Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far- you guys are great! I'm glad y'all enjoyed Webb; he's going to be popping up a few more times. And ps, the dedication in the prologue also included the authors at "this site", as well at at the voyboards. "This site" won't allow website addresses for whatever reason, so it was bleeped out. shrugs Go figure.

Chapter 3

May 20, 2006
19:00 EST

The Robert's house had finally emptied out. It had been a long afternoon, with dozens of people going in and out all day. Most were known by the JAG crew, but there were a few new faces. Men that had served with the admiral in Viet Nam as well as his neighbors from the house in McLean were in attendance. Even some people that he'd befriended during his stay in Italy had flown out to honor the former Judge Advocate General. And everyone had a memory to share. Former Seals spoke of his bravery and dedication to his men. His neighbors spoke of a man who would mow his elderly neighbors' lawns, and grumble about Girl Scout cookies, but never turn away a single child. Friends told of losing someone that they could always count on to be there with just a phone call, day or night.

They had started out spread throughout the house. Nearly every available seating space in the living room was taken. Couples sat in laps to free up a chair. Many were sitting in front of the fireplace or on the bottom few steps of the staircase. There were others milling about in the kitchen picking at food. Eventually they made their way to the back deck to find patio chairs and a porch swing. The boys would occasionally run through the house up to their room or out the back door; someone, usually Harriet or Mac, hollering after them to slow down. But there was too much going on to really follow through with the order, so fifteen minutes later, they would come tearing around a corner or across the room again.

After the first hour, the crowd thinned out a little. All the big wigs and brass that attended mostly for show had paid their respects and bid the hosts goodbye. Then the back yard dwellers began wandering back in to find freed up seats in the living room. The stories started shortly after the last of the guests made their way in from outside. It began with Bud and Sturgis telling Varese about the first Christmas the Robert hosted at their house. Of course, the entire JAG office had an interesting tale to tell about that particular Christmas Eve. It was Jennifer Coates who shared the story of a couple, Mary and Joe, who's baby ended up being delivered by the admiral in his office that night. This prompted little AJ to announce that he, too, was born in that same office. Knowing how much the little boy loved to hear about it, and noticing the look of curiosity on General Creswell's face…it was, after all, his office now…Harm and Mac took turns telling the outrageous anecdote in full detail, complete with broken elevators and crazy Australians; and little AJ's favorite part, Tiner, passed out cold. "He fainted like a school girl!" AJ reiterated just incase anyone was unclear on that fact. To his credit, Jason Tiner took it in stride and smiled indulgently, if not a tad bit chagrined, at AJ's outburst.

From there the stories just kept coming. Nine years worth memories for some, even more for others. Sturgis laughed himself to tears when Harm and Bud recounted the events leading to Mac bailing them and AJ out of jail the night before Bud and Harriet's wedding, while Harriet huffed about pregnant strippers and overbearing mothers. A gentleman that attended the academy with the admiral, Jerry Noonan, picked up at the end of that story, beginning his by informing everyone that that was NOT the first time the straight laced Seal had been tossed in the drunk tank. And so the afternoon progressed with almost everyone in attendance sharing at least one 'remember when' about AJ Chegwidden.

Four hours, and more than a hundred stories later only a few remained. Eventually, after helping to clean up and put away what leftovers Harriet couldn't pawn off on anyone, Sturgis and Varese announced that they had to leave. Varese had a show in Vegas the following evening and they had a plane to catch that night. Mikey and Jason then convinced a still rather distraught Jen to go out on the town with them, after only a little pushing from Harm, who agreed that the young woman deserved to unwind a little. Victor, who had initially begged off when Jason invited him, quickly changed his mind when he found out that the pretty petty officer was going. Noticing the interest the gunny seemed to be showing, Harm had a friendly little chat with him before they left, ending with Victor promising not to let Jen "unwind" too much. Harm trusted Victor Galindez, but a little big brotherly concern wasn't uncalled for in his opinion. Gunny seemed to understand.

Finally only the Roberts family, Harm, and Mac were left. Only then did little AJ finally get to show off his most prized possession when Uncle Harm asked to see his new bike. So the men headed out the back door into the early evening air, leaving Mac and Harriet alone for the first time all day.

"He's been wanting to show off that bike to Harm since we surprised him with it. It's all he's talked about for a month. He and Bud have been practicing riding everyday." Harriet got the twins situated in their highchairs before walking back over to the counter to retrieve the coffee mugs. From the window in front of the breakfast nook, there was a clear view of the driveway where the dynamic duo of Rabb and Roberts were dealing with two wound up and over sugared little boys. Mac watched as AJ's little chest puffed out with pride as he showed off his big boy bike. Harm 'ooh'd' and 'ahh'd' properly over it, immediately turning to show the same amount of excitement for Jimmy's new power wheels truck. While Harm let Jimmy lead him by the hand to his new toy, AJ began tugging on his dad's sleeve and talking animatedly. Judging from the vigorous shake of Bud's head and the resulting pout on his son's face, Mac could only guess that AJ's request was typical of the boy: outlandish and probably dangerous.

The banging of small hands against plastic trays brought Mac's attention back to the kitchen. Nicki and Nathan were having a blast snacking on some sort of cookie that immediately turned to an interesting kind of mushy paste as soon as it made contact with baby slobber. It didn't look particularly appetizing to Mac, but then she wasn't a year old. These two seemed to think it was the best thing since sliced bread.

"I can't believe how old he looks riding that thing," Mac commented to Harriet as the harried mother finally sat down with two cups of French Roast. They both looked back out the window in time to see AJ begin pedaling his bike in circles around the double-wide drive. Shaking her head, Mac watched in amusement as Bud and Harm tried diligently to keep AJ upright and in one piece, while making sure Jimmy didn't end up road kill.

"Yeah, well, my son now believes that having a two wheeler with no training wheels automatically makes him a pro-BMX biker. He's going to give me a heart attack this summer," Harriet replied, cringing as AJ tried to pull a wheelie. Harm's large hands snatched him seconds before he tumbled backwards off the bike. "I think Bud and I are going to have to set down some serious ground rules before we let him loose with that thing. Apparently a helmet and pads aren't going to cut it for my wild child," sighing she added, "Talking about his birth today made me realize how old he really is getting. It happened so fast!"

"Mmm," Mac responded distractedly as she continued to watch Harm try to impress upon AJ the importance of keeping both wheels of his bike firmly on the ground. He looked so relaxed and…at home.

Harriet watched her friend from over the rim of her coffee cup with slightly narrowed eyes. Placing the mug down in front of her, she deliberately did so just hard enough to snap Mac's attention back to her. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on with you, or do I have to beat it out of Harm later?"

Mac tilted her head to the side and studied Harriet intently. "Well, it's not a big secret or anything. I mean we weren't going to really make any announcements until it was made official…" she trailed off and sighed contentedly, looking back out at the love of her life. "It looks like Harm's transfer to San Diego is going to come through. His Europe assignment is almost up, and between his ten years at JAG and a year of teaching experience in London; especially his Rules of Engagement training course, he's first pick for an administrative opening at NJS." Harm had surprised her with the news at the hotel before they left to meet Bud and Harriet that morning. She'd nearly wept with joy. They could finally start their life together. And Harm had been so excited about the position. For all his whining about feeling old, he truly loved his newfound role as instructor and mentor.

Harriet's bright smile nearly blinded her when she glanced back at the woman.

"Oh, Mac! That is so wonderful. I'm so happy for you two!" Her smile then turned slightly conspiratorial. "Soooo… does this mean wedding bells in the near future."

"Weeelll," Mac responded, mimicking Harriet's tone, then continued in a more teasing voice, "…it could possibly happen…"

Harriet's eyes narrowed again. "What aren't you telling me? Come on, give," she demanded.

Laughing out loud felt so great to Mac. She really did miss Harriet. "Harm and I have already discussed marriage. We were just waiting until we were on the same continent again. Of course, we'll probably wait until he's settled in California before we try to plan anything." Rolling her eyes fondly, she added, "That is if his mom will wait that long."

"'His mom' nothing! I'm not going to wait that long!! I've waited ten years already!"

Mac laughed again. "Well, you'll have to. We haven't made any definite plans. He hasn't even properly proposed yet." She picked up her coffee and took a sip, wincing as it burned her tongue. "All we know at this point is that it's going to happen. Eventually."

Harriet's response was an exasperated sigh. "That would be so romantic if it wasn't so incredibly irritating." She took the sting from her words by reaching over to place her hand over Mac's. "I'm so glad you guys are finally going to get everything you want."

Mac quickly broke eye contact with Harriet, covering her sudden shift in mood by patting their joined hands with her free one before pulling away. "Me too Harriet. Thanks."

Acutely aware of Harriet's blatant observation of her, Mac tried to steer the subject back to the mundane. "She's getting awfully messy with that," she pointed to Nicki in her chair. Somehow, the girl had managed to turn the once semi-solid cookie completely into a pile of goo. She was experimentally poking it with her finger then smearing it on her oblivious brother's head. The substance then would darken as it hardened in his hair, cementing his little blond curls together.

"Yeah, bath time will be fun tonight," Harriet answered offhandedly. Mac knew that tone. That was the 'Harriet-will-not-be-deterred' voice. She wasn't finished with their conversation. Mac sighed in resignation, her shoulder slumping slightly.

Harriet spoke up again. "As happy as I am for you, and as incredibly pleased as I am that I was the first to know," they both shared a grin at that before she continued, "we both know that something else is going on. I've seen Harm watching you all day today. And it wasn't just an 'I-love-that-woman-and-I-am-going-to-marry-her' look. It's more of his 'I'm-slightly-overprotective-when-it-comes-to-Mac' look. And I heard him ask more than once if you wanted to go lay down upstairs. He even asked me which bedroom would be best to send you to if you were feeling tired." There was a small amount of curiosity in Harriet's eyes, but it was overwhelmed by palpable concern. "Now," she took Mac's hands back into her own, "should I be worried?"

Mac turned back towards the window and smiled as Bud and Harm showed AJ the age-old trick of clipping a card to the spokes of your bike so that it made 'motor' noises. AJ and Jimmy were both bent over with hands on knees watching with as much seriousness as a med student observing his first by-pass. Turning to the twins, she took a wet-nap and tried unsuccessfully to wipe some of the 'concrete cookie' from Nathan's hair. When that failed to yield results, she gave up and picked up her coffee to test the temperature again. Damn, still too hot.

With nothing left to stall with, she looked back up at Harriet and attempted to smile reassuringly. "No, you have nothing to be worried about. I'm absolutely fine. You know Harm, he's a chronic worrier."

"Yes," her friend acknowledged, "but his concern, however exaggerated, usually has some basis in fact. So what's going on?"

Studying the contents of her mug intensely, Mac took a deep breath. Just open your mouth and start talking, she told herself. Don't stop until it's over. Like ripping off a band-aid. The faster you get it over with, the less it'll hurt…yeah right.

"A couple of weeks ago, I woke up with horrible abdominal cramps. By the time I got to work, I had started my period…a week and a half early. Most women would have ignored it as an irregular month. I had done some traveling, aside from my trip out here for the birthday party, so it would have been an obvious conclusion. But with my endometriosis I didn't want to take any chances. Especially since the cramping was getting progressively worse throughout the morning. So I called my doctor and managed to talk my way into an appointment that afternoon."

She stopped and continued to stare into her mug, as if the answers to questions she'd been asking herself for the last couple of weeks would somehow suddenly appear, swirling within the depths of the amber liquid.

Harriet couldn't stand it anymore. "Are you okay? It's not the endometriosis again is it? Are you going to need surgery?" She had a million more questions she could have fired at Mac, but was brought up short by her best friend's next statement.

"Spontaneous abortion. I was almost four weeks along. The doctor said that most women who experience one at this stage of a pregnancy never even know they were pregnant. They assume like I wanted to that it's just a rough period. After a while the cramping stops and they are never the wiser. Except I am." Mac sniffed a little then looked up at the horrified expression on Harriet's face and hurriedly continued. "I'm fine, I promise. No lingering effects. They can't say for sure if it had anything to do with my condition. It's common for the body to reject a fetus in the first few weeks if it's not developing properly . I was sent home to bed the rest of that day and told to take it easy. No lingering effects," she repeated in order to reassure herself as well as Harriet.

"Oh, Sarah, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you call me? I could have helped you. I, of all people, know what you were going through…."

"That's why I didn't call you Harriet. I didn't want to bring up all those memories for you. It wouldn't have been fair. Besides, I don't feel like…" Mac fought for words to explain her mentality, "I just feel like I have less of a right to be upset. You carried Sarah for nine months. You felt her move, saw her picture and heard her heart beating. I didn't even know I was pregnant until it was gone." Her eyes dropped down to the tabletop. "How can I mourn someone I never knew existed?" She knew that it didn't make sense when she said it out loud and she wiped the tear that managed to escape while she waited for Harriet's rebuttal. She wasn't disappointed.

"Sarah MacKenzie, that is the most ridiculous load of bull honky that I have ever heard! For one of the most intelligent people I know, you sure can come up with some ignorant ideas." Forcing eye contact with Mac, she continued more gently, "You lost a baby…plain and simple. And it's unfair and it hurts like nothing else you'll ever experience. You have to talk to someone about that, or it'll eat you alive. Please tell me you haven't been keeping this all to yourself. I'm assuming Harm knows, so you have been talking to him, right? He must have been a basket case, being so far away…"

Mac was both touched at the concern for Harm in Harriet's voice, and amused at how well she knew him. "Of course Harm knows. It was his baby too. I would never keep the knowledge of his child from him. And if you have any doubt as to my talking to him about it, I'll send you my phone bill at the beginning of the month." She gave Harriet a sardonic smile before continuing. "He almost went UA when I called him. It took a phone call from my doctor, a nurse practitioner and his mother to convince him that I was okay physically, and a three and a half hour long conversation with me before I got him calm enough to understand that I wasn't going to break as long as I knew that he was just a phone call away. I think that call was what persuaded him to stay where he was. Well that and a promise to let his mom stay with me for a few days." She took another sip of her now lukewarm coffee. Was there never a happy medium with the stuff she wondered idly? "Trish was wonderful. And after a lot of badgering on her part, I was able to unload some on her. And she was good for Harm too. I think he spent as much time on the phone with her as he did with me those first few days. Like I said, my phone bill is going to be hell."

Harriet smiled crookedly at that. "Money well spent. I'm glad you had someone to turn to. But," she continued in a motherly voice usually reserved for AJ when he breaks something and tries to hide it under his bed, "…you still should have called me."

Putting her hands up in mock surrender, Mac answered in mock boot camp style, "Ma'am, yes ma'am!" She smiled back before adding sincerely, "Thanks for reminding what a good friend I have, Harriet."

Harriet's eyes shined with collected moisture as she tried to shrug off the compliment with a casual, "No problem." In a firmer voice, she added, "So, now that I know, will you promise me that you'll call me if you need to talk? It's a horrible thing for two women to have in common, but if we can help each other, we'd be complete fools not to."

"Cross my heart," Mac replied, crossing her index finger over her chest. Hesitating only a second, she asked softly, "Does it still hurt?"

"Some days more that others," Harriet answered honestly. "You learn to move on with your life, for yourself and the people you love. But you never forget."

This time it was Mac who reached out for Harriet's hand. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to remember together." They smiled at one another, both realizing that they had just reached a new level in their already strong friendship.

Deciding the mood needed to be lifted some, Harriet stood up and reached for one cookie-crusted baby. "How about we take these two upstairs and hose them off before the boys come in. I'd like to have the them in bed before the lawyer gets here."

Thankful for the conversation Harriet forced her to have, but also thankful that it was over, Mac pulled Nathan up and into her arms. Acutely aware of the pasty mess that coated the baby, she mentally applauded herself for remembering to bring herself and Harm clothes to change into after the guests left. She couldn't imagine trying to get the brownish sludge out of her dress blues. Following Nate's mommy and sister up the stairs to prepare for bedtime, Mac suddenly remember something from earlier. She came to an abrupt halt and repeated incredulously to Harriet's retreating form, "Bull Honky!?"

TBC