Chapter 5

By the end of the day Gibbs would be happy with her. She had eliminated one of the three suspects she'd had. Now she was down to just two.

Whenever she'd had time throughout the day she had been doing a background check on the two that she suspected. She found interesting anomalies in both Ensign Carla Moore and Corporal August Knor's backgrounds. She would need to investigate both of them further.

A phone call to Gibbs when she got home updated him. After telling him about the anomalies she found in her background checks, Gibbs said he would put McGee on it to see what he could find. Sam thanked him and then hung up.

Cooking dinner for herself she watched the evening news and then did one of her favorite things. She took a long hot bubble bath with some soothing music playing. Her bed was calling and her dreams that night both pleased and disappointed her. Pleased because AJ Chegwidden confessed his undying love for her asked her to be his wife. Disappointed because she knew it would never happen.

With the cloud of her dream still on her mind she headed into the office glad that the weekend started tomorrow. She was still feeling that way when she entered the break room and it was pretty clear that AJ noticed.

"Major is there something wrong?" he had waited until Mac was gone until he asked her this.

"No Sir," she replied simply.

"Part of my role here in this office is to see to my people. If there is something wrong you can always come to me."

"I'm really fine Admiral. Thank you for thinking of me though," Sam said, thrilled by his kindness and caring but sure it was just because he was that way with everyone under his command and not because he thought she was something special.

AJ knew there was something wrong, but he couldn't do any more than he already had without crossing the line. "Alright then…Major, if you change your mind you know you can come to me."

"Thank you Sir, I'll remember that," she told him and quickly left the break room.

A few moments later even though he walked right by her desk neither of them looked at the other.

Mac came out of her office a few minutes later and stopped by Sam's desk. "Major, I accidently heard the Admiral as I was leaving the break room. I know you are new here and haven't had a lot of time to make friends, but I would be glad to help in any way that I can."

"Thank you Colonel however, I am fine and I told the Admiral that."

"Okay, but if you do want to talk, my door is always open."

"Again thank you Colonel, I will remember that."

Later that day AJ was in the bullpen talking to Bud when Commander Harmon Rabb got back from the Seahawk where he had been conducting an investigation and keeping up his quals.

Harm saw Sam the moment he walked in and made a beeline for her desk. "Hi! I'm Commander Harmon Rabb, you must be new here Major…" he waited for her to fill in her name.

AJ watched the interchange waiting for Sam to shoot Rabb down. He felt a little guilty about the delight he was feeling, but he couldn't help it. He had seen Harm sweep in and pick up any woman he ever saw. With Sam interested in women AJ was just waiting for him to be sent packing in a big way.

"Samantha Bell," she replied with a smile.

After checking out her hand for a ring, Harm asked, "So do you have any plans for dinner tonight?"

Trying very hard not to let a grin show AJ waited for Sam to turn Harm down, but instead had to keep his mouth from dropping open when she said, "I would love to have dinner with you Commander."

"Wonderful! But please call me Harm," he smiled, "If you will give me your address, I will pick you up at 1830."

"Sounds fine," she replied and wrote out her address on a piece of paper.

AJ went into the break room for his coffee completely confused about what just happened. She was interested in Bud, then she wasn't. She was interested in Carla, but here she was accepting a date with Harm just moments after meeting him. What was going on? Well he knew that Harm had charm and it seemed like Samantha had fallen victim to it.

To be continued…