A/N: I felt the need to bring out my love of pups this chapter. Having owned a pit bull/beagle mix for over 14 years that was one of the sweetest dogs I have ever had, the statements in here regarding that breed are valid. I'm personally scared to death of Dobermans, but that was due to a rather unpleasant experience with several of them as a child. I'm sure that there are very nice ones in that breed too.

Enjoying the break with Secretary Nelson asleep, Harm and Mac move to a location away from others on the plane to try and discuss the approach they should take during this investigation. Harm can still feel the aggravation rolling off of Mac in waves. As they take their new seats away from the group, Harm starts to ask something, before he is immediately shut down by Mac, "Not now, Harm." She isn't fully aware which subject he wants to talk about, but the case is the only thing she wants to think about at the moment. She needs to keep her head in the game, before all the emotions swirling inside of her take over.

Glancing around to see if anyone is paying any attention them, and finding almost everyone asleep, Harm sits Mac down next to him, turns her so that her back is to him, and lightly sets his hands on the back of her shoulders. Mac says, "Harm, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I don't need you to coddle me."

Harm ignores her statement as he starts to gently knead her shoulders, "Just sit still, Mac, you need to let some of the anger and tension go or you will be of no use to me on this investigation."

She sighs, and leans back into his hands. Regardless of her earlier protesting, she knows he is right. Besides that, it feels wonderful to have his hands on her in any capacity.

He knows that he can't do this for long, with present company on board, but he is fully aware of the headache she will have if she doesn't calm down a little. Anything he can do to ease her frustration level some is a good thing, and he can already feel some of the tension start to escape. He tells her, "Ignore Nelson, he was just trying to get your goat. However, we are going to talk later about what got you so on edge. I know that this isn't only about leaving the Admiral out of the loop."

She wasn't going to argue with him about this. He was right, she just didn't know how to explain it to him. But this was neither the time nor the place to discuss such things. Her only reply is a deep sigh.

Noticing she has gotten too quiet, and feeling the need to lighten the moment, he teases her, "The SecNav should have known better than to bring a chihuahua to a pit bull fight!"

Mac chuckles, "And here I thought you were the one that was considered a pit bull. Or maybe it was a Doberman. I really can't remember. But, if they knew the real you, your doggie profile would be more like a Samoyed."

Harm banters, "Nah, I'm more like a bloodhound, sniffing out all the pertinent information" before he realizes the rest of what she said. He exclaims, "Hey! What did you just call me?"

Mac giggles, "A Samoyed. They are beautiful white dogs that have double thick coats. They are all fluffy on the outside and on the inside."

Harm immediately stops his light massage, "I can't believe you called me 'fluffy', next thing I know you will be comparing me to the Pillsbury™ Dough Boy. And, there is absolutely nothing on the outside of me that remotely resembles fluffy."

Mac grabs his hand and places it back on her shoulders, "Well, Samoyed puppies can often be mistaken for polar bear cubs. So, you can think of yourself as fluffy with a deep growl and ready to pounce at any given moment if that makes you feel any better. I'll bet that your chest hair is nice and fluffy!"

Harm isn't quite sure how he should respond to that. Yes, many of his past girlfriends have wanted to use his chest as a pillow, but he attributed that to his well-defined pectoral muscles and broad shoulders more than his chest hair. Who knew? Maybe they did like him because he was cute and cuddly. 'Nope' he thinks to himself. 'I'm not going to compare myself to a teddy bear.'

While Harm is musing, Mac adds, "And you insinuated that I was a mean dog. I will have you know; pit bulls can be sweet too. They are definitely not as vicious as people claim them to be, it's all in how they are raised."

Harm shakes his head, "I wasn't implying that you were mean, just that your bite could match your bark."

She turns her head, and smiles coyly at him, "And just how would you know what my bite feels like, Flyboy?"

Harm thinks to himself, 'Did the temperature just rise several degrees in here?' before he managers to stammer, "Well, I guess I wouldn't." Then, he leans over and whispers in her ear, "Not that I wouldn't like to find out."

A shiver involuntarily runs through Mac at the thought of nibbling on his ear and nipping at his pulse point, among other places. 'Down Girl!'

Harm notices her shudder, stops his ministrations, and pulls his leather bomber jacket off to wrap around her. "I don't want you to be cold there, Marine."

She quietly says, "Thanks," even though they are both fully aware that she isn't cold from the temperature on the plane.