Title: We're Just Partners…I Swear

Author: ash9445

Disclaimer: I don't own JAG…sigh...if I did I'd be able to quit school and be able to devote more time to this. But I can't and I don't. Plus, I wanna go to college :)

AN: I am SO sorry it is taking so long for updates but sophomore year is MUCH harder than I expected and I am finding that I don't have as much time as I'd like to do…well anything. Don't worry though, I'm not quitting this story, just expect updates to be far apart )

AN2: Thoughts are now in ((this)). Also, this story is un-betaed (i dont have one :P) so all mistakes are mine, and mine alone.

A/N3: This chapter is dedicated to Colie and Staz! Due to my own stupidity and lack of internet access due to new computers and such, I was unable to send them JAG "things" they asked for before Colie left the states! Sorry guys:'(

On to Part Three!

0730 EST

JAG HEADQUARTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

This was it. The plan was about to be set into action. Although revenge is best served cold, they considered a day enough time for at least lukewarm. But Mac, ever the thinker, decided to let the Admiral in on their little plan. Just so everybody would get to keep their jobs. Of course, since it was Mac's idea but Harm's plan, it would definitely be difficult to decide who was going to have to tell him.

"You tell him." Mac said while giving him her sweetest smile and batting her eyes.

"Ohh no. No way, Mac. YOU'RE telling the Admiral."

As luck would have it, good ol' Cheggers was right behind them and barked,

"Tell me what, Commander?"

Harm just stood there, eyes shut, wiping a hand over his face and groaning inwardly at his own stupidity. He'd fallen right into her trap.

A small smile appeared on Mac's face. "Good luck." She whispered before shuffling off to her office.

"By the look on your face, I'd guess that this is not a conversation suitable for the bullpen."

"No sir."

"Very well then. Tiner!" He bellowed.

Tiner immediately ran and stood at attention before the two men.

"At ease. Please show the Commander into my office…"

"Any thing else, sir?"

"Advil…and plenty of it."

"Right away, sir"

Tiner quickly followed orders and showed a very deflated Harmon Rabb, Jr into the Admiral's office and left for a moment. He returned shortly with the economy-sized bottle of Advil and a fresh pitcher of water, placed them on his desk, and left.

Admiral Chegwidden sauntered in; with his reading glasses and files in one hand, and a stress ball in the other.

"Y'know, my doctor says I have high blood pressure…I can't imagine why."

Harm gulped. This was going to be a long day…

0815 EST

MAC'S OFFICE

JAG HEADQUARTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Mac had just finished some paperwork and decided she was due for a coffee break.

((I wonder how Harm's doing with the Admiral? Poor guy. Maybe I should've gone with him befo--)) Her thoughts were interrupted by the booming voice of the SEAL behind an obviously-not-thick-enough door.

"YOU TWO WANT TO WHAT?!"

Harm was sweating profusely and stuttering so much he needed subtitles.

"Uh…well...you see….that is to say…I mean—"

"OUT WITH IT COMMANDER!" AJ bellowed.

"I-It's a joke, s-sir. We thought it would bring some clarity to the fact that Mac and I are only friends and partners, nothing more…sir." Harm explained.

The Admiral was stone-faced, but was inwardly smirking at his two junior officer's behavior.

(("Nothing more"?! Hell, those two are the only people I know who are eligible for couple's counseling, WITHOUT BEING A COUPLE!))

After a few moments of silence from the CO, Harm decided to bring AJ out of his reverie, for better or worse.

"Ahem."

Chegwidden looked up at him and just stared. He then walked around his desk and was a hair's breadth away from Harm's face when he said, "Commander, if I allow this silly game of yours to occur, I expect you and the Colonel to maintain the standards of senior JAG lawyers. If anything goes wrong, its your ass on the line, Rabb!"

Harm gulped.

"DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

Harm stood at attention and responded with a firm "Yes, sir!"

"Good. Dismissed."

"Aye, aye, sir." Harm executed a perfect about-face and proceeded to leave the Admiral's office.

((Yess! Ohh, Bugme, you've got no idea what you're in for!))

0845 EST

JAG BULLPEN

JAG HEADQUARTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Harm entered the bullpen with a bounce in his step and a full-blown Flyboy grin in place. He was so busy being…well, happy, that he didn't even notice Brumby coming right towards him. They collided and Mic's stack of files was sent everywhere.

"Nice job, Commander! Now I've got to re-alphabetize the whole mess of 'em!" Mic spat angrily.

"Sorry about that, but spare me the croc talk, Steve Irwin ((A/N: May he rest in peace.)), I've got to talk to Mac about something." Harm brushed past him and sauntered off in the direction of Mac's office.

"Oh no you don't. Get back here, Rabb! I'm not through with you yet!"

Harm merely waved goodbye and knocked on Mac's door.

"Enter!"

He poked his head through the doorway to find a very bored Marine Colonel filing her nails.

"Bored, Marine?" He chuckled.

"Harm! How'd it go?" She stood up and circled him. "Hmm…no bruises or cuts…from what I can tell you made it out alive…so what's wrong?"

"Ha ha. Very funny, Mac. Actually, the Admiral took it quite well."

"Are you kidding me? From what I heard through the door it sounded as if you asked him to promote you three ranks."

Harm smiled. "Yeah, well after that I managed to calm him down. I just laid down the law and told him 'AJ, you better just suck it up because I'm going to do it anyway'." Harm said, brushing some invisible dust off his shoulders.

"Oh please." Mac rolled her eyes and started heading toward the break room. "Whatever, Harm. As long as he agreed, my week just got 1000 times better."

"Then consider your week better, because he said it was fine."

"…And?" Mac knew there was more to the story.

"…And that he'd kick my six if anything went wrong."

"Naturally. Of course, I'd get first dibs…Mic'll probably want a turn too." Mac smirked.

"Oh you're on a roll today, aren't you? Fine well since you're feeling so great, how about I meet you at your place and you can pay for take-out. We can discuss our plans for tomorrow."

Mac said nothing and walked away.

"Aw, c'mon Mac! You know what? Fine, fine, fine. I'll pay. How's that?"

She turned around with a wide grin and said, "Jeez, Harm, if you really wanted to pay that badly, why didn't you offer sooner?" Mac laughed and headed back to her office.

Harm followed her back and asked, "So…around 1830 okay with you?"

"Sure, fine with me. I'll see you at 1845 then." She said with a smirk.

"Hey!" Harm said with mock-hurt, "I'm not always late!"

Mac gave him a look that said "yeah, right". He laughed and said, "Alright, alright I'll see you at 1845 then. I don't know about you but I've actually got work to do." Harm turned around and went to his office, laughing quietly to himself.

1915 EST

MAC'S APARTMENT

GEORGETOWN, VIRGINIA

Harm pushed back his plate and sighed. "Wow, Mac, that was delicious. I'm gonna have to run for hours to burn that off."

"I know. That mushu chicken was great. The chicken fried rice wasn't bad either. We should see if they'd deliver to JAG."

"I'd never skip lunch again. On the other hand, you'd probably have to roll me back to my office every day. Not to mention widen the doorways." Harm joked.

Mac laughed at the mental image of Harm waddling around the bullpen. She was glad their camaraderie was back. The Sydney fiasco had really hurt their relationship and Mac was worried they'd never be friends again.

Harm clapped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth. "Alrighty, Mac. Let's get down to business. Now, I've been thinking about this for a few hours and I think I've got our plan all figured out. We've got three phases."

Mac looked at Harm, laughing. "Phases? You make this sound like we're going to rob a bank or steal a car, Harm."

"Relax. Anway, phase one goes like this…"

A/N: Okay so this chapter's over now! See the little purple button that says "submit review"? Click it. I dare ya. Feedback as well as constructive criticism is welcome. Flaming does NOT count. More updates later (probably sooner than later though!)