One month later, JAG Headquarters

Harm's first month after being appointed the new Judge Advocate General had gone well. He was pleased with his staff, and ops was finally running smoothly after Admiral Young's mess. It was busy, but under control.

"Petty Officer, can you get me Colonel Mackenzie," Harm ordered his Petty Officer as he walked back from court.

"Yes, sir. In person?" Petty Officer O'Neil asked and reached for the phone.

"Yes," Harm walked into his office.

A few minutes later Mac hurried out of the elevator and headed for the bullpen. She didn't have much time before she had to be back in court. She was TAD to JAG for a case defending a Gunnery Sergeant charged with dereliction of duty during a training mission.

"You wanted to see me?" Mac said as she entered the Judge Advocate General's office.

Admiral Harmon Rabb Junior looked up from his computer. "I did. I'm wondering about your defense strategy."

Mac looked confused. "Why?"

Harm stood and rounded his desk. "You're arguing everything but the case in there."

"Excuse me?" Mac said sharply.

"I requested you for this case because you understand what it takes to be a Marine," Harm crossed his arms. "You know the Gunnery Sergeant didn't make the decision to head through the swamp instead of around it."

"I know that, but the Gunnery Sergeant won't admit that Lieutenant Wasp made the order. There is an agreement between the Lieutenant and his men that the Lieutenant goes free if something goes wrong on a mission. Lieutenant Wasp haven't admitted that he made the order so there's no point in having him on the stand if his men won't admit that he made the order. The Lieutenants men are so loyal; they are willing to do time for him," Mac argued.

"He won't lie under oath," Harm argued.

"Harm, you requested me TAD because I understand Marines. Well, let me tell you something about Marines, they live under a different oath than others. Marines are loyal to their fellow marines. Gunnery Sergeant Hall might have been ordered to cross that swamp, but he was the one who ordered his men during the exercise, and therefor he wants to take the blame. It might be frustrating, and maybe a bad officer gets off the hook, but it's nothing you and I can say or do to change that," Mac turned to leave. "I'm due back in court."

"I didn't dismiss you," Harm commented.

Mac didn't even turn her head, she just patrolled out of his office and crossed the bullpen.

"Ma'am?"

Mac focused on Lieutenant Commander Graves. "What?"

"Corporal Smith woke up from his coma," Graves took a calming breath. "I was just on the phone with his dad, and the Corporal supports Gunnery Sergeant Hall's decision to cross the swamp. He wants to testify, ma'am."

"We better ask for a continuance until we have talked to the Corporal," Mac said and motioned for Graves to follow her.

"This is good news for our client, isn't it ma'am?" Graves said as they walked.

"It could definitely be," Mac said.

Later in the day

Harm caught up with Graves in the breakroom later in the day. He noticed that Graves had a clever smile on her face.

"What?" Harm wanted to know.

Graves poured her coffee and turned to look at him. "What what, sir?"

"You look pleased," Harm commented.

"Well, this morning I was sure that we were losing, sir, but now I have a pretty good feeling," Graves said. "Thank you for letting me work with the colonel, sir. She is brilliant. You know, I told then Lieutenant Vukovic years ago that I wanted to be her, and that hasn't changed. She knows the law so well, sir."

Harm nodded. "The Colonel is quite the lawyer," he agreed.

"The Colonel did mention that you didn't agree with the way she is handling the defense, sir," Graves said cleverly.

"How much trouble am I in, Graves?" Harm asked.

"Well, sir, I would buy flowers, and maybe chocolate," Graves said with a small laughter.

"That bad huh?" Harm laughed softly.

Mac stepped into the room. "Hi," she said as she moved past Graves and for the coffee.

"Here, let me," Harm hurried to get a mug and handed it to her. "So, I hear the trial is going well."

Mac arranged herself some coffee. "It's definitely looking good," she turned to leave.

Harm raised his eyebrows and said to Graves. "I think I have some apologizing to do," he put his coffee down and walked out of the breakroom.

He hurried after his wife, but she was fast and closed the door to Graves office in front of him.

"Trouble, sir?"

Harm turned to Commander Bud Roberts. "I might have some apologizing to do, Bud."

"I know the feeling, sir," Bud said and turned to leave, then he turned back. "I find that flowers and dinner helps, sir."

"Thanks, Bud," Harm said and knocked on the office door.

"Enter!"

He took a breath, then opened the door. "Am I disturbing, Colonel?" he asked as he entered the office and closed the door behind him.

She looked up from her computer screen. "Yes."

"I might have been a little… out of line earlier," he said carefully. "I'm sorry."

Mac looked amused. "A little."

"Hey, I advise my lawyers on ongoing cases all the time," he defended himself.

"After sixteen years of knowing me you should know better than to question the way I defend my client," she said and stood. "You must have realized that before you asked me into your office."

"I wasn't really thinking, I was reacting," he admitted.

"After all your years in command, you are still backseat driving. You can't argue all the cases yourself Harm, you have to trust that your people can do the job," she said as she rounded the desk.

"Is that a dig at my command skills?" he questioned.

"Not at all, you're doing a good job," she smiled. "But you hate all the bureaucracy, and the fact that you seldom have the time to argue cases."

He flashed her a full-blown smile. "You know me."

"I do," she said and stepped closer to him. "So, does this mean that I was right and you were wrong?"

He laughed softly. "I wouldn't say that I was wrong, but you were right. By the way, you are doing a very good job with this case, and it's nice having you here. I could really get used to it."

"I have to admit that it's really fun arguing a case for a change, but I doubt that SecNav would allow you to have your wife under your command on a permanent basis," she said with a sweet smile as she reached out and straightened his shoulder board.

Harm smiled. "It's probably for the best. You refuse to stand at attention in front of me. I'd have to discipline you for disrespecting a senior officer."

"That could be fun," she teased and flashed him a sexy smile, before stepping back and returning to a more appropriate distance. "We'd probably argue all the time too."

"Probably," he agreed and turned to leave. "I'm making you dinner tonight."

"Sounds good," she said.

Harm smiled widely as he exited her office. He noticed Graves and Bud by the fax machine, both smiling when they saw him.

"Your apology must have worked, sir?" Graves said.

"Well, I have had some training and I think I'm getting quite good at it," Harm said.

"Wouldn't it be better not to put yourself in those kinds of situations, sir?" Bud wondered.

"You know, Bud, I really am trying," Harm admitted and smiled as he headed for his office. "Petty Officer, arrange for some flowers to be sent to the Colonel."