Chapter 5

08:30, JAG Headquarters, Washington D.C.

Harm was in a hurry, he knew that the Admiral would have his head especially when Tiner had told him in not so many words to be in the Admiral's office at 08:00 sharp.

He was also tired. He had woken up several times over the night all covered in sweat, from the nightmares. It hadn't happened in a long time, but it was the same dream. She was calling his name, begging him to save her but when he found her, she was lying in a pool of blood. He didn't know who she was. But when he turned her around to see who it was he was horrified: it was Meg. And that is when he would wake up in sweat.

Just when he was about to enter his office he heard the Admiral's angry voice calling him "Commander I want to see you in my office yesterday".

Harm winced when he heard him, he knew the Admiral will chew him out. Tiner saluted him also giving him a sympathetic look.

When he reached the Admiral's office he saw that the door was open and that the Admiral was talking on the phone.

Harm took in a deep breath and entered closing the door and waited until the Admiral finished his conversation.

"Yes, I understand" the Admiral replied annoyed replacing the receiver.

He looked at Harm who was standing attention and could see that he was tired, his anger subsided a little. He knew that the Cmdr had some rough times ever since he returned to JAG.

"Cmdr Rabb reporting as ordered sir", said Harm.

"At ease Cmdr", said the Admiral. "The reason I called you in here Cmdr is to discuss something very delicate concerning a case" started the Admiral walking in front of Harm, his arms behind his back.

Harm was surprised that the Admiral didn't bite his head off because of his lateness but instead seamed a little preoccupied. Something important must be happening.

"You already must know that Lt Col MacKenzei and Cmdr Brumby have left last night for Pearl Harbor for the Anderson case. You must also know the outlines of the case" said the Admiral stopping in front of Harm and looking him straight in the eyes.

"Yes sir", replied Harm.

"What you don't know is that I have assigned you and Lt Roberts to help the Cmdr that is coming from Pearl Harbor to negotiate with Anderson" said the Admiral taking a deep breath. This was getting even harder but it had to be done. "I won't go into detail right now, the Cmdr will give you all the necessary details, what I am going to tell you is that Anderson is guilty for the death of this Cmdr's husband, and that you know both her and her husband", finished the Admiral.

"How so sir?" asked a confused Harm. This was getting weird by the minute and he didn't like it. His heart started to beat faster by the minute.

"The Cmdr is your formed partner Meg Austin and her husband was the late Lt Cmdr Carmichael", finished the Admiral looking at a very stunned Cmdr Rabb.

Harm could not believe his ears, he felt his head spinning. He could not comprehend what the Admiral had just told him. Meg has been married and her husband had been Bruce Carmichael an ex- friend of his, the same man that was responsible for Meg being shot in the head by Hemlock, the assassin.

He had heard scuttlebutt that Bruce had died about 4 years ago and he had felt sorry, after all they had been friends once. But he could not believe that his sweet Meg has been married to him, he felt a little envy. Bruce had married the one woman he would have wanted to marry himself. The strange thing was that seven months after Meg had left JAG he had encountered Bruce at a dinner party thrown by some mutual friends. Bruce had approached him and asked if he could talk to him concerning Meg. When Harm had said they had nothing to talk about and had tried to walk away, Bruce had grabbed his shoulder and turned Harm towards him. He than had told him "It's too bad you let her go Harm, I can see you still love her and I believe she loved you too".

He always thought that conversation to be strange but now he finally understood it. But what hit him most were the last words Bruce had told him: "I believe she loved you too". Could it have been true? Could she have been in love with him?

Harm was brought to the present by the Admiral's voice "Cmdr do you feel alright?" the Admiral asked concerned.

"Yes sir." Harm replied trying not to sound too affected but he easily realized that he could not fool the Admiral. "No sir. I'm just a little shook up", he finally replied.

The Admiral had smiled a little at the admission. It must have really hit him hard if he was willing to admit it in front of him. He knew Rabb was no mean feat.

"Have a seat Mr Rabb", the Admiral said indicating the chair and than sitting himself next to Harm.

"I understand you very well Cmdr that is why I wanted to tell you before Cmdr Austin arrived here today. She had been through some rough times over the last years and now she will need all the help we can give her. It will not be easy for her to face the man that killed her husband" the Admiral said with a sigh looking at Harm.

"No it will not sir", Harm finally replied with a sad voice. It saddened him that Meg had to go through all of that, he could only imagine how much it must have hurt her. But his heart also skipped a beat at the thought of seeing her again after all these years.

"That is why I want you to help her in any way you can Cmdr. I know that you always felt reluctant to talk about her and I don't claim to know why but I want you to put all that aside" said the Admiral with a stern voice.

"You don't have to ask sir. All that had passed. Meg….ah…Cmdr Austin was my partner and my friend and I will do anything that's in my power to help her", replied Harm determined voice.

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear", said the Admiral. "The Cmdr will brief you and Mr. Roberts on the case, she knows first had all the details and also the defense counsel. State and Navy Intel will also be sending someone to assist you" the Admiral finished getting up from the chair.

"When will she arrive sir", asked Harm also getting up.

"She will be arriving in about an hour", replied the Admiral looking at the clock. "That will be all Cmdr".

"Ay, sir", Harm said turning on his heels.

"And Cmdr", said the Admiral before Harm could close the door. "Try not to scare her off, I'm still trying to steal her back from Admiral Smith, and it wouldn't work if she gets scared about who she would have to work with if she should come back", the Admiral finished with a crooked smile.

"I'll try sir", Harm answered back with a glint in his eyes and than closed the door.

Harm was walking to his office in a daze with a thousand thoughts running through his mind.

He saw Bud coming towards him. The Lt didn't have time to say anything to him as he cut him of "Not now Bud, we'll talk later", and than closed the door behind him leaving a very stunned Bud Roberts in his wake.

"Tiner, did something happen to the Cmdr?'' he asked the Petty Officer.

"All I know is that the Admiral called him into his office and told me that they should not be disturbed", replied Tiner.

"Thanks Tiner", Bud said heading for his desk. By the way the day was beginning it seamed it was going to be a long one. He would find out what was going on after lunch, now he had to help Cmdr Turner with Col Mackenzei's caseload.

Harm was walking around his office unable to sit or to do anything. He was also excited and a little scared of meeting Meg again. It had been 5 years since they had seen each other and a lot of things have happened, they were changed people. "Well I guess will find out soon enough" he said to himself while he was trying to sort out the papers on his desk. It wouldn't do to have her see the mess his desk was in, he knew he would never live down the jokes she would make at his expense. He had a broad smile on his face remembering all the banter that went between them when they were partners. He really missed that and also the way she would always have his back no matter what trouble he got them into. He was still amazed at they were able to communicate what they were thinking only by looking at each other.

But he also remembered her fiery temper when he really pissed her of. He always forgot that beyond that angelic look of hers stood a Texan tomboy. He may have been her senior officer but Meg was not afraid to stand up to him, especially through the last months of their partnership.

And their friendship outside the office was a very strong one. He was never able to have that king of friendship with any other woman until Meg came into his life, and that was why he had been afraid to admit the true feelings he had for Meg because he was afraid that by doing that he could lose that friendship.

Sitting himself in the chair he started remembering the last prank he had played on her and how she had reacted to it. Harm started laughing as the memories came back.

When she had been recovering after her coma, he had seen that a certain young and handsome doctor started not so subtly to court her but Meg had brushed him of. Harm had felt very jealous in the beginning but seeing that she didn't pay attention to the doctor that jealousy subsided and was replaced by his more giddy side.

He had started telling the doctor that Meg had asked him to inquire after the possibilities of having "breast surgery", because she was to shy to ask him herself and than he gave the doctor her phone number.

When the doctor asked to talk to Meg privately she already knew that he had been up to something.

After she had left the doctor's office with a beet red face, the only thing she had told him was "You'll pay for this".

And for two weeks she had pretended to go on dates with the doctor and talk on the phone with him. But it had never occurred to him until the very end that those calls were made only when Harm was at ear's reach.

One day when they were working late at the office he had witnessed one of those calls. She had told the doctor that she would be calling him back at about 7 to tell him if the date was still on. The curiosity got the better of Harm and at 7 he called Meg pretending to be Dr. George. What he didn't know was that all those phone calls were phony ones. Meg had someone at the office call her and pretend to be the doctor.

So Harm went down in the garden in front of their office to make sure no one heard him. He called Meg and discussed all the details of the supposed date, gulping when Meg had told him that she had enjoyed all that happened between them on their last date. He was about to ask Meg to refresh his memory when he felt cold water dropped on his head. When he had looked up, he saw Meg at the window of their office, with a large vase in her hands laughing hard. When he went back into their office he found her sitting at her desk with a "innocent smile" on her face asking him if he enjoyed his late walk in the garden and than finished by telling him that they were finally even. She had planed something else to pay him back but than thought of taking advantage of the situation that presented itself. Even to this day he hadn't known what her initial plan was but maybe he'll have the opportunity to find out.

Just thinking about the good times he and Meg had, made him feel better. He was also curios to see if she still was as beautiful as he remembered her, and that thought made his heart go faster.

Looking at his watch and seeing that he still had time before Meg would arrive, he decided to go and get some coffee for the both of them. He passed Bud and Harriet on his way leaving them both with open moths at the sudden change of his mood.

They would soon find out who the "culprit" for that change was.

This chapter is a little shorter than the rest. But I still hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think.