Temporary Housing Complex
Little Creek Base
1814 EST

"Hey Harm, I think I'm gonna go hit the sack."

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

The two officers crawled into their respective beds. Mac fell asleep instantly, but Harm, who had been napping was not tired. As he lay in bed he thought about his partner. What the heck is up with her? When she came back from the crime scene she acted as if she had seen a ghost. Then she blew up during the interview. She has almost always kept her cool before. As Harm drifted off to sleep his partner lay in the bed across from him.

Mac couldn't decide weather it was a dream or if it was real. There he was again. His eyes followed her every mood. He whispered Dalton's last words in her ear. Then there was the alcohol. He had poured it down her throat. No, she wanted to scream, but every time she opened her mouth there was the taste of alcohol.

Mac opened her eyes and stared straight up at the ceiling. It had just been a dream. It was just the feeling of those eyes on her had brought back all of the memories. But Harm had saved her. Rolling up onto her left side she looked over at her partner who seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Harm's dreams were anything but peaceful. After a few minutes of watching, she saw the features on his face grow taught. Suddenly without warning he screamed. It was incoherent at best, but it sounded almost like he was screaming 'NO.' Quietly Mac slipped out of bed and kneeled next to him. Placing a reassuring hand on his forehead she whispered to him. She told him that it was Ok everything would be all right. Surprisingly it seemed to work. Disturbed by her partner's dreams Mac went outside to think.

The cool air always helped her think, but this time there was something different. She could feel the eyes on her again.


Temporary Housing Complex
Little Creek Base
0745 EST

"Hey Harm, Got any ideas for breakfast?"

"We could go out." He said as he came out of the bedroom straightening, and smoothing out the shirt of his tan uniform. Mac could see the fatigue in his eyes.

"I'm sick of going out. We go out all the time." Mac's own nightmares had kept her up and she too was exhausted.

"Want to go the mess hall?"

"Sure, why not."


Cafeteria
Little Creek Base
0803 EST

Harm and Mac were well known as being the Jag officers that had come to do the investigation. As such Many people looked their way and nodded, or told them to wrap it up fast. But the fact that they were lawyers freaked out a lot of the personnel on base. As a result they were left pretty much alone while they ate a light breakfast. Their quiet conversation started about the case.

"So who do you think is the one doing this?" Mac asked.

"I don't know yet. If Bud could get those reports back to us we could try to check out other leads through this Tim Hawkins guy."

"Maybe."

"So what about you? Who do you think is the killer?"

"I haven't the slightest idea."

"Hey Mac, are you all right? I know I asked yesterday, but you seem really zoned out. Are you getting enough sleep?"

"Look," she yelled at him as she abruptly stood up. "I could ask you the same question. So don't even start with me." With that she stalked out of the room.

Embarrassed by his partners sudden outrage Harm got up to follow her, leaving the eyes of the people in the mess hall to follow him out.

Once outside Harm had to jog to catch up to Mac. "Mac, what the heck did I say to piss you off this much?"

"Look Harm I think it would be best if we just finish our investigation and get the hell out of here OK."

"Whatever you say, but we need to find that last witness first."

"Fine. Where do we start."

"Before we do that, I need to know what I said to piss you off so badly. What's up?"

"Look, I just haven't been sleeping well OK."

"Tell me about it." Harm murmured under his breath.

"Lets go find this guy and go."

Just Outside Cafeteria
Little Creek Base
0832 EST

The two officers came out of the base and talked quietly. As they left he leaned against the building. Today is a great day to kill. He thought silently.


Temporary Housing Complex
Little Creek Base
2227 EST

It had been a long and hard day. Even though they had spent the whole day looking Mac and Harm had been unable to find the mysterious Tim Hawkins.

Just as Harm went to sit down on the couch his cell phone rang. He walked into the bedroom where it was sitting on the table. Picking it up he stated "Rabb" into the receiver.

"Hello Commander."

"Oh, hey Bud. How's the office, are you holdin' down the fort without us?"

"Fine sir. I got the reports and background checks you wanted on those three officers. Lieutenant and the Commander have impeccable service records. But the Marine, Tim Hawkins he just lost a partner in some freak training accident. Apparently they were training and the zodiac they were in flipped and the motor killed her. After that he flipped out. He was going to see a psychiatrist, but never got around to it."

"What happened?"

"I don't know sir."

"Well find out. Good work Bud."

"Thank you sir."

Hanging up the phone Harm went into the family room to relay the information to Mac. When he went in he was surprised to find a Caucasian male, about 6'2" standing behind her and holding a knife to her throat.

Without having to look at the nametag pinned to the front of the man's cammies he said "Hawkins.

Still holding the knife to Mac's throat he sketched a formal bow. "At your service, or rather you are at mine."

It was at that point that Harm noticed the fact that Mac had her hands tied behind her back. "Come over here." The man said in his unusually deep voice. "Faster." He barked at Harm.

Throwing Mac on the couch he quickly tied Harm's hands behind his back.

"Why are you doing this?" Harm asked.

"Why…Why…You want to know WHY? I'll tell you why. Revenge. G-d let my partner die in front of me, and now it's your turn. Or rather hers. I want to let a woman know how I felt as my partner was ripped to shreds in front of my eyes. And I want her last view of this world to be of my face and your empty chest cavity. I want to make you scream until your throat goes raw, and I want to have her scream for you. I want to see your face contorted in pain and I want hers twisted in the agony that I had the day Julie was taken from me. That is why, that is what I want."

By that point he had already made Harm lay on is back. Harm (whose feet at this point were also tied) lay there not moving and only the trickle of sweat running from his temple down to his chin gave away his fear.

Slowly he traced the knife over Harm's stomach. "It's like getting your ears pierced, just close your eyes and the pain will be gone in seconds. Oh wait no it won't. It will last for an eternity." Smiling he plunged the knife into Harm's stomach and dragged it down to his pelvis, making a long, deep incision.

Mac had only ever heard Harm scream like that once and that was in his dreams. "Harm." She screamed for him, for his pain, and for the fact that she couldn't do anything.

Mac had never been so angry in her entire life. All she wanted to do was kill the man who was hurting Harm. Without even realizing it she had bowled the man over. Without the use of her hands it was hard to fight, but rage fueled her every movement.

Brutally she kicked the knife away from him and continued to kick him, until he lay unconscious and bleeding.

Wriggling her way over to her barely conscious partner she started to whisper to him. "It's ok, you'll be just fine. No one will hurt you."

Before she knew it men surrounded her. They were MPs who had heard their screams. Quickly an ambulance was called. As the paramedics arrived and rushed Harm away the MPs took Tim Hawkins to the brig.

Hospital Near Base
Norfolk, VA
2400 EST

"How are you?" Mac looked up into the concerned face of her CO Admiral Chegwidin.

"I'm fine, except for being completely exhausted. Harm is still up in surgery." She replied to the unanswered question in the man's eyes. "Where are Bud and Harriet?"

"On their way. I got word before them, and after I told them I was out the door. They are probably about 15 minutes behind me."

"Oh."

"Major are you positively sure that you are alright?"

"Fine sir, it's just…I can't wait around any longer, it's driving me nuts. I have to go and see how he is."

"Excuse me."

Mac looked up expectantly at the sound of the doctor's voice.

"You are the one who came in with…" Glancing at the chart for the name, "Harmon Rabb Jr.?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"He'll be fine, but we have to keep him in the hospital for at least a week and a half to make sure that he is healing well. He is upstairs in the ICU, but we have made special arrangements for you because he is awake. Normally family is not allowed up there."

"Thank you so much." Nodding to the Admiral she followed the young doctor up to the ICU.

"Hey flyboy." She whispered to him as she sat down.

"Blood," he rasped as he looked at the front of her shirt. "Were you hurt?"

"No it's yours."

"Oh, sorry I spilled on you."

He was rewarded with a smile that seemed to light up the room.

"How are you feeling?"

"Great, I don't think I'll be having any unwanted dreams for a while." Smiling Harm drifted off into sleep as his hand slipped into her hand.

Fin