend how I was thirty-three and still single. Believe it or not, I half contemplated driving over to his apartment, throwing him down on the bed and just getting it over with." Mac laughed sarcastically. "Remind me to thank your boyfriend. I'm not sure what he said to Harm but something must have gotten through."

"My Ethan? He said he was asleep the entire time that you and Harm worked on this." Kate remarked as the two women gazed at wedding dresses.

"He was. But he was the one who managed to talk Harm into talking about everything that had gone awry between the two of us in the last few years. Originally, Bax, was just going out to talk to Harm and make sure that he had now problems with you dating Bax. I don't know how they got on to the topic of me and Harm but I'm glad they did." Mac stopped when she found her dress. It was like an oddly euphoric, lightning striking the mind, kind of moment. "This is it, Kate. This is the dress."

"Harm's eyes are going to pop out of his head when he sees that neckline." Kate stated simply.

"I know, it's great isn't it?" Mac laughed openly. "Oh my God, this is really happening, I'm really marrying Prince Charming." Mac whispered as she picked up the dress and looked at it.

"Come on, Mac, try it on." Kate encouraged with a smile of her own. A saleswoman came over and opened the fitting room and Mac went to try the dress on. Mac put the dress on, with a little help from Kate and the saleswoman brought out the pins to mark the necessary alterations that might need to be made. Mac couldn't help but tear up slightly at the sight that she made in the mirror. This was it. It never felt so welcoming before. The idea of pledging her life to a man had seemed daunting with Mic and Chris but with Harm it just seemed so fulfilling.

"God, am I supposed to look this good when my day comes?" Kate remarked with a smile as she looked at Mac in the mirror. "Harm is a very lucky man."

"I hope he feels that way. Sometimes, I don't know, I get the feeling that this is all just happening because……I don't know, because he doesn't want to be alone any more or because he wants something life and I'm just a means to an end with him." Mac was pouting slightly as her insecurity took over.

"Mac, when I was at JAG last year, I all but told Harm that I could tell that he was in love with you then and if what I saw in the lobby of the hotel today is any indication, he's still very much in love with you." Kate reassured Mac as she adjusted the veil.

"Bax is lucky to have you." Mac smiled weakly having successfully averted tears.

"He tells me that a lot." Kate replied as the saleswoman finished with the pins for alteration markings.

"Alright you're done." The saleswoman said.

"How long will the alterations take?" Mac asked as Kate helped her out of the dress.

"Honey, this is Atlantic City, if we couldn't have a wedding dress altered in two hours, we'd be out of business." The saleswoman replied.

1513 ZULU

ROBERTS RESIDENCE

ROSSLYN, VIRGINIA

"Bud, honey, you have to call the Admiral for the party when the Colonel and the Commander come home from their weekend." Harriet announced from the kitchen. Bud walked over and picked up the phone; he dialled the numbers and waited for the familiar gruff voice to pick up the other end of the connection.

"Sir, this is Lieutenant Roberts. I'm calling about the Commander and the Colonel."

(Has something bad happened, Lieutenant?)

"That depends on your perspective, sir."

(Explain, Lieutenant)

"Sir, they're in Atlantic City with Commanders Baxter, Keeter, Turner and Pike as well as Gunnery Sergeant Galindez."

(Did they get arrested, Lieutenant?)

"No, sir. They are getting married though."

(What the Sam Hill! Are you sure, Lieutenant?)

"I wouldn't have called you if I wasn't, sir."

(Why did you call, Lieutenant?)

"Well, sir, since they're eloping, Commander Turner thought it would be a good idea if we had a reception for them on Veteran's Day when they got back."

(What time and where is it, Lieutenant?)

"Uh, 1600 at McMurphy's, sir."

(I'll be there, I'm not sure if copies of the indictment will be my wedding present, yet)

"Uh, yes, sir." Bud stated nervously. As the Admiral hung up the other end of the connection, Bud was sure that he heard the words 'bout damn time.'

1657 ZULU

HARD ROCK CAFÉ

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY

"So, what kind of woman does it take to pull in the reins on Harmon Rabb?" Kate questioned as their coffees were brought over.

"I don't think I've got the reins. I mean Harm is still every bit as off the wall with me as he is without me." Mac laughed as she reminisced on a few of Harm's antics, spending specific time remembering the HNK incident.

"Yeah, but you're the one that got him to chuck the bachelor lifestyle for that of a married man. That is an accomplishment, any way you slice it." Kate pointed out.

"Well, let's turn the tables here. I'm sure Bax is no walk in the park to keep on the leash, how do you do it?" Mac raised her eyebrows in anticipation of an answer.

"Ethan? As in my Ethan? He's a pussycat. Well, maybe not a pussycat, more like a German Shepherd. A loveable mutt that's loyal and only has three basic requirements in life. Food, sleep and sex." Kate laughed heartily.

"The way Harm and Sturgis talk, you'd think that Bax was this guy who still drove a Harley and wore a Members Only jacket and thought he was God's gift to women." Mac lightly stirred her coffee.

"I have no doubt that he was like that when they were at the Academy. But Bax wised up over the years. It wasn't long after visiting JAG last year that I met him and since then he's done so much. You know why he came to visit Harm now?" Kate asked.

"I thought that it was because he wanted to make sure that Harm was okay with the two of you." Mac replied, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"That was one reason. I know that Ethan's been telling everyone that he's going to Surface Warfare school but the truth is that he already went, he's about to get his Eagles and his command. Toby Ingles is being moved up to the Pentagon. They're going to put Ethan on the bridge of the Patrick Henry." Kate could hardly contain her joy.

"They're giving him command of the whole carrier group? Somebody at the CNO's office must have been impressed all to hell. No wonder he wanted to talk to Harm, a command position on a carrier has always been Harm's dream and from what I've seen of Ethan's behaviour this weekend; he's playing peacemaker." Mac contemplated.

"Exactly. You know, when I first found out about Ethan and Harm being friends from the Academy, they appeared to be as stark in contrast as night and day. As more time passed, I began to see the similarities in them rise to the surface. I mean, I've never known one man to respect another man of the same age as much as Ethan respects Harm and I can tell just in the way he talks about him. He's just a good man. There are times when I've lain in bed next to him and wondered how I got so lucky." Kate mused.

"I did that the whole drive up here sitting next to Harm." Mac commented with a smile. "You know, Sturgis and Jack are good men too, if we have any single friends we should try and hook them up."

"I thought Sturgis was dating a Congresswoman?" Kate asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot all about Bobbi. I don't think she'd like us playing matchmaker with her boyfriend." Mac laughed happily. "Well that just leaves Jack, any ideas Kate?"

"I have the perfect one." Kate's eyes lit up.

"Who is it?" Mac leaned over the table and Kate whispered in her ear. "Are you sure?"

"You're just going to have to trust my matchmaking skills." Kate smiled coyly.

"You're bad. Come on, let's head back to the boutique and pick up the dress." Mac smiled as she and Kate got up from the table and walked back up the boardwalk.

1750 ZULU

HAPPILY EVER AFTER WEDDING CHAPEL

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY

"Jesus Christ! You drive across three states, prevent any of us from getting real sleep and now you decide to get cold feet. Mother of God!" Keeter groaned from the front of the chapel.

"Harm, for the last three hours, you've had the four of us busting our ass to make this place look as much like a meadow as was humanly possible. You've even talked Sturgis, Keeter and I into making goat noises. I don't care if I have to hit you with a muscle relaxant, you're going through with this wedding." Bax protested.

"I want to go through with this wedding. You think I don't? I'm worried that Mac is standing at the back of the chapel with second thoughts about marrying me. I mean, come on, six years of me acting like a dip-shit when it came to her was bound to catch up with me sometime. She's probably thinking that our married life will be hell or something like that." Harm was starting to babble.

"Gunnery Sergeant, please help us out here. By whatever means necessary." Sturgis stated formally. Gunny nodded. He then proceeded to walk over and slap Harm to shake him out of his frenzy.

"Sir, you're pissing on the Navy's reputation and you sound like a Nancy boy. Even a blind man who absent-mindedly wandered into JAG could pick up on the vibes that you and Colonel MacKenzie throw at each other. That woman is in love with you. If you don't marry her, I will personally order every Marine I can find and give legal orders to, to kick your six."

"We can add my SEALs to that list." Bax added.

"And my aviators." Keeter supplied.

"And every submariner I know." Sturgis finished.

"There you go. So, sir, it would appear that your options are either marry Colonel MacKenzie, of get your ass kicked by the entire Department of the Navy. Seems like a pretty clear choice, sir." Gunny had his hands braced on Harm's shoulders.

"You know, Gunny, if you ever get out of the Marines, you could go into motivational speaking." Harm smiled and stood up straight at the front of the chapel.

"I'll consider it, sir." Gunny affirmed and took his seat. Harm was standing at the front of the church with his three Academy roommates filling the roles of his ushers. Kate walked out to the front of the chapel and stood on Mac's side of the altar. Then Harm came up with an idea.

"Gunny, you're going to give the Colonel away. Her Uncle Matt would've but he's not here. He's a Marine, you're a Marine, no one here's more qualified to do it than you." Harm stated.

"Except for you, sir." Gunny replied.

"Considering that I'm marrying her, that would be kind of awkward don't you think?" Harm returned.

"Excellent point, sir." Gunny sprinted to the back of the church. Gunny walked into the little mock rectory at the back of the church where Mac was standing there in her wedding gown. "Ma'am, if I may say, hubba-hubba."

"Thank you, Gunny." Mac laughed. "Why are you here?"

"I've been assigned to give you away Ma'am. Commander Rabb figured that since your uncle and I are both Marines, I would make an adequate stand-in." Gunny smiled widely at the honour.

"More than adequate, Gunny." Mac extended her arm for Gunny to take it. "Shall we?" Gunny took her arm and the Wedding March began to play in the chapel. Mac walked out in the main part of the chapel to find that the guys had purchased sods of turf from Home Depot and lined the aisle with them and they had even strewn flowers along the edges. As she and Gunny walked up the aisle, Mac was smiling to hear Harm's friends making goat sounds. When she reached the altar, she looked up at Harm who was waiting for her.

The minister looked at them and spoke up. "And who gives this woman to this man?" He questioned.

"I do, sir." Gunny was beaming with pride.

For the next few minutes, the minister spoke of the meaning of love and the institution of marriage and eternal bonds, etcetera but it would be difficult to tell if anyone in the chapel was actually paying attention to him. Harm and Mac had their eyes fixed on each other, Sturgis and Keeter were staring at their shoes, Bax and Kate were staring at each other, both imagining when it would be them up there and Gunny was sitting in a chair in the front row trying not to fall asleep.

Finally, the minister came to the vows. "Do you, Sarah, take Harmon to be your lawful wedded husband, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, for as long as you both shall live?" The Minister turned his eyes toward Mac.

"I do." Mac replied timidly.

"And do you, Harmon, take Sarah to be your lawful wedded wife, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?" The minister's eyes moved to Harm.

"I do." Harm stated boldly.

"The rings please." The minister stated. Keeter fumbled around in his pockets for the rings.

"Keeter, tell me you have the rings." Harm muttered, never taking his gaze off of Mac. He was in awe of her beauty in that dress.

"They were here just a minute ago." Keeter stated as he searched his back pocket.

"Keeter!" Harm practically shouted.

"Just messing with you, buddy." Keeter pulled them out of the breast pocket of his shirt.

"I'm going to get you for that, Keeter." Harm promised as he took the rings.

"Now repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed." The minister stated.

"With this ring, I thee wed." Harm stated as he slid the ring on to Mac's finger.

"What God hath put together, let no man put asunder. With the power vested in me by God and the State of New Jersey, I now pronounce you man and wife. Kiss the bride, boy." The minister walked off the altar and Harm lifted Mac's veil and cupped her face in his hands before bringing her in for a kiss. It started soft and slow but grew hotter and more demanding.

"Alright, you two, that's why we chipped in and got you the Honeymoon Suite, come up for air already." Sturgis joked and the laughter forced Harm and Mac to pull apart.

"I love you, Mrs. Rabb." Harm stated.

"And I love you, my husband." Mac smiling unabashedly.

"Now, we have one surprise, left. While we were at Home Depot, we decided on something." Gunny, Sturgis, Keeter and Bax rushed down the aisle and out of the chapel.

"They brought me up to speed on this plan, it's actually pretty creative." Kate remarked as Harm and Mac walked slowly down the aisle to the back of the chapel. The doors opened and they saw their four friends standing there with small garden rakes at their sides.

"Officers, draw swords!" Jack announced and all four of them brought the garden rakes to their waist. "Officers, arch swords!" The rakes were brought up into a high arch. "Swords into the wind!" Keeter stated and the guys turned their wrists.

"Presenting for the first time, Commander and Mrs. Harmon Rabb Jr.!" Gunny announced happily. Harm and Mac chuckled at the display and walked down through the 'arch of swords.' As they reached the end, Mac readied herself for Jack to bring his rake down across the backside.

"Go Navy!" Jack exclaimed as he did. Not to be outdone, the Gunny responded in kind.

"Semper Fi!" Gunny announced as his rake came down across Harm's butt. When they had gotten through the arch, the couple turned around to face their friends.

"What the hell would I do without you guys? In six hours, you helped me pull off a miracle." Harm was smiling widely.

"Like I said earlier, just keep it down in your hotel room tonight. Some of us are operating on only two hours sleep." Keeter deadpanned as they all headed back to the hotel.