A/N: Hey there everyone. It's funny... this is totally not the plot I had originally planned for this story, but it's working nonetheless! I think it's taken on a life of its own!

Fair Winds and Following Fate

Chapter VIII

JAG HQ

08:15

P.O. Coates scurried back to her desk as she heard the meeting come to an end. Damn those thick oak doors! She hadn't been able to hear anything of consequence without actually physically putting her ear to the door right there in front of everyone in the bullpen. The barely-audible part of the conversation was old news to her. How long had they been together... did they know they were sacrificing their careers... the list of questions from the General was so predictable. Not wanting to draw attention to herself as Harm and Mac exited the General's office, Jen pretended to be pre-occupied with the electric pencil-sharpener on top of the nearest filing cabinet.

"Good morning Jennifer" Harm nodded and waved at her as he walked through to his own office, Mac in tow.

Yup, something fishy was most definitely going on. Jen figured she knew Harm well enough to gauge his morning cheeriness as something strange. Mornings weren't usually his strong point. It's like he was trying to compensate for feeling awkward about other things on his mind. As Jen watched Mac follow Harm into his office and close the door, she couldn't help but feel a little distracted. As long as there was unspoken business between those two, she knew she'd have a hard time concentrating on real work. "There has got to be a way to figure those two out!" she said aloud.

"You're telling me!"

Jen turned to find Commander Sturgis Turner standing behind her.

"Sorry Sir, I didn't realize anyone was listening... I, uh, I guess I was just thinking out loud" Jen admitted sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it Petty Officer... but since we're on the subject… you think there's trouble in paradise already?" he asked, nodding in the direction of Harm's office.

"I didn't say that Sir. It's just that, well, ever since they came in this morning, there's been kind of a weird energy in the air, that's all. Plus, the General seemed to go pretty easy on them, considering the bomb they dropped on him about their relationship! I mean, now that the Colonel's not going to San Diego, and the Commander's not going to London, the General's going to have a huge recruitment task on his hands!" Jen gasped in for air as she realized she'd been rambling.

'"I was hoping you'd say that Jenny. A wise man once said, 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'... or in this case, Marine's! If Mac's not interested in the San Diego billet, there are those of us who are." Sturgis winked as he left the office, headed for his own.

Harm's office
JAG HQ

Harm sat quietly at his desk as Mac spoke, "Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be Harm. Sometimes the truth and a little faith can take you a long way don't you think?"

He paused a moment, and studied her face. There wasn't going to be a good time for this particular conversation. It was now or never.

"I do think that the truth tends to be the best way to handle difficult situations Mac. The real question here is, do you?" he held his breath waiting for her response.

"What's that supposed to mean Harm? Is there something you want to talk about, because I think it's pretty obvious that your question has nothing to do with the meeting with the General. If there's something you've got on your mind, I'd rather you just asked me about it, than insinuate I don't share your belief in the value of truth Harm."

She looked hurt, and that was a look that Harm had secretly vowed to himself never to cause her ever again. Old habits can surface at the worst possible times he supposed.

"God Mac, I'm so sorry. The last thing I want to do is upset you, it's just that I was listening to my messages at home this morning after you left, and I caught part of your phone call from Saturday. I guess you didn't turn the machine off properly when you picked up."

The silence was definitely not comfortable this time. It now had its own personality... questioning, accusing, and untrusting.

"So... you heard all of it?" Mac asked.

"Yes..." might as well take the direct approach Harm figured.

"Oh... and?"

"And what Mac? And what did I think? And how do I feel about the whole thing? Am I upset more about the situation, or about you lying to me? I really don't know what to say Mac. But I do know one thing... you don't have to do this alone you know. We've always been there for each other, and this time will be no exception. I only wish you felt like you could've come to me and that I didn't need an answering machine to tell me you were hurting!"

Harm lowered his eyes to the floor, as he took a moment to catch his temper. She may have lied, but he knew it was with good reason. He knew he was difficult when it came to matters like this, and she probably didn't tell him about it to save him the worry. He was man enough to recognize that he had a lot to learn about patience.

Moving to sit on the desk in front of him, Mac spoke, "I'm so sorry I didn't mention it to you Harm... it's just that it happened so suddenly, and I didn't know how you'd react, and I thought I could handle it on my own, which I did... I've never lied to you about anything Harm... it's not who I am, and I don't want you to think that it is. I just didn't want to stress you out about the whole thing. It was just lunch. We met, we talked, and we came to an understanding. If I thought it could have been avoided, I never would have agreed to meet that day. The timeline was limited."

"I know Mac. And I'm not angry, I just don't want you to do this alone. It concerns me."

"You're right Harm... it's definitely a two-person kind of job, and I should have recognized that. It took Harriet less than twenty-four hours to get carried away with our wedding plans, and I just didn't want to insult her by admitting I wasn't interested in planning a big ceremony. I agreed to meet her for lunch so that I could talk to her in person about planning a small, intimate ceremony, and well, I didn't want you to be disappointed, that's all. When Mic and I were engaged, it wasn't what I wanted Harm... a fancy lavish ceremony just isn't me, and I needed to cut Harriet off at the pass before the whole thing got out of hand! I just want to marry you in the simplest way possible, period. Can we start over and..." Mac was cut off as his lips met hers in a sweet kiss. A kiss that quickly escalated to something a little more 'office-inappropriate' than he had intended, but he didn't care.

Releasing his hold on Mac, Harm momentarily froze as he realized the phone on his desk was ringing. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the receiver.

"Ah-hem... excuse me Sir, sorry to... uh, interrupt, but I thought you might want to be informed that you have... an audience." Petty Officer Coates stumbled over her words, and quickly hung up the phone, as Harm turned slowly towards the window between his office and the bullpen.

"Oh my God... well, I guess that takes care of the rumour mill Mac... I think we should go out there and share our news with all those eager spectators!" he laughed as he grabbed her hand.

Mac's face was rapidly turning a deep shade of pink as he dragged her out into the crowd of inquiring faces in the bullpen. She may not have wanted a large wedding fiasco, but the people they had worked so closely with over the last nine years had the right to be filled in.

A quick announcement about their pending nuptials and an explanation of their working situation was enough to cause the office to erupt with applause. Even the General came out of his office and joined in on the 'congratulations' and 'it's about time's'. Somehow, they'd managed to tell everyone their news without getting completely embarrassed. If he'd known it would be this easy, Harm would have proposed to her right there in the office years ago!

Mac's office
JAG HQ
11:50

Mac yawned as she closed the file she'd been staring at for the last couple of hours. It was an open and shut case; a 20-year-old Petty Officer accused of impersonating a much older Lieutenant in order to purchase alcohol. The poor kid made a stupid error in judgement and actually broke down in tears and admitted his wrongdoing when questioned about the whole thing. He didn't need brig time, he needed to grow up! To be honest, Mac was thankful for the seemingly light caseload for the upcoming week. She had enough on her mind by way of personal issues without having to worry about starting any gruelling cases on top of it all. An out-of-courtroom week was just what the doctor ordered.

Clearing her desk to get ready to meet Harm downstairs for lunch, she was startled when the phone rang.

"Colonel Mackenzie" came the usual greeting.

"Sarah? It's me, Mic. Are you busy? I know it's been years since we last spoke, but I'm in town, and there's an urgent matter I need to discuss with you if you have some free time..."

Mac's face dropped. What the hell was he calling her about, and why did it have to be today, of all days? Like she hadn't had a stressful enough morning as it was!

"Mic… uh, how are you? You're right, it has been a long time since we last spoke… if I recall correctly, it was the day you left me at my apartment and never called again..." Summoning all the marine courage she could, Mac continued, "is there something I can do for you Commander?"

"Well, actually there is, but it's personal, not business, and I'd prefer to discuss it in person. Are you busy this evening? I could drop by your apartment, say, around 19:00 hours ..."

He'd never asked her permission to do anything before... why should she be surprised to learn he hadn't changed a bit?

"Sure Mic, it's not a problem. But, it'll have to be a short meeting... I have a lot of work on my plate this week, okay? I'll see you tonight. Bye."

"See you then Sarah."

And with that, the conversation was over.

Mac gathered the rest of her things, and headed out of the office to meet Harm for lunch. She quickly headed for the elevator, leaving a very confused looking P.O. Coates standing near her office door.

Jen had, of course, heard the entire phone conversation between the Commander and the Colonel. Well, she only heard Mac's side of the exchange, but it was enough to know that the Colonel was having Commander Brumby over tonight, and that she only wanted it to be a short meeting. She was sure that after the little 'we're getting married' display in the office this morning, that Harm was completely clueless when it came to Mac's extra-curricular activities. Well, that would need to change. "If she's not going to fill him in, then I will!" Jen cursed under her breath, and stalked back to her desk to formulate a plan to give Harm a proper heads up.

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Okay people, I know that you're all probably confused... but don't worry... you're supposed to be! Chapter IX coming soon. Cheers, Andsowego