Title: "When Friends Help Friends Pursue Their Dreams" III_4
Author: TxJAG_b aka TnJAGAz
Rating: G/PG

Classification: Romance/Story - The conclusion to a piece of fluff I call the Dream Series - The first two stories

Summary: It's catching…it's amazing what your friends will do for you….

A/N1: Okay, so the last chapter was a little tough, I promise to fix it with this chapter. I am a shipper, after all. :)

A/N2: Will there be intimate contact? That depends on your definition. I'm not great at those kind of scenes. I'd rather leave them to the experts. :)

A/N3: Finally, thanks to all who gave feedback and encouragement - it is greatly appreciated. Wow, Elfinkid and JoshuaTree can you believe we started this one back
in May? Thanks for betaing - this is for all those who are patient and believe like I do - things will work out in the end.

From "When Friends Help Friends Pursue Their Dreams" 3/3a

"Tiner, Coates was just helping me sit down, I broke some toes last night and I lost my balance-"

"Sorry Sir, Petty Officer." He looked away from them pointing his eyes at a point in front of Harm's desk. "I have a cane in my car, Sir. I'll be right back." And with that, he disappeared back down the hall.

Jennifer looked perplexed at the Commander and then back at the now empty doorway. She got off his lap, straightened her uniform and smoothed her hair.

"Don't worry Coates, I think he understands."

"I hope so Sir." She looked worriedly at the Commander and then back at the empty doorway.

xixixixixixixixixixixixixixi

"When Friends Help Friends Pursue Their Dreams" 3b/3

Jason was headed towards his car.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where's the fire, Tiner?"

Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez was getting out of his Mazda, when he saw Jason storming over to his Subaru.

"The Commander needs a cane," Jason Tiner bit out. He dug in his pockets for his keys, fishing them out and jamming the proper one into the trunk lock.

The Gunny walked over, not sure what he was stepping into the middle of. "Hey Jason,"
That made the Petty Officer look up. It was rare when Gunny used his first name. "What's going on here?"

"Jen was 'helping' the Commander into his chair. He claimed his toes were broken. She was sitting in his lap. He claimed he lost his balance." He slammed the trunk closed to emphasize his anger and frustration.

Gunny put his hand on Jason's shoulder. "Hey now, hold it right there, mister law school student. Think about this. The Commander is in love with the Colonel, don't forget that. Second, the Commander is well aware of the rules for fraternization with junior enlisted personnel and even he wouldn't be that dumb. And I know Coates has a thing for you."

Jason turned to face him. The confusion in his face was blatantly obvious. "So what was she doing practically sitting in the Commander's lap?"

"Things are not always what they seem, Tiner. Haven't they taught you that at law school yet?"

Jason Tiner took a deep breath and slumped against his car. "You're right."

Gunny smiled. "You're damn right I'm right. Now, you'd better get your feelings under control man, or the Admiral will be hanging you upside down outside his window. He's got enough problems with the Colonel and the Commander, without having to add you and Coates to the mix."

"Okay." He looked at the cane. "Come on let's give this to Commander Rabb."

Victor walked back with him. "You say he broke his toes?"

"That's what the Commander said."

"How?"

"He didn't say."

"Wait a minute," Gunny stopped dead. Tiner did the same. "Weren't he and the Colonel supposed to go on a date Friday night?"

"Yeah," said Jason slowly realizing what that meant. They stood rooted in place on the walkway into the building. People moved past them like a swift moving stream around obstacles. "You don't think she-"

"I wouldn't put anything past the Colonel since Paraguay." Gunny said grimly. "Come on, let's go see if we can find out what happened." Both men hurried inside.

"So are you feeling a little better now, about the hearing this morning, Ma'am?"

Mac took another deep drink from her coffee cup. She looked over at Harriet who was sitting expectantly in the chair next to Mac's desk.

"Yes Harriet, much better, thank you-"

But Harriet Sims wasn't going to be brushed off so easily by Colonel Avoidance. "So why don't you tell me about what really happened Friday night?" she added quickly.

Mac opened and closed her mouth and then looked down into her coffee cup. "There's nothing to tell," Mac said sadly, momentarily letting down her guard. Then she looked at the Lieutenant with an annoyed glance. "Look, I'll be fine. Thanks Lieutenant, for the coffee and the prep work, now I need-"

Harriet could feel the woman's heartache, and she wanted to be sympathetic, but it was time for some tough love.

"Colonel, Ma'am-"

Mac looked at her face. Whenever Harriet wanted to do something, nothing and no one was going to get in her way.

"Okay Lieutenant," she sighed heavily, ready to accept the inevitable. "What is it?"

"Ma'am, could we forget about our ranks for a moment?" The Lieutenant looked at the Colonel waiting for an answer.

Mac froze; her eyes no doubt very large, and maybe holding just a hint of concern in them. The last time Harriet said that to someone, it had been Lieutenant Singer and she ran into a door.

Mac licked her lips nervously. "You're not going to hit me, are you Harriet?"

Harriet smiled. Now she had her attention. "Oh, I may bop you over the head a couple of times Ma'am, just to make sure I keep your attention, but I'm not going to hit you."

Mac relaxed a bit at her assurances. But she still felt uneasy.

"But you are going to tell me everything about what happened Friday night."

Mac had that caught in the spotlight look.

Harm grimaced as a stab of pain worked its way up his right leg. It had been so dumb. When he got back to the apartment and realized Mac had left, he did what any frustrated male did when faced with an exasperating problem. He kicked the couch. Unfortunately, his shoes were the kind that offered little if any protection to his toes. As his foot connected with the couch, he heard the snap, snap of his middle toes breaking. As white-hot pain roared from his leg to his brain, screaming at what a dumb move that was, he sat down hard on the couch, filling the air with blue words.

Now he was paying for that stupid maneuver. He carefully eased his foot to another position, hoping it would alleviate the throbbing. It didn't.

Coates came back in the room with a cup of water and some painkillers. She handed them and the cup to him. "Here you are, Sir."

"Thank you Coates." As he started to swallow the pills, Jason and Victor appeared in his doorway. Jennifer made her way back out of the room, casting an embarrassed smile at Jason. The Petty Officer was momentarily dissuaded from his mission by her. But as soon as she left his vision and nudged by Victor, he brought his attention back to the Commander.

"Uh, Sir?" Jason spoke first. "Here is the cane I-"

"No need to explain, Tiner." The Commander said good-naturedly. "I understand and just for the record, I'm sorry about what you saw. I really did lose my balance-"

"I know you did Sir," said Jason politely cutting him off. "But thank you anyway, for that."

The two men continued to stand in the doorway looking uncertainly at the Commander.

Harm looked curiously at them. "Is there something else?"

"Well Sir, if you don't mind," Gunny spoke up looking at Tiner and then back at Harm "We were kind of wondering how it went Friday night."

"Friday night.…" Harm repeated as if not understanding the question.

"Your date with the Colonel?" added Tiner carefully.

"My date with the Colonel…." Both Jason and Victor could tell by the look on his face that this was a sensitive issue.

"Um Sir, did she…?" The Petty Officer looked down in the general direction of Harm's feet.

Harm looked down as well and then immediately snapped his head back up, realizing what they both were thinking. "No Tiner!" He saw them both recoil at his bark. He took a deep breath and tried again. "Sorry, and no, she didn't do this."

"Then Sir, how…?" Gunny stopped, not sure how or if he should proceed.

Harm smiled wryly. "Come on in gentleman and close the hatch." Both enlisted men came in. Gunny shut the door, and both he and Tiner settled into the chairs in front of Harm's desk.

"We've had events separate us. Harm first had to get over that I was a ringer for his dead girlfriend, then defend me when I killed my husband in self-defense, next he went to Russia - twice; first to search for his father and then to help his half-brother."

"That's pretty fantastic for two JAG lawyers, Mac." They had gone over in detail what went wrong Friday night. They shared a few laughs, a few sighs, and Harriet had added a sage comment where appropriate. Now she had convinced Mac to talk about why they haven't gotten together before now, and the floodgates had opened.

"…that's not all that's kept us apart. Harm had his string of girlfriends, Anne Pendry, Jordan Parker, Renee Peterson, and I had mine, Colonel Farrow, Mark Sokol, Dalton Lowne, Mic Brumby. It always seemed that fate was against us getting together. And then came the Jagathon, and we made a vow to try again. You know, even with all that was going on, it seemed we were getting closer, but then Harm was accused of murder and then there was Paraguay…I guess you know Harm resigned his commission to come after me and Clayton Webb?"

"Of course, Mac. He was the only one to do anything. The rest of us just sat here on our hands afraid to do anything. He was the only one with the guts to act."

The Colonel smiled sadly at that memory.

"Well after our fiasco down there, the Admiral blew up and tossed him out. Harm gave him the same look he gave me in Paraguay. First hurt, then stunned shock. Whether his leaving was part of any larger plan to pay back the CIA, I don't know, but he went so easily, saying it was only thing available. So while we slogged along here trying to play catch-up with the case backlog, he flew for the CIA air corps with Commander O'Neil and other pilots in the CIA air wing."

*~*

"I kicked the couch, Tiner that's how." Harm shrugged not knowing what else to say. He had told them the entire story about their sorry date and the fight.

"Why did you do that Sir?" asked Tiner, obviously perplexed by this lack of cool that had lead the Commander to break two toes.

"I think I can answer that one Sir," replied Gunny. He divided his looks between Tiner and the Commander "Because of the Colonel, right Sir?"

Harm sighed and nodded his head.

"Sir? Why?" Jason Tiner was more confused than ever.

"Why indeed Petty Officer, Harm exhaled deeply, looking intensely at a model of a Tomcat fighter sitting by his lamp on his desk as if it held all the answers. "Why indeed."

*~*

"Beth O'Neil, the lady Harm defended against sexual harassment charges?"

"The same. She and Clayton worked hard to get the Admiral to let Harm back in. They of course had Tracy Manetti and the SECNAV on their side. So here he comes prancing back into our lives like some Teflon plated superhero-"

"You resented that didn't you, Ma'am?"

"No, not really." She smiled at Harriet's wry smile. "I'm just always amazed that despite everything that happens he keeps coming up smelling like a rose. Its so, so-"

"Frustrating?" Harriet added helpfully. Mac nodded.

"But that didn't happen this time right away did it?"

"No," she looked down at her cup again.

Harriet waited a beat. "And that worried you."

Mac sighed. "This situation—the whole thing, him coming down to Paraguay, his being fired from JAG and then one day 'poof', he's back, its so damned frustrating because… because…." Mac stopped.

Harriet finished the thought for her. "…because you can't help it… you're in love with the Commander."

Mac sat quietly for a moment. "Yes, dammit to hell."

Harriet's grin became wider if that was possible. It reminded Mac of that story about the Cheshire cat. Except Harriet wasn't disappearing. She leaned forward nodding her head excitedly. "Yeah! That's why you fight like two wet cats, that's why you share those looks, that's why every romance since you've arrived in this office, for either one of you, has collapsed!"

"Is it that obvious?" She put her head on her desk, wishing she could fall into a hole right now.

Harriet looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and annoyance. "Mac, even the security detachment knows about you and the Commander. The magnetism between you two is so strong, everybody just gets out of the way. Nobody wants to get in the middle." She lifted her head at that.

"But you're stepping in." Mac got up and walked to her window. "Oh Harriet, I feel like I'm sixteen again and in love with the quarterback. Every time he says something nice to me, it's like the tingle you get when you step into a nice hot bubble bath. I just want to melt into his arms and stay there forever."

"And when he's not so nice?" prodded Harriet.

"I want to drop kick his six through the goalposts," she growled. Mac turned, noticing Harriet's shoulders shaking and the snorting and snickering that she was vainly trying to suppress.

"What?" She was getting mildly annoyed with the Lieutenant. First smiles and stinging comments and yes, every one of Harriet's acid assessments was justly deserved. But laughing at Mac's expense - that was too much.

The younger Lieutenant regained her composure. "Permission to speak freely Mac?" The Colonel was really beginning to regret starting down this road and giving Harriet this much freedom. It was much better when they respected each other's ranks. At least for Mac anyway.

"We're already doing a pretty good job of that Harriet," Mac said sourly as she walked back to her desk. "What do you want to say now?"

"Ma'am when did you become such a doofus?"

"I think I know why Sir," replied Gunny again. Harm was getting a little irked with all of Gunny's 'knowledge' about love.

"And what do you think that reason is, Gunny?" replied Harm. He knew, but he wanted to hear it from someone else, even if it was Gunny.

"Because the Commander loves the Colonel, Gunny." All three men looked up to see Lieutenant Bud Roberts standing in the doorway.

"Bud?" Harm looked genuinely confused.

Lieutenant Bud Roberts stumped his way into the room. "Oh come off it Sir, you've been in love with her since you and the Colonel went in to rescue the Declaration of Independence and help her uncle, Colonel O'Hara."

Gunny and Tiner looked at Bud and then back at the Commander. Harm could not believe this. Just who didn't know about his situation with the Colonel?

Harm tried to throw him off the scent. "Bud, you don't know what you're talking about-"

Bud swiftly cut him off. "I think I do Sir, I've been with both of you for over eight years and I think I know you two pretty well. Harriet got me thinking about this last week at lunch. It really didn't make a lot of sense until I talked with Commander Turner."

Harm's eyes focused on the Lieutenant. Just what had his academy buddy done? "What did he say, Bud?"

Bud stood behind Victor and Jason "Nothing Sir, it's what he didn't say."

Harm was getting tired of his co-workers and their cryptic comments. "Well , what didn't he say?"

Bud smiled, liking this reversal of positions "He didn't say anything about the Colonel's odd behavior or yours, he just kept trying to throw me off the scent, like you're doing, Sir."

Mac sat down in her chair with a thump. "A doofus?"

Harriet rolled her eyes. "Yes Mac, a doofus, and a world class doofus at that."

Mac looked at her for an explanation.

"You love Harm, sorry, the Commander, and it's blatantly obvious after Paraguay that he loves you."

"Harriet, sometimes love isn't enough." She pursed her lips and shook her head. "If it was that easy I would have been Mrs. Harmon Rabb a long time ago." Mac thought this would end this painful conversation, but Harriet wasn't finished just yet.

"Mac, have you ever thought it might be as easy as you going to him and saying 'I love you'?"

Mac looked dejectedly at the junior officer. "I can't Harriet. I can't stand the thought of him rejecting me."

"Who says he will?" Her head rose at that comment. She looked into the Lieutenant's bright eyes. "Mac, I bet if you marched over to his office right now and told him how you felt, all this stupidity would disappear."

"You make it sound so easy Harriet." She stood up again, and started back toward the window.

She wasn't going to let this go so easily. "That's because it is. Mac, how long have you two been dating?"

Mac turned looking perplexed. "Dating? Harriet, we went on our first date last Friday night, remember?" Mac looked somewhat smugly at the Lieutenant.

"Forget that one." The annoyed look on her normally sunny face, made Mac drop that line of thought. "Look, how long have you two been having dinner and lunches together? How long have you done chores together? Had movie nights?"

"Lots of times Harriet, but that isn't the same thing-"

"What makes you think it isn't?" She challenged.

Mac sat down again.

Harriet was on a roll now. "What makes you think that you two haven't been dating since you came back from the Guadalcanal? Maybe even before that?"

She pressed forward, seeing that she had Mac thinking. "Have you ever noticed that 'little tingle' you get when he proposes having lunch or dinner together? How about the looks he gives you when you tease him about his eating habits? Or the comments he makes about yours? Can you honestly tell me you don't look forward to spending time with him, even if you two are just going over cases or doing chores?"

Mac became very quiet. She studied the doodles on her desk pad for the longest moment. Then she looked up at Harriet. "My God Harriet," she said quietly. "We have been dating."

She folded her arms across her chest, looking suspiciously like that lawyer/aviator she knew so well. "It's about time you realized that Mac."

Mac smiled wearily at her friend. "You're right Harriet, I've been a doofus."

"I'm glad you finally realize that too, Ma'am."

"Sir begging your pardon," Gunny looked at Harm, "But he's right, you're trying to throw him off the scent."

Jason smiled. "Jen was right! She pegged it! You do love-" Harm shot him a warning look. The young Petty Officer was immediately chastened "–her, Sir."

Bud was now standing by the door. His arms folded. For the first time, Harm felt like he was the mentee rather than the mentor. "You're right Bud, I do love her."

"Then why don't you just go into her office and tell her?"

Everyone turned toward the sound of the deep bass voice. Harm looked up to see Sturgis Turner sticking his head in the door.

"Doesn't anyone around here ever knock anymore?" Harm said half disgustedly.

Sturgis smiled. "I would have, but you only have twenty minutes before staff call. So get your six in gear and go talk with her."

Harm looked around the room at his co-workers.

"Go on Sir." Gunny smiled at him. Tiner nodded.

"Commander, you've got to give it a try." Bud offered a hand to the hobbled Commander. He gladly took it. Once he was upright, Tiner handed him the cane. Harm slowly walked toward the door, Bud shepherding him.

All the men filed out of the room, following Harm as he hobbled down to Mac's closed door.

*~*

The revelation had left stunned silence in its wake. Mac and Harriet looked at each other.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

Harriet rolled her eyes. "Mac, its fifteen minutes until staff call."

She looked at the door and then back at Harriet. She smiled nervously. Harriet smiled knowingly.

"Come on Marine," Harriet said softly to the unsure woman who was looking at her. "No guts, no glory."

Harriet opened the door and Mac walked out into the bullpen. Jen got up from her desk as Mac walked by. She looked at Harriet who gave her the thumbs up sign.

She turned one last time to her confidante. "Harriet, I'm scared." For the first time Mac, the by the book, rough and tumble Jarhead admitted to a friend that she was human. "Look at me, I'm shaking like a leaf."

Harm hobbled closer to Mac. Behind him in the back stood Bud, Sturgis, Tiner and Gunny.

"I think your knight is here to rescue you." Harriet motioned for her to turn around.

Mac turned around and saw Harm. Her face instantly betrayed her concern at his limping. He smiled sheepishly. She blushed furiously.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." Her heart started beating feverishly in her chest. Her breathing became deeper as she looked into the man's blue eyes. She felt somewhat relieved and a little surprised when she noticed Harm was sweating.

"Um, Mac, I-"

She couldn't let him do this here, no matter how much she wanted to hear those words. "I know," she said quietly, smiling at him, "Let's talk about this later, somewhere less public."

Everyone in the bullpen had stopped their activity and was watching what was taking place. No one noticed Admiral Chegwidden opening his door and stepping out into the bullpen. He leaned over and whispered into a young Ensign's ear.

"What's going on?" he said quietly to the young Ensign who was enraptured by this scene.

"The Colonel and the Commander are making up," the Ensign gushed in a hushed voice to this clueless person. She tried to convey the moment to him. "Isn't it romantic?"

"Yeah." he growled, "It sure is."

The Ensign's eyes went wide at the comment. Tiner barked when he heard that familiar voice. "ADMIRAL ON THE DECK!" Everyone snapped to attention.

Harm and Mac, with their respective injuries, tried to stand at attention. The Admiral walked over to them.

"My office, now." He hissed through clenched teeth.

"Aye Sir!" they responded in unison. Then both slowly made their way toward his office.

AJ Chegwidden looked around the bullpen at everyone standing at attention. "What is this? As the Bullpen Turns? Get back to work!"

"AYE SIR!" Barked the crowd in the bullpen, and then they quickly scattered. The Admiral turned on his heel and followed his two wayward children into his office.

Once the door was closed, AJ Chegwidden motioned to both of them to take a seat.

Harm slowly settled himself into the chair. Despite the crick in her neck, Mac tried to help him into the chair. The look of pain on both their faces was obvious.

AJ walked over to the front of his desk and sat on its edge. He observed their slowed movements and the pained expressions.

The man was not without sympathy. He looked at both of them. "My God, what happened to you two over the weekend?"

"It's a long story, Sir." replied Harm.

The Admiral looked sternly at the Commander. "Well, I'm giving you five minutes to give me the Reader's Digest Condensed version."

And so they explained the whole sorry mess. The mix-up, the missed reservations, the trip to Beltway and Herman's, the leak in Mac's apartment, and last of all the fight.

AJ blew out a stunned breath. He looked over at Harm. "So after she left, you kicked the couch in frustration."

Harm looked sheepishly at him. "Yes Sir."

"And you," he turned to Mac, "Moved into a fleabag motel and ended up with the room from hell."

"Yes Sir." Mac was equally embarrassed.

He turned around and walked behind his desk. AJ picked up a stack of case folders and walked back to the front, settling down on edge of his desk again.

He handed them each two bulging folders. "You two have already been briefed on handling the Broward and Mamura case. Commander, you'll be prosecuting. Colonel, you'll defend."

"Aye Sir."

He looked Mac up and down. "Colonel, are you ready for the Lowery hearing this morning?"

Mac squared her shoulders. "Yes Sir."

"And, are you ready to work with the Commander on the Pulver court martial?"

Harm did a double take, his eyes opening wide. "Work with Sir? I thought I wasn't assigned to this case."

AJ looked at him dourly. "You are now." He fixed the man with a piercing look. "Do you have a problem with that Commander?"

Harm swallowed. "No Sir."

AJ smiled. "Good." He turned to Mac. "Colonel, you'll work with the Commander on the Pulver prosecution. I'm assigning Lieutenant Roberts to work with Commander Turner. He needs the experience and the Commander needs a partner." He looked blandly at Mac's startled look. "Do you have a problem with this Colonel?"

"No Sir." she replied curtly, re-squaring her shoulders.

AJ smiled again. "Good. Also Colonel, you are not unilaterally decided to be first chair. I want you two to decide by 17:00 who will get that honor. I trust you two can reach a compromise on this."

Harm and Mac looked at each other. Mac looked back at the Admiral. "I think we can Sir."

Harm nodded his agreement.

"No thinking Colonel, either you can do this or you can't." He looked at both of them.

"We can do this Sir!" they responded.

"Good. Glad to hear it." He looked at Harm again.

"Commander, I'm taking you off the Richardson investigation. Effective Friday morning, you are on sick call. I want you well enough to be ready for that trip to the Tarawa. Do I make myself clear?"

"Aye Sir." Harm couldn't help but smile. The Admiral's steel gaze caused the smile to evaporate. He shifted his focus to the Colonel.

"Mac, I'm giving you tomorrow morning off. The Commander can take care of any last minute items that pop up before the court martial begins. I want you to find a suitable place to stay until your apartment is ready. If you can't find any place. Let me know, I have an extra room at my house and if that won't work, Meredith is still trying to rent out her apartment. I don't want your concentration in this case broken by lousy living conditions. Am I understood Colonel?"

"Aye Sir. Thank you, Sir" Mac smiled briefly at the Admiral before her expression became neutral again.

"Now, I have an abbreviated staff meeting to conduct. I want you two to stay in here and finish what you started out there. And for God's sake make it quick. You two are due in court in less than forty-five minutes."

"Aye Sir." they responded in unison. Both were grinning.

AJ walked over to the door, carrying his folders. He looked back and realized they had already forgotten he was still in the room. I must be getting soft in my old age, he thought. He opened the door. "Tiner!" he bellowed.

The Petty Officer immediately appeared. He cast a quick glance in the office.

"Something in there that interests you, Petty Officer?"

Jason swiftly looked back at the Admiral. "Uh, no Sir"

"Good, take these into meeting room one. And make sure everyone else is there. I don't want this meeting to be any later than it already is."

"Aye Sir." the Petty Officer hurried down the hall with his folders.

AJ looked thoughtfully at the two officers as he gently closed his door. He smiled and nodded his head, maybe they'll get this right after all.

2047 Zulu
JAG Headquarters

Mac heard a knock at her door. "Enter." she called out as finished saving her notes for the Pulver court martial.

She looked up to see Harm standing in the doorway.

She smiled. "To what do I owe this pleasure Commander?"

He returned the smile. "I just wanted you to know that you can have first chair."

"That's flattering Harm, but I'd already decided you should be first chair."

They looked at each other for a moment, not believing what the other had said. They both laughed.

"So um, how are we going to resolve this?" he asked suggestively.

"I think I know." She winked at him. She reached into her desk and pulled out a penny.

His eyes widened.

"Call it." she said as she flipped the coin into the air.

"Tails." Was all that he was able to get out.

The coin flipped several times before landing on the cleared space Mac had made on her desk. As it landed, it bounced twice before heading for the floor.

Both officers dived for it. Ending up face to face. Mac smiled at Harm. He smiled at her.

She looked down at the coin. "Looks like I won," she replied huskily.

"No, I think I won this time." He pushed his lips against hers. It was just a peck, but it was a promise of things to come. Both got up and stood looking at each other. At that moment the room could have caught fire and they scarcely would have noticed it.

Harm was the first to break the silence. "You ready-"

"Yeah," she replied quickly. "Let's get out of here."

As they headed to the door, Mac stopped him. "What about the Admiral, Harm? What do we tell him?"

"You're first chair Mac, you won it fair and square. Taking turns is the best course of action. Especially with someone you love, don't you agree?" He looked at her for moment, trying to gauge her reaction.

Mac's mouth popped open, but no sound came out. Regaining her composure, she closed her mouth and looked up into his deep blue eyes.

"Yes Flyboy," she replied, her voice filled with admiration. "Especially with the one you love."

The bullpen had emptied out early tonight, for some reason. The two lawyers made their way to the Admiral's office and knocked on his door.

"Enter." was the gruff reply.

Harm and Mac looked at each other and then opened the door. Hard at work at his desk, AJ Chegwidden looked up over his reading glasses at the two lawyers entering his room.

"Well, have you reached a decision?"

Harm looked at Mac, "Yes Sir, Mac is going to be first chair."

AJ put down his pencil and smiled looking at his two best lawyers. "A wise decision Mr. Rabb."

"Yes Sir," he said grinning. "I think so too, Sir."

AJ turned his attention to the Colonel. "Mac, what are you doing about sleeping quarters until your apartment is back in shape?"

"The Commander has offered his bedroom Sir." AJ's eyes went wide. "He'll be sleeping on the couch." She quickly added.

AJ looked at Harm for clarification. "It's a big couch Sir."

"Well just don't get too cozy in that loft, Commander. You still have several cases pending, both of you."

"Aye Sir, understood." They barked.

AJ smiled. "Now get out of here. The rest of the staff is already gone. Dismissed."

They both snapped to attention. "Aye Sir."

As they pivoted to leave the room. AJ couldn't help notice that Harm had his hand hovering near the small of her back as he ushered her out into the darkened bullpen. They shut the door leaving him alone with his thoughts.

The ringing phone startled him.

"Admiral Chegwidden." His hardened face softened a bit when he heard her voice on the other end.

"Hello Meredith,"

He listened for a moment. "Yes I'll be coming home soon."

He listened for another few minutes. "Yes honey, I got them back on the right track."

He smiled brightly at her next words. "I love you too, sweetheart."

He said his goodbyes and hung up the receiver. Rear Admiral Albert Jethro Chegwidden leaned back in his overstuffed chair and sighed. Shaking his head, he turned around and looked out his window at a certain Colonel and Commander standing in the parking lot, looking deep into each other's eyes. He knew that look. He had seen it many times in the office.

They finally got it right. Chuckling to himself, he smiled, turned back around, picked up his reading glasses and pencil and continued working on his reports.

- FINIS