AN: So this is a little angsty, but I am trying to keep it at a mnium. There will be some cause she is traumatised. Thanks to VisualIDentificationZeta, jpstar57, byrhthelm, Semaphore and rlrct. Oh and to a little butterfly friend of mine who helps me with my stories :) Read and enjoy. Sorry for any mistakes...

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"Yes Sir. I understand" Harm fiddled with his last letter to Meg as he wandered around her apartment. "Yes Sir. Are you sure? Of course Sir." Harm put it down on the table. "Thank-you Sir. I will." With that he hung up. He ran a hand through his hair and sank down onto Meg's couch. The Admiral had given him his job back at the JAG office. Harm put his phone next to the letter. With Meg gone they were a lawyer down on an already short staffed office. AJ had also given him time off to get Meg settled. Two weeks starting from today. Harm planned to make the most of that time. They had a lot to talk about, Meg herself had to heal. And until she was healed he wasn't going to push her. The problem was Meg wasn't getting her job back until she was cleared for duty. Which judging by her actions since her abduction wouldn't be soon. Harm might be replacing her for good. He sighed and put his feet up on the table.

Harm jerked, his eyes flew open. He must have fallen asleep. The screaming sound that had woken him was frightening, it filled the apartment. It was the sound of a wounded and scared animal. It sent shivers down his back. The sound was coming from Meg's room; Harm was off the couch and at the door in a second. The door flew open letting light into Meg's dark room and revealing a sight that made Harm cringe.

Meg was crouched in the corner of her room. Her entire body trembled with fear. Tears ran down her face, and a desperate keening sound came out of her mouth. The second Harm opened the door she had tried to disappear into the corner and stopped screaming. Instead she watched him with wary eyes. Eyes that didn't recognise him. She begged him not to hurt her, to leave her alone, and that she would do whatever he wanted if only he would just leave her alone. Harm was shocked.

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"Please James. Don't hurt me." Meg's voice was barley a whisper. She tried to push herself as far away from him as he approached her. Her entire body trembled. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone? He moved closer. "It's so dark in here James, please I need a window." She begged. He stopped coming. Her attacker uttered a swear word. Backing away from her he swung open curtains she hadn't noticed in the darkness. Light filled her prison. Her captor turned around and all of a sudden he wasn't James, he was Harm. She buried her face in her knees and sobbed. She was so stupid and weak.

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Harm realised quickly that this situation was his entire fault. Who would put a traumatised person in a dark room, especially if she had been kept in a dark room? He was an idiot.

She was sobbing in the corner of her room. Harm was unsure if approaching her was the best thing. He didn't want to scare Meg more. Her blonde hair was damp with sweat and her whole body was shaking in fear. He was the cause of all this. Harm stayed back, not wanting to mess anything up even more. But Meg just continued to cry and showed no sign of stopping. Harm walked up and crouched beside her. She didn't shy away from him. Harm took this as a good sight. Careful not to startle her he put his hand on her shoulder. To his surprise Meg didn't flinch, instead she leaned into it. Slowly Harm sat down. He put his arm around her shoulders, and drew her into a hug. Slowly her knees went down and somehow they ended up with Meg in Harms lap, arms tight around him crying into his shirt.

"I'm so sorry Meg. I'm so sorry." Harm kept whispering his apologises into her hair as she cried. She gripped him tighter. "I should have known Meg. Sorry." He was almost crying along with her. This mess was all his fault.

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Meg was curled up on the couch. The only signed of her breakdown was her red puffy eyes and the messed up bedroom behind her. Harm came out of the kitchen. He delicately held two cups of tea in his hands. She forced herself to smile up at him. "Thank-you." It came out raspy, her voice raw from crying.

Harm sat down next to her. For a few painful minutes they both sipped their tea and avoided each other's eyes. It was awkward. Meg bit her lip. Her hands shook as she held the tea. She set it down carefully on the table. She felt Harm's eyes follow her. "I'm sorry Meg." She turned to face him after he spoke. Harm was looking into his cup. Meg put her hand on his knee.

"It's okay. You didn't know how I would react." Harm met her eyes and smiled slightly. "So enough with the apologising okay?" A little spark of the old Meg crept into her voice. Harm perked up. He put his tea down beside hers.

"Meg I've been thinking…well it's just an idea." With a sinking feeling Meg listened to him. She gave him no indication whether it was okay or not for him to continue. "Okay then, I'll just go ahead. I know you saw a psychologist and a trauma counsellor at the hospital." She watched him swallow and fiddle with his hands. "But it was a once off thing. Have you considered a therapist Meg?"

Meg straightened. How dare he? "Are you implying that I'm weak? Or trying to humiliate me? Harm for goodness sake I don't need a therapist." Her hands shook with anger. "There was a doctor who said I might never regain normal functioning in my life. He said kidnap victims never do. And do you know what I thought when he said that Harm?" Meg glared at him. "I thought I am going to prove him wrong. I am going to be normal. I am not going to have nightmares and get frightened by every stranger. I will not flinch when someone touches me. And I will Harm. I don't need your therapist." Her hands gripped the couch with the intensity of her anger.

"It's not giving up to see a therapist Meg. It will help you to be 'normal' as you put it." Harm almost pleaded. Meg stood up. Their tea grew cold forgotten.

"You expect me to hurt. To need help. Yes? You expect me to have to talk to someone." Meg paced. "Well I do hurt and I do need help sometimes Harm. But victims go to therapists and I am not a victim. I do have to talk to someone about my feelings and fears sometime I know. But not now." She stood still and looked into his eyes. "And not yet."

Harm watched her. Meg could see the wheels turning in his head. "You don't want to see a therapist because you are scared."

"No I'm not."

She wasn't. Why was he insisting on bringing up such painful topics? Surely he knew she couldn't deal with this now. She turned to face the wall. "I'm not scared. I'm terrified. I don't want to talk to some stranger about how I feel. I do not want to talk to those I know about how I feel because it would make me seem weak." Meg trembled. "But most of all Harm I am sick to death of crying. One word about my feelings has me a sobbing mess. I don't want to cry anymore. I have cried enough tears to make Texas a damn blossoming tropical rainforest." She finished with feeling. Meg turned around to face him.

Harm had moved. He was standing in front of her. "I get it. I pushed too much too soon. I'm sorry." He put his hands on her shoulders. "I just don't want to be shut out."

"So sending me to talk to a stranger was including you how?" Meg almost smiled.

"I saw that Meg." Harm smiled a full Rabb grin. It felt so good to see it again.

"What? I'm doing nothing." Her smile grew.

Harm tapped her nose. "You smiled. Not as in 'I know I should, so I will', but an actual smile." Meg wrinkled her nose at him. "I can witness to the fact that it was a real one."

Meg grinned. "Do you have proof sir? Harm shook his head. "Well then your case is a very poor one. I will deny the very existence of a smile. And further more…" He put a finger on her lips.

"Shut up Meg." She looked at him horrified.

"Oh no you didn't Harm!" He took a step away and removed his finger from her lips. "You'll pay for this. Big time."

There is a time to fight and a time to run. Harm chose to run.