Title : Where Do We Go From Here… (at last, Part III of the Trilogy!)

Author : Jaggie 107

Disclaimer : JAG and NCIS characters belong to DPB, CBS and Paramount. 'Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye' belongs to PAX TV – and I hope all parties will allow me to have fun for a little while, and replace them all when I'm done. Thank you. (I remembered to add NCIS to the Disclaimer – missed it for a few chapters. Sorry!)

Rating : T (I think!)

Thanks for the reviews to : jtbwriter; Radiorox; DD2; Nikki; froggy0319; anna7; Jbird7986; beegirl; JAGFANWI; Abigaile; Judy; roxy; KJFlygirl87; mayaresi; alicia; starryeyes10; skyefire; jnp; JAGJenni; laura carr; AnniGH4ever; Arian04; aserene; rosan; achaon; martini1988; Sarah; wheels04; BlueJay; chawkchic; Manda; BrittanyLS; jaggurl; DushiNoSushi; prymtns; Mey80; kchs123; Sariana of Wind; daisymh

First off, a correction – pointed out by daisymh (Thank you!) – Annie and Harm met again in Series 1 (Pilot Error), then in Jinx (Series 2), followed by Someone To Watch Over Annie, and the end of their relationship in Tiger, Tiger (Series 3).

froggy0319

Thank you for your unwavering support – much appreciated! I thought about using Josh earlier in the story, but this turned out to be a much better time…hope you like this chapter!

jaggurl

I always thought it was sad that Annie took Josh out of Harm's life, and I've included him in another story too (A New Beginning). This seemed a good time to include him again!

daisymh

Hello! Thanks for the heads-up! Between the last two episodes was a scene of breakfast in Harm's apartment where Annie went to get leftover pizza from his refrigerator. Not sure in which episode it appears, though…Hope you like this chapter!

MiDushiNoSushi

You've raised a few points for me – I wasn't honestly considering Annie, but it's a possibility. Keep reading to find out!

prymtns

I've had Josh in mind for a while, but not quite sure about Annie causing problems. I don't think she could now, anyway, as Harm and Mac are so settled, but maybe she could raise a little heat…stay tuned, and thanks for the ideas! As for Jack, don't you just love the guy:o) Hope you like this chapter!

BrittanyLS

Thanks for waiting for me! I'm trying to get past the 'socializing' to reach the main idea of the story again, but I'm having so much fun writing the relationships between Harm and Mac, and Sue and Jack! I'm working on Bobby and Jen, so watch this space! I hope you like this new chapter.

starryeyes10

Thanks for your review. Hope you like this next chapter, and please keep reading!

jtbwriter

Hiya! Nice to see you! I'm glad you like the addition of Josh – I always thought it was a shame his character was written out, and so this is my way of bringing him back in! I checked out IMDB the other day to see what the actor, Will Rothhaar, had been up to since JAG and what a surprise! He's quite a hottie, and imho should have been brought back instead of Vukovic… he could have had a storyline like Mattie's… oh, that's what I'm doing!

I'm trying to get back to the main story, but it's so easy to get sidetracked by the fun Harm, Mac, Sue and Jack have in private! I'll try to focus more… (evil grin)!

As for the rest, thanks as always for your review, and I hope you like this next chapter.

Pinkie luck as always, and all the best to you and yours.

Harm's Apartment – Sunday night

"So, flyboy, what was it that had you so surprised this morning?"

"Hm?" asked Harm, turning his head on the pillow to find Mac looking at him, her head propped up on her right hand. A feeling of déjà vu came and went, a memory of another night in another room when they had shared a bed, and Mac had looked at him with the same intensity.

"I made a comment this morning about Josh being family, and you looked very surprised."

"It was a nice thing to say," Harm hedged, not sure what it was in her comment that had surprised him so much, and then he grinned. "I remember…Josh told me he'd had other plans for this weekend, until he met Mattie and found out about her relationship to me. When he said he'd changed those plans, it just gave me the eeriest feeling – like we're going to be seeing an awful lot more of Josh."

"Well of course we are," Mac began, but at the look on Harm's face she paused. "There's something else?"

Harm nodded, and gave Mac a quick kiss before continuing to talk.

"I meant in Mattie's life…" he murmured, and Mac's eyes widened as she took in the unspoken thought.

"Oh my," Mac uttered, and looked at the slats in the bedroom to the form on the couch beyond. "Do you think they know?"

Harm shook his head, but there was a smile playing around his lips, and Mac grinned at him.

"What?" she asked, feeling she already knew the answer.

"There's Blaise in the picture too. This is going to get interesting."

"You can't say anything, Harm! They have to find out for themselves…" Mac admonished gently, her voice just above a whisper, and Harm nodded.

"I know, and I won't interfere. Unless there's a chance Mattie gets hurt." Harm's determined look at the end of his sentence had Mac nodding, knowing he was in the mode of protective father. When her expression changed, though, he took notice straight away. "Mac? What is it?"

"I just…you make a great father…I just wish I'd had someone like you when I was growing up…" Mac managed to get the words out, and then no more words were spoken as Harm gathered her up and wiped her tears, replacing bad memories with soft kisses. They both knew they would go no further, with Josh basically in the same room as them, but it was only until the next night…

Monday Morning

"Keeter will be by to pick you up in an hour." Harm looked across the kitchen island at Josh as he spoke, and Josh nodded. Closing his eyes briefly, he opened them to find Harm watching him. "You okay?"

Josh nodded, giving a self-conscious grin. "I was remembering…the morning I saw you kissing Mom. We were sat much like this then."

"Yeah." Harm grinned too, remembering also a young boy, and a woman he believed he loved and would eventually marry. "Have you spoken to your…to Annie at all?" Harm went back to the conversation they had had the day before, when Josh had told him that his mother had basically forbidden him from entering the Academy, and if he disobeyed her she would consider him dead to her too, like his father. Josh shook his head, giving Harm a pained look.

"Not in the time since I came to the Academy. I send emails to let her know I'm okay, but I don't say anything else about how I'm doing, or what I've learned about Dad…that would be cruel." Harm watched the expressions play across Josh's face as he paused. "I don't even know if she reads the mails, but I know she's doing okay because I check in with Mrs Clark, a neighbor."

Harm nodded his head, not saying anything, but giving Josh a reassuring smile, pleased to know that even in such awful circumstances he could still show concern for his mother.

"I never thought it would come to this, Josh. If I thought it would do any good…" Harm began, but Josh shook his head sadly, realizing what Harm was trying to say.

"It wouldn't, but thanks for even offering. When Mom went back home that day," Josh began again, "she was just so quiet. It was actually scary. I think that was the final straw for her. It was as if she even hated me, for wanting to be like my father."

"How…did you get your referral?" Harm changed the subject slightly, shaken by Josh's statement that Annie had hated her own son. May still hate him; just for wanting to do the things his father did.

"I did try you first, but Admiral Chegwidden said you'd left the Navy, and I rang the apartment but there was no reply. The Admiral seemed a bit ticked at you, so I didn't call back." Josh missed the wince Harm gave at the mention of the Admiral, and he continued unaware. "In the end I found Dad's Academy graduation book, and saw Keeter's name."

"I'm glad, Josh. I would have done a referral, you know that, but I went through a bad time back then, and I was out of the Navy, for about six months. Keeter's a good man, and was a good friend of your father's too."

"Yeah." Josh nodded, his eyes watching Harm closely. "Can I ask why you left the Navy?"

"Personal reasons, mostly, and I will tell you the whole story sometime, but we don't have time right now. I guess you'll be keeping in touch with Mattie, so you could ask for her version." Josh laughed at that, and Harm cocked an eyebrow in question. "Something I should know?"

"Nah, nothing bad anyway. It's just…I was giving Mattie a hard time about being your daughter, and she decked me…so I don't want to give her the opportunity to do it again!"

"Mattie hit you?" Harm's expression changed slightly, but Josh grinned at him.

"I started it, Harm, and she only pushed me. The last time I saw you, you were single, no kids…and here comes this girl saying she's your daughter! Of course I called her on it, and that didn't go down well. Unfortunately, I did…right on my backside, in full view of the visiting candidates."

"I'm guessing you got past it, as you were assigned to her."

"Yeah, you could say that…" Josh answered, and Harm bit back the grin at the expression on the young man's face. The conversation he had with Mac the night before came to mind, and at that reminder Harm straightened up.

"Uh-oh, I'm in trouble…I was meant to be getting Mac some tea," Harm remembered belatedly, and Josh grinned as Mac's voice could be heard through the slats.

"I heard that, Mr Rabb…"

Harm gave Josh a wink as he turned to put the kettle on the stove. When he turned back Josh gave him a searching look.

"Josh?"

"You won't…lose touch again, Harm…"

"I promise," Harm answered honestly, and Josh closed his eyes on a sigh, a smile on his lips as he murmured a quiet 'thank you'.

To be continued