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"No, Mac, no one knows but us and we will keep it that way as long as you want." Moving a little closer to her, Tom revealed, "They do know we were coming to see you. I told Harm and said I would only tell him how you were doing." After a pause he asked in jest, "Now, are you going to beat us to a pulp, or are you going to show us where we're staying?" Tom grinned, a twinkle showed in his eyes. Mac was more beautiful than the last time he saw her. She had let her hair grow out and it was now caressing her shoulders and she had a tan that told of long hours outside.

Mac stood there wanting to plot revenge on them but knew she would never follow through. "I should, it would serve you both right!" They almost believed it, but the little twitch at the corner of mouth gave her away. They all started laughing and were close to tears when they finally stopped.

She went to AJ first, whispering as she gave him a hug, "It's good to see you." Stepping back, Mac noted, "Retirement looks good on you, Sir."

"Yes, but drop the Sirs and Admirals. Name's AJ, so that is what you will call me." he commanded making it sound like a order.

Smiling and standing at attention, she said, "Sir, yes, Sir… I mean AJ."

"Hey, don't I get a hug? After all it was my idea to bring Hoss here?" Tom gave her a big smile. "Besides, Harm told me to give you a hug and kiss for him."

She was amazed at what his smile was doing to her. If he kept it up she might turn into a mushy pile of bones. "Do all flyboys have that smile or is it something they learn in flight school?" she asked, one eyebrow rising in question.

As Tom walked towards her, his smile grew bigger. "No, we're born with them."

As they hugged, Mac received a little shock. It was as if she was zapped by electricity. As she looked up to him, he gave her a 'barely there' kiss on the lips.

"Well, Tom, I don't think Harm meant kiss on the lips," AJ laughed after he got over the looks he saw pass between them. He thought, 'Well, I'll be! It looks like she might feel something for him too!'

"Yeah, well, you're just mad because you didn't think of doing it yourself," Tom replied trying not to embarrass Mac or himself.

Knowing what he was doing, AJ said with a slap on the back, "You're right! I am!"

"Mac, if you don't mind, I told Rose that I would bring AJ over for dinner. We haven't seen him for well over ten years; right before he became the JAG." He knew from AJ how Tom felt about Mac, and if the looks that they exchanged revealed anything, it was that they both were attracted to each other. "You don't mind taking Tom back to the Homestead alone, do you?"

"Ah, no, that's fine." Then looking down right sinister, she replied, "I'll try not to kill him."

Glancing over to AJ and giving him a wink, Tom faked distress, "You're going to leave me with her? If she doesn't kill me, she'll most likely torture me!"

Looking back to Mac as he said the last, he realized it was a mistake. He saw how pale she had become. "Oh, Sarah, I'm sorry. I should have known better." He reached out towards her.

At first she didn't see or hear him. She was back in Paraguay listening to Clay's screams. When Tom grabbed her hand, she came back to reality. "Are you okay, Sarah?" He asked with concern.

"Yes. Yes, Tom, I'm fine and you shouldn't have to walk on eggshells around me. I just want to know how you know what happened." She thought that Harm might have said something to him.

"Well, as I told Harm, I still have friends in the Pentagon and they had mentioned how a Marine Colonel from JAG Headquarters went undercover and the aftermath. They also mentioned how you killed the terrorist, Sadik."

Nodding that she understood but was not ready to talk about it, she watched AJ and Zek walk over to the barn. Turning her attention back to Tom, she inquired, "Do you have a rental car?" After receiving a yes, Mac continued, "Well, if you're ready, Duke and I will ride back with you to the Homestead." She would not have minded walking back. She walked everyday with Duke tagging along at her heels.

"Yes, I'm ready but who's Duke?" Tom asked, hoping he was not a boyfriend of hers.

"Duke is my dog. You do like dogs I hope?" She thought that Harm said Tom had a two-year old dog of his own.

"As a matter a fact I do and I brought her with me." Cupping his hands to his mouth, he bellowed, "Molly! Come girl!"

Mac saw Duke running alongside another golden retriever heading towards them.

"Molly? Where did you get that name from?" Mac thought it was an odd coincidence that he named his dog Molly. That was the female character from her favorite John Wayne movie.

"Well, I named her after one of my favorite John Wayne movies, 'A Lady Ta…"

Before he could finish, Mac finished it for him, "Takes a Chance. Yes, that happens to be my all time favorite John Wayne movie and why I named my dog Duke."

Tom was amazed that she liked John Wayne flicks. "Well, what do you know, we have something in common. I happen to have brought a few of my John Wayne DVD's." He thought how he would love to take her to a romantic restaurant and then dancing afterwards, holding her in his arms. "Maybe you would like to join me for dinner and a movie, Ms. MacKenzie?"

Smiling a little nervously while asking, "Are you asking me on a date, Mr. Boone?" Mac was not certain if she was nervous because she wanted him to say yes or the fact that he might say yes.

"And if I was?" He could not believe that he felt like a teenager asking a girl on a date for the first time.

Her eyes lit up when she realized Tom was just as nervous as she was. "I would be honored to, Mr. Boone," giving him a grin that made him want to pull her into his arms and kiss the daylights out of her.

Instead, he took a hold of her hand and placed it on his saying, "Well, Ms. MacKenzie, let's go have dinner and decide on a movie."