LATER THAT AFTERNOON ZULU

DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

After another emotional goodbye, Mac waved as Harm passed through security before heading to the lounge to wait for his plane. She headed back to her car and made her way to JAG headquarters. Jennifer had called early in the afternoon saying the General would like her to meet him for dinner at the JAG dining room if she was available.

Mac arrived a few minutes early, so she went upstairs to say goodbye to Bud before he left for the day. She found him at his desk quite literally buried in paperwork. She knocked on the doorframe. "Long day, Commander?"

"Ma'am!" Bud exclaimed and practically leaped off his chair to greet her.

"For crying out loud, Bud, I'm resigning in less than an hour. Call me Mac, or Sarah if you'd rather."

Bud grinned. "You know it's not that easy, right ma'am?"

Mac glanced at the mountain of files on Bud's desk. "You got buried when we left didn't you?" she asked sympathetically.

"Pretty much, ma'am. But the Captain gave me a lot of good cases, some of them more high profile, so it's all right. Is he on his way to London already?"

"I put Harm safely on a plane twenty-seven minutes ago." Mac smirked.

"What ma'am?" Bud inquired about the pensive look Mac had on her face.

She smiled. "I don't think I've ever used those words together in a sentence before."

Bud shot her a confused look. "What words, ma'am?"

"Harm, safely, and plane."

Bud laughed heartily at that and waved Coates in when he saw her approaching. "He's gotten better ma'am."

"It has been a full two years since he's crashed a plane, hasn't it?" Mac quipped.

"Hasn't it been four ma'am?"

"Oh, no. It was definitely two." She paused and chuckled to herself. "That's right. You guys don't know about that one." Mac glanced at both of them as she elaborated. "Most of what happened was classified, but Harm and I were shot down in a biplane in Paraguay."

Silence reigned.

Coates gulped. "Shot down, ma'am?"

"We, uh, borrowed a plane, and when we found the bad guys Harm had to drop down pretty low to take them out. We got hit by small arms fire."

"Wow," was the only thing Bud could say.

"I knew I had a bad feeling about him going after you, ma'am."

"Jen, everyone had a bad feeling about him going after the Colonel."

"What do you mean, Bud?"

"He was a total wreck before he left to find you, ma'am. It was obvious he wasn't sleeping at all. Harriet noticed he wasn't eating anything at the office. It was weird, ma'am. It was like he knew you and Mr. Webb were in trouble before the Admiral even told him you were missing."

"It just got worse after that," Coates chipped in. "He slammed his door so hard after meeting with the Admiral I thought the glass was going to break."

"I knew things were rocky, but I had no idea things were that tense at the office," Mac said. "It couldn't have been worse than the last few weeks with Mattie being in the hospital."

"I don't know, ma'am," Coates replied, "I think Captain Rabb was a lot calmer this time. More…in control."

Mac smiled sadly. "He's changed a lot in the last two years."

"I'm just glad he found you ma'am. Losing you would have been just awful, and I don't think anyone was prepared for dealing with a grieving Commander Rabb."

Mac grinned. "He is a bit of a bear when he's upset."

"Speaking of bears when they're upset ma'am, the General wanted me to tell you he's on the phone with the Sec Nav, but he'll meet you downstairs by quarter after."

"Thanks Jen. He's in a bad mood?"

"He wasn't before the Sec Nav called and interrupted his dinner plans, ma'am."

"I'd better get going then. Bud, I'll be spending most days with Mattie, but if you need to discuss a case just let me know. We can meet over dinner if you want."

"That'd be great, ma'am, thanks."

Mac was waiting at a table for only five minutes when General Cresswell arrived. They ordered their entrees and the waiter scurried off.

"I trust you had a very busy day, Colonel."

"Very, sir. What can I do for you?"

"You can stay in the Marine Corps." He held up his hand to ward off the remark already poised on Mac's lips. "What if I told you I found you a billet in London?"

"I'm listening, sir." Mac leaned forward in her chair.

"Good. The military attaché at the American Embassy in London has been requesting a legal aide for months now. I couldn't spare the personnel. You won't be in a courtroom, but I can guarantee the work will be challenging, Colonel. I understand you've had experience giving legal advice at an embassy overseas?"

"Um, yes, sir…but that wasn't exactly an experience I'd like to repeat."

Cresswell chuckled. "Mac, relax. I'm not sending you into a war zone. You'll be legal advisor to Colonel Phillips, in house only. No special assignments unless you volunteer."

"I can't say I'd be very likely to do that again."

"You'll consider this then?"

"Absolutely, sir." There was a brief silence as the waiter arrived with their meals. "Sir? Would this be a full time position?"

"If you want it to be that could certainly be arranged."

Mac thought for a moment as she dug into her chicken caesar salad. "I don't know, sir, that's the problem."

"Go on."

"Mattie's still in recovery sir. She will be for quite some time. I'm not sure Harm and I can both work full time right now until she's able to do some things on her own. I guess my point is I'd like to talk to Harm about it first, sir."

"By all means, Colonel…How's Mattie doing now?"

Mac gave a soft smile. "Better. She's awake and alert. It'll take a while before she gets her mobility back."

"Not if she has a Marine in her corner."

"That's the battle plan, sir."

"Tell me, Colonel, would you consider working part-time?"

"Of course I'll consider it, sir…General, why is it so important to you that I stay in the Corps?"

"Mac, you're a good officer. You have a skill set unlike any other in my chain of command. Colonel Phillips has been bugging me about finding a competent officer to fill this position for months. You're an excellent lawyer, you have the language skills the job requires, and should you get sent out into the field for whatever reason, I'm confident you've got a good enough head on your shoulders that you won't get it blown off. I honestly think this is a good opportunity for you."

Mac let that sink in a moment before answering. "I appreciate that, sir. Thank you…When do you need an answer?"

"By the end of the week would be appreciated, but I don't want to rush your decision either. Discuss it with Captain Rabb and let me know."

"Sir, should Harm get transferred back to the states, would I be able to transfer back as well?"

"I'm sure I could find some trouble for you to get into around here."