AN: A heartfelt thanks to all of you who took the time and effort to review the first installment of this new story. Your overly positive view makes me more confident about continuing. So, just to get this story really on the road, I'll publish two chapters at the same time. Love to hear from you after those.

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams...and in my fictions are they all mine to toy with. Not for real, remember?

CHAPTER TWO

For a moment, the world froze, as if they were the lead actors in a very bad movie. She didn't even hear the booing of the club visitors as her body refused to move and no pieces of clothing were further taken off. While the cheesy country music kept playing, she just…stood there.

Him. There was no doubt about it. It was him. She hadn't taken notice of his uniform, since there were always a lot of sailors on leave watching her. When she'd just started out, she had been afraid of being recognized by a former client from the nearby base, but somehow that had never happened. Of course her hair was a lot longer now and her heavy make-up concealed a lot, so she didn't resemble the rigid Marine she once was by a long shot.

But this time, there was nowhere to hide. He would have recognized her anywhere. For all this year she'd been running from her life, the most unlikely scenes had been playing in her mind. Meeting Harriet with the kids at the mall (Bud could have been replaced or reassigned). Or being approached on the street by someone she'd prosecuted or defended once, a lifetime ago. Going to another club or bar and seeing Bud or Sturgis having a beer after finishing an investigation.

But never had she been more troubled by her dreams than by the ones dedicated to the one person she both did and did not want to see. Him.

And now he was here, clearly as distraught as she was. Not just because they met, but more of the way they met. In a cheap San Diego club. Him watching her strip down to practically nothing…or absolutely nothing if the tips were good. And him still thinking of her as the kick-ass Marine she had been, way before her life came crashing down…

How ironic. She would have chosen him to be her next lover if only he'd stuck around long enough. He would have been the next (and last) in line to see her naked body and tell her how beautiful she was. Instead, here he was, looking at her together with dozens of others, strangers…

Suddenly she felt sick, but at least the wave of nausea triggered her into action as she quickly groped her blouse and hat from the stage and fled into the relative safety of her dressing room.

Forgotten was his reason for being here, forgotten all other people around him. As quickly as his big body would allow him to, he darted to the backstage area, where he was halted by a big man (though not as tall as he himself was) with a scowl on his face.

"No disturbing the girls backstage, sailor. They don't do private peepshows for the likes of you."

"I know that. And it's not what I want. I just…"

Running out of patience fast, Harm tried to push the other big man away, but it was like pushing a rock.

"You wanna get into trouble with the law, Mr. Fancy Uniform? I hear your kind of lawyers don't like this kind of harassment any better than the regular ones do."

"You seem to know a lot about our kind of lawyers…except not enough to notice that I AM one. And whether you believe it or not, once upon a time so was she."

"Which one?"

The voice sounded amused, as if Harm was only slightly in loss of his marbles.

"The last one on stage. She must have recognized me, since she fled. Now, technically, she's resigned her commission, so there's no legal problem hanging over her head, but not that long ago we were best friends as well as partners and I do need to talk to her."

"How can I be sure you're not making this all up?"

For some unknown reason, the bouncer had obviously decided to take him seriously. Harm took out his wallet and showed him one of his most precious possessions. It was a photo of the two of them, dressed in full mess dress at the last annual Christmas party they'd attended together. Arms wrapped around each other, they looked so comfortable and content. So fast that had changed…

"See? Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie. That's her."

The big man took a sharp look and blew out some air.

"That's her alright. Calls herself Maggie now."

"So…can I go see her?"

Suddenly, the bouncer's face contorted into what was supposedly a knowing smile.

"You're in love with her."

Momentarily taken aback at the plain and simple truth being revealed by the man in front of him, Harm wanted to shake his head in automatic denial, when he abruptly changed his mind and nodded in defeat.

"From the start. And if I'd had the guts to tell her, she wouldn't have fled across the country…I'm to blame for the life she's leading now. No offence."

"None taken. I've always known she was somehow too good, too smart to belong here. Guess I was right."

"So I can go see her now?"

"I guess so."

He stepped aside to let Harm pass, but as he did so, he grabbed the officer's shoulder to turn him around.

"For what it's worth…this is a strip-club, not a brothel. We don't have private rooms, the girls don't provide any other service than the on-stage shows. And as far as I can recollect she's never been picked up by anyone after work either. Come to think of it, the last one who tried, almost didn't make it alive to regret it."

Harm grinned despite of himself. Sounded like Mac, alright.

"Thanks."

He didn't know what else to say.

Derek nodded, remaining silent when he let go if Harm's shoulder. Then watched him go in with a sad expression on his face. Poor Maggie, or Sarah, or whatever her name was…she certainly didn't deserve the life she was leading…maybe this man would make her see.

Inside her dressing room, Mac sat down on the narrow couch, dressed in her favorite fluffy bathrobe, the one she huddled in between shows. She was chilled to the bone with emotions she'd fought so hard to forget about when she'd left JAG a lifetime ago.

Harm was here. He saw her, her new life, her new job, this utterly degrading, dead-end road. He would find out about her falling of the wagon too. Because even though lately she'd managed to climb back on and stay on (her last drink had been two months before), she used to need a little alcoholic buzz to be able to perform. When she was a rookie at the job, not drinking meant she had to really open her eyes and focus on what she was doing. And she didn't want to, afraid of what her sober mind would tell her, of what her sober self might think of her.

As for Harm? She knew he would do the just thing, the Navy honor thing. He would persuade her to come back. To DC, their friends, maybe, eventually, to re-enlist and come back to JAG. He would pull every string he had to make sure she wouldn't be demoted, at least get her former rank of Major back, if not Lieutenant Colonel or (god-forbid) chief-of-staff.

She would have to face all her former friends again. Bud, Harriet, the Admiral, Tiner, Gunny…she used to love all those people, but she knew their disappointment would be a bitter pill to swallow.

Of course she could just decide to stay. Ward him off, have Derek kick him out, even though Harm would be a very difficult opponent to tackle. Knowing him, he would have kept up his work-outs, kept himself in shape. He certainly didn't look any weaker when she saw him. She'd even felt her body involuntarily react. God, the man was beautiful.

But even though the prospect of the reunion didn't quite appeal to her, the thought of getting away from this, this…joint, almost made her feel relieved. There was nothing she would miss around here, except maybe for Derek, but he would probably be happy for her.

The pounding on her door interrupted her thoughts. She shivered, both dreading the confrontation and looking forward to being within close proximity of him again, only now allowing herself to admit just how much she'd missed him. With every sailor coming through the door, she was not only scared of being exposed, but also painfully reminded of the one person her heart could never heal from.

She opened the door just a little, in case some other crazed client had broken through the barricades, but when she assured herself that the tall frame was indeed his, she quietly let him in.

And another chapter coming right up...