HUGE thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed so far. I appreciate it sooo much. Here's the next chapter.

Harm's POV

My conversation with the Secretary of the Navy, Carl Renfrew, the conversation that drew me away from Mac in the first place, ran much longer than I expected. For a while now, something's been bothering me about my telephone conversations with him, and now I realize what it is. He keeps trying to talk to me about matters that he really should discuss with the JAG, Admiral Trenton. And whenever I try to steer Renfrew in the appropriate direction, he ignores me.

I don't know if SECNAV and Trenton are having some sort of disagreement, but if they are, I want no part of it. It's getting harder and harder for me to sidestep his questions. I think it's time for me to have a conversation with Trenton on the subject, and considering I don't have the best relationship with him, I'm dreading it. Our relationship often seems like a delicate balance of egos, with mistrust and misapprehensions constantly threatening to topple it in one direction or the other. I've been trying to avoid butting heads with Trenton for a long time, but now it seems that I might be pulled into a confrontation against my will.

But enough about that – right now I need to focus on getting back to Mac. I realized something else while I was outside, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to figure it out. During our conversation, I mentioned to SECNAV that I was at the Navy Birthday Ball, and he asked me to extend his greetings to Admiral Merriweather, the CNO. Then it hit me. The CNO is at this ball, which means there's a pretty decent chance that Admiral Alison Krennick, his Chief of Staff, is here too. Krennick.

It was just over a month ago, while Mac and I were out for a run, that I received yet another inappropriate text from Krennick. The messages always seem to come from different numbers – I suspect she buys a new phone line every time she sends a message, and then discards it afterwards. My disgust must have shown on my face, because Mac stopped in her tracks.

'What is it, Harm?'

Wordlessly, I handed the phone to her and listened to her read the text out loud, her voice breathless from the run.

'There's a long weekend coming up, the perfect time for us to finally get together. F~ has a cabin upstate – here's a link to the Google Map directions xxxxxxxxxxxxx. It's not really my type of place, but I think you'll like it, and that's what matters. It's quiet and secluded. We won't be disturbed. We need to talk, Harm. We have unfinished business, and you know it. Meet me there on Saturday – I'll be waiting, under the covers. Ready for you. A.'

Mac rolled her eyes as she finished reading. 'How lame is that? An invitation to her husband's log cabin? Under the covers? Really?'

Then Mac started to run again, and when I caught up to her, she looked over to me and panted out, 'How many messages have there been now, Harm?'

'About a dozen since the coffee shop.'

She stopped running again. 'So what are you going to do about it?'

I shrugged. 'I would send her a message reiterating that she needs to back off, but that didn't work when I tried it – it only made her more persistent. I'll just ignore this one like I did the last couple of times.'

Mac shook her head. 'Don't you think this is getting way out of hand? I mean, I hate to break it to you Harm, but your whole "I'll just ignore it and it'll go away" strategy really doesn't seem to be working.'

I shrugged again, silently. She was right, but the other options were not particularly appealing. A face-to-face rejection hadn't worked, messages warning her off hadn't worked… aside from escalating the matter, which I was very reluctant to do, ignoring her felt like the only option left.

Mac shrugged too. 'Alright then, Harm. But if you're not going to do anything about it, just don't be surprised when I do.' She took off running again.

I had put Mac's words out of my mind after that day, certain that there would be no need for anything to be done. Krennick would get the right message from my non-appearance at the cabin, and she would finally retreat. Hopefully.

But back to tonight – I'm now convinced that Mac is planning to confront Krennick. It sounds far-fetched, but I really wouldn't put it past Mac. Besides, at first I thought I was imagining it, but there's definitely been thatlook in her eyes today – the one she gets when she's primed a winning argument, and is just about to take it all the way home. I'm torn between being impressed and being appalled – but first things first, I have to find her.

I barely have time to enter the room and look around before Harriet makes a beeline for me.

'Hey Harm, I've been looking all over for you. There's someone here you absolutely have to meet.'

'In a minute, Harriet. Have you seen Mac?' I ask, scanning the room and coming up empty.

'Not in a little while... maybe she's freshening up before dinner,' Harriet shrugs. 'While we wait for her, I really want you to meet this promising young man.' She beckons to a nervous-looking kid standing a few feet away. When he approaches, she introduces him to me as Ensign Robert Coleman.

'Ensign Coleman is currently serving on the USS Kruger. He was just telling me that he clerks for the JAG officer on his boat,' Harriet says, blithely unaware of the fact that that I'm barely paying attention to her. My eyes are still roaming the room. Where is Mac?

'Admiral?' Harriet prompts.

'Uh, yes, the Kruger, that's great.'

Harriet goes on, utterly oblivious. 'He was also telling me that he's headed to law school, part-time, once he starts his new shore assignment in a couple of months.'

Since Mac is nowhere to be found, I focus my attention on the young sailor, realizing that he's probably somewhat intimidated to be meeting an admiral, and that he really deserves better than meeting a completely distracted one. 'That's great, Ensign. What's the attraction?'

'Sir?'

'Why have you decided to pursue a legal career?'

Robert Coleman looks down at his feet, and then looks up again. 'Well sir... I guess helping Lieutenant Garces – it just intrigues me how well she identifies all the issues and analyzes them to find the best approach. And the work she does, the service she provides – it's more important than a lot of people realize. She's a great lawyer, sir.'

'Glad to hear it. And I'm glad to hear you're hoping to follow in her footsteps. I'm sure Harriet's told you a little bit about her husband – his great career in the JAG Corps is a testament to both his work ethic and the opportunities the Navy provides. It'll be a long, hard journey, and sometimes a little frustrating, but just stick with it, be determined, and you'll get there.'

Ensign Coleman nods. 'Thank you, sir.'

'I'll tell you one thing though… the law, the blind goddess of justice as we call her, is the sort of lady you fall in love with for life... she's strong, she's dynamic, and she knows her worth. She will drive you crazy sometimes, because she's never easy, sometimes temperamental, often very difficult to read. But there's one thing she always, always is – interesting.'

We laugh as I wish the eager young sailor good luck.

'Thank you sir.' He pauses, as if weighing his next words. 'I joined the Navy because it was pretty much the only option that worked out for me. But it's turned out to be the best thing I've ever done.'

I nod. 'A wise man once said, "The Navy is much more than a job; much more than service to country. It is a way of life. It gets in your blood." Every word of that is true. Keep up the good work, Ensign.'

We shake hands and he walks away to join a group of his friends. I turn back to Harriet. 'Nice guy.'

'Very nice,' Harriet agrees, 'he bumped into me by accident at the bar, and we got talking.'

'Where's Bud?'

Harriet laughs. 'I guess we've both been abandoned by our dates. Although, to be honest, I ditched Bud. He's been talking to some boring astronomy researcher guy across the room for ages,' she says, pointing him out. 'When I had enough of the dull statistics, I made an excuse about needing a drink, and bailed.'

I'm still trying to catch a glimpse of my wife in the crowded room. 'Mac never takes this long to freshen up... what's going on?'

'Beats me,' Harriet says, 'but speaking of fresh, what do you think of my dress? It's new – I bought it especially for tonight.'

Her dress? I don't know anything about dresses, but I know the long, blue thing she's wearing is very pretty. 'It's very becoming, Harriet. You look lovely. I hope I haven't forgotten to tell you that tonight.'

'No... no you did say something earlier... I guess I'm just a little insecure and nervous about how I look; I haven't been out to any formal events in a while. I actually contemplated taking my old uniform out of storage – not that I'd have been able to fit into it… I might have had to wear my maternity uniform. That would not have been a pretty sight.'

Now that doesn't sound right. Listening to Harriet go on and on about clothing insecurities…. Harriet is nothing if not confident – especially when she's all dressed up to the nines and ready to impress. I mean, this is the woman who once went to a ball dressed in an ultra-tight red number "borrowed" from Madonna's video-shoot wardrobe. I'm about to ask if she's feeling okay when I spot Mac across the room. Finally.

Then I notice who's walking a few paces behind her, looking uncharacteristically... ruffled. Krennick. Uh oh. It looks like the confrontation I was hoping to avert may have already taken place. In stark contrast to Admiral Krennick, though, Mac looks poised and calm – which, granted, she usually does, regardless of what's going on.

Mumbling a quick "excuse me" to Harriet, I make my way to Mac. Before I can ask her what happened, dinner begins, and we have to find our seats. Over our crab salad starter, Mac fills me in on her conversation with Alison Krennick, leaving nothing out. For a moment, I'm speechless, and just sit there staring at her. When I find my voice, I still don't know what to say. All I can manage is, 'Mac, you are –'

She waits expectantly, but I just can't find the right word. 'I'm what?' she prompts helpfully, as she spears a piece of crab with her salad fork.

'Why did you do something like that without telling me? How did you even know she'd be here? Is this why Harriet waylaid me like that?' I ask, incredulously.

'I'll start with your last question – the answer to that one is yes. And I found out that the CNO would be in attendance tonight, so it was easy to figure out that Admiral Krennick would probably be here too. To answer your first question, I did give you fair warning, Harm. The woman needed to get a clear message – she just can't keep doing this. You weren't willing to take action, and someone had to. I just didn't tell you I was planning to do something tonight, because I knew you'd throw a spanner in the works.'

I lean forward – I have to make her understand the gravity of what she's done, and why I would have tried my best to stop her if I'd had the chance. 'Mac, Krennick is... influential. She could set out to really hurt your career, and that's a risk I would never, ever have wanted you to take. Not over me. If anyone should have confronted her, it should have been me. I have a lot less to lose on the career front – I'm on my way out. We had an understanding, Mac… you're only just starting to regain the ground you lost when you decided against the Parris Island billet. Now is the time we agreed that you would step things up career-wise, and I would move towards retirement. By confronting Krennick like that, you've given her the opportunity to frustrate your progress, right when you really need to advance.'

Mac is shaking her head in before I'm done. 'What can I say, Harm? I guess I see your point, but I disagree.' She sighs. 'The truth is, my career, like yours, has been through a bunch of highs and lows already – and it's survived, against all odds. My record speaks for itself. And all my "secrets" are out – there's nothing out there that she could possibly use against me. I, on the other hand, have a lot of information that could really hurt her. Remember, what she's been doing isn't just wrong, it's also unlawful.'

'Agreed, but I really don't see her just rolling over.'

'Harm, she will, if she knows what's good for her. And for all her recent recklessness, I think she does. She's no slouch. '

'But –'

'Harm,' she interrupts, frowning, 'if some guy out there was harassing me, would you just sit by quietly and let it happen?'

'Of course not, but –'

Mac sighs again. 'I'm sorry, Harm. I just couldn't do it. If something bothers you, it bothers me. Honestly, if it was left to me, this would have been reported after the first few messages, so this was the next best thing. You have a birthday coming up soon, and you know she would've soured the day with yet another ridiculous message. And one day she might have gone beyond tacky messages to something truly awful. Enough already. If it helps you to accept it, consider this an early birthday gift. The bad penny known as Admiral Krennick won't be turning up anymore.' She gives me a sly look. 'You can thank me later.'

I can't help but laugh at the cute, expectant look on her face, but I'm worried. I'm concerned at the possible impact of Mac's actions on her career, and I'm thinking of what needs to be done next. Much as I would love for Mac to be right about the situation with Krennick being finally resolved, something tells me this is not over. Krennick is not very good at backing down. But I'm extremely moved by what Mac did tonight, how far she went. She is amazing.

'I'll thank you now, my hero,' I say to her.