PART 14

Harm was sure that they were dead. How many shots went off? He couldn't even begin to figure it out. He didn't even bother opening his eyes, what for? "Commander, Colonel?" He heard a familiarly voice and, peaking over Mac's shoulder he saw Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez.

"Gunny?" Harm choked out, still holding Mac in his arms.

"It's over now, sir." He said, calling over several well dressed CIA agents. "We have two people down, get an ambulance now!"

Mac looked up at Harm and offered him a half smile. "Harm. . .I'm cold."

He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight. "Hold on, Sarah. . . Please Hold on."

"Trying. . ." Her voice was barely a whisper. She was trying to hold on for him. For them. But, sleep started taking a hold of her and the last thing she heard was Harm sobbing as he held her body.

A Week Later

1700 Zulu

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Bethesda, Maryland.

It had been a week since the whole fiasco in the streets of their government town and things were finally coming into the light. Gunny had informed Harm, during the trip to the hospital, that he had been working undercover as a rogue CIA agent to try and recover the diamonds and stop the selling of more. The agents managed to bug JAG HQ and once Harm's call to the Admiral went through, they decided it was a perfect time to nab Mac.

In a sit down with the Admiral, Kershaw and SECNAV, Harm discovered that Van Dyne had indeed stolen and sold the diamonds that Maravalis had created. It was a simple thing, he wanted out of the agency and the money he received by selling the diamonds was helping. It would have gone as planned if Meredith's diamond would never had been discovered. This meant that he had a few loose ends to tighten up and Mac had been one of them. Clay was the other.

After being stabilized in a hospital nearby the accident site, Mac was sent to Bethesda to recover from the gun shot. The doctors were very happy about her prognosis.

"Hey, Marine. . . How you feeling?" Harm said, as he walked into the room wearing his summer whites. She looked so much better than when he last saw her.

Mac lit up the moment she saw him walk into the room. She'd been conscious for about three days, non of which Harm had visited her. "Like I got shot and was unconscious for half a week. . . How's your knee?"

He shrugged and stood near her bed. "Hurting, but the doctor said it should be fine with anti-inflammatory and light therapy." Harm watched her for a moment. He'd thanked god and every saint in-between that the shot had not caused any fatal wounds. He was sure he'd die without her.

Mac took a breath and faked a smile. All of the things that she thought she'd discovered about Harm were torn to pieces when he didn't visit her. All she could think about was Sydney and how he'd pushed her away. This time, it was different, much different. They'd finally crossed the threshold and he'd confessed his love for her. He'd also promised that he wouldn't live without her. Then why didn't he come by? "You haven't come around."

Harm nodded and slid into the chair next to her bed. "Yea, well. . . Due to our little escapade around the neighborhood, I was in a bit of trouble." He offered half a smile and looked away from her at the moment. He'd been in a lot more than just a "bit" of trouble. Though he was protecting a fellow officer, SECNAV didn't see their chase as anything but reckless and found a method to reprimand Harm.

"Oh." Mac said, not really aware of just how much trouble Harm had been in. Every time someone from JAG went to visit, they would respond with the same thing. "The Commander has been busy, ma'am." And it was starting to irritate Mac, who just wanted to make sure he was ok and was not angry at her. She also needed to know where they stood and knew that she couldn't handle being pushed away again. She would die of heartache. "Are we. . . well you said . . things wouldn't change."

He sighed deeply and looked down to the cover which he held in his hands. "I have to go away, Mac." He was so insecure when it came to Mac. There was something about being back home and how it had a way of destroying magic that was created in distant lands. He was sure the magic would be severed.

Mac blinked a few times and tried to stop the tears that were starting to form. "You running away already?"

"I'm not running." He said quickly. But it wasn't a full truth. Part of him needed time away from Mac to know that what he was feeling was genuine and not just caring over her situation. The other part of him was not sure that they could take a separation after all that had occurred.

Remembering the time when she had run away from him, Mac decided to ask the one thing that she was fearing of him. "Did you request it."

"Sort of."

She nodded and restrained herself from yelling at him. "Where are you going?"

Grimacing, Harm looked up at her. "Reykjavik." At her confused look, he decided to explain things better. "The Admiral, the SECNAV and I had a talk about what had happened. . . I directly put people's lives in danger by driving around like a maniac."

The chase! Mac had totally forgotten about it until then. "OH god. . . we didn't. . kill anyone?"

"No one was hurt, but they figure, even though I was protecting a fellow officer. . .That I should be reprimanded in some way. . . They made me chose, Community service and Forfeiture of pay or Iceland without losing pay. . . I need my paycheck, I have Mattie to worry about."

Mac sighed when she didn't hear anything about brig time. She was sure he wouldn't be able to take something like that again. Furthermore, it would not help things with his custody hearing for Mattie. "When do you leave?"

"In a couple of hours."

"I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions." She reached over at took one of his hands in hers.

Harm shrugged. "You ran once, so I understand your concern."

"Yea." Smiling, she rubbed a thumb against the back of his hand. Mac needed more than that from him, but she would settle with what she could get. "When you return. . . Come to me."

"I will." He assured and moved forward to kiss her. But she stopped him.

"Harm, there is something I need you to know. . ." She smiled and stroked his cheek softly. "I Lo..."

"Glad to see you two are alive." A familiar voice said. Both Harm and Mac remained there, too shocked to move.