A/N: Thank you everyone for the kind words! It feels so great to recognize some of your names as those, who reviewed the story back when I started to publish it for the first time! I also love to see new people finding the story! Thanks to byrhthelm, of course, for correcting my mistakes. I hope you will all enjoy this chapter!

CHAPTER 3

Mac didn't until the next morning realise that she had completely forgotten to tell Harm about the General's call. She didn't want to go, she would rather stay in San Diego, but she had no choice in this matter. All she could do was think about the positive side of the unexpected trip; she would visit Mattie and get to see the Roberts family but at the same time she would hope for quick trial and a speedy return home. Not that she wouldn't do her best during the court martial, she was way too professional for that, but she would take the first available flight back to San Diego as soon as the case ended.

It was obvious that Harm wasn't pleased to hear about Mac's forthcoming trip. He wasn't mad at her; he understood that she had other things on her mind after he had returned. Still, he wasn't happy that she needed to leave; it would make her absence a little more bearable if she was at least able to give him an estimate of when she would be back, but there was no way she could even make a guess. It all depended on how quickly the case progressed; the trial could last a few days or a few weeks.

Other than telling Harm, she had to decide who should step up to be her temporary replacement and who should accompany her. Due to the fact that she and whomever she chose needed to leave the very next day, both parties – the replacement and the partner – definitely needed to be told today so that each could make the necessary appropriate arrangements. The truth was, however, that as much as she did go to court to watch her officers in action, she hadn't had such an opportunity with the Major and the Commander. She read their files, of course, but all she found out there was that they both seemed to be excellent lawyers but their files gave no insight into their suitability, or otherwise for command, which wasn't exactly informative. In the end, she came to the conclusion that she would have to explain the situation to the two officers and let them decide. This way she wouldn't make any of them go if they had a reason as to why they simply couldn't leave the city at that moment.

"Good morning, Colonel." spoke Jennifer, standing up when she saw Mac approaching the desk.

"Good morning, Petty officer. Are the Major and the Commander already at work?"

"As far as I know, they're in their offices. Unless they've left without me noticing, they're still there. Should I inform them that you want to see them, Ma'am?"

"Yes, Petty Officer. Tell them I want to see them in my office in five minutes."

She went into her office and smiled, when she saw her morning cup of coffee already waiting for her. Since she always came at the same time, Coates knew exactly when to prepare it so it wouldn't cool down too much. She also noticed a stack of files, which hadn't been there when she left the office on the previous day and could only sigh, taking her place behind her desk. She really liked this job and saw it as an honour to be trusted enough to become a CO of her own unit, but the amount of paperwork sometimes really made her miss working in court. It was less than she remembered finding every day when she was Admiral Cheggwidden's temporary replacement at JAG, but she would rather it appeared in even smaller amounts.

She took a sip of hot coffee and started to look briefly through one of the files, when she heard knocking at the door. Her internal clock told her that the five minutes has passed, and just as she suspected, the Major and the Commander walked into her office, halting in front of her desk. Protocol prevented them from inquiring the reason why they had been summoned, but she could see that they were very curious as to what she could want from them.

"You wanted to see us, Ma'am?" asked Watson and Mac nodded in response.

"That's right. At ease." she pointed to the chairs, which were standing behind them and continued, when they took the places. "I received a phone call from the Judge Advocate General, yesterday. SecNav has requested me to act as prosecuter in Lieutenant Commander Ward's case…"

Mac could see an incomprehensible, for her, expression appear in the Major's eyes, while the Commander clenched his jaw, his mouth forming a thin line on his face. It seemed from their reactions that she was the only person in the room, who was unfamiliar with the case and it only made her unhappier at being chosen to prosecute. If two people, who were at the other side of the country had heard about the case, it meant that the press was interested in it and she was more than certain that it was only going to make the whole case more complicated.

"The court-martial will be in DC, so I won't be in the office for a while. I think you can understand that despite the fact that the replacement will be temporary, I want the person to have some experience and amongst the entire staff, there are only three suitable officers and the two of you are not only the most experienced but also the highest rank... I was also told to nominate someone from my staff to accompany me DC with me and sit second chair. You two both qualify for either assignment. It is a matter of complete indifference to me as to who stays or who goes, so go away now and sort it out between yourselves. I don't need an answer immediately, but I do need it before secure today!"

Mac was curious as to what their decision would be. It was obvious from their facial expressions that neither of them was eager to make the trip to DC, but as much as she didn't have preference as to which one of them would go, she didn't want to take any of the other officers. She couldn't complain about them, they were all good at their jobs, as was only to be expected, but this time around she wanted someone experienced, especially since her instincts were telling her that it wasn't going to be an easy case.

At the same time, the Major and the Commander were sitting in the latter's office and talking about what they had just heard from their commanding officer. Just like she noticed, they both had their reasons why they didn't want to go anywhere.

James didn't want to leave his pregnant wife. There was, at least in theory, still two months until their baby would be born but the doctors didn't hide that it could happen anytime. Especially since Anne had already landed in a hospital a couple of times and she had been quite clearly told that if a similar situation happened once again, she would have to stay there until the birth, provided that she wasn't in need of an immediate C-section. This was their first baby and he definitely didn't want to find himself in DC, when the time came.

Andrea, on the other hand, was rather hesitant to leave her six year old daughter. She had been stationed on a carrier for a few years and her transfer to an office in country was a very good news for her. No matter where it was located, she would finally be able to be with Crystal, so the girl could live with at least one of her parents, feel that they're really with her. Being stationed in San Diego was like hitting a jackpot on the lottery for her; her husband's sister, who was taking care of their daughter, lived in the very same city and she wouldn't even have to change her child's environment, not to mention that she would have someone to count on in case she occasionally needed to stay at work later than usual. She had arrived just a few days earlier and promised her child that now she wasn't going anywhere and she had no idea how she was going to explain this unexpected absence to her. Still, when she heard Watson's reasons for staying in San Diego, she had no hesitation in saying that she would be the one going to DC. She fully sympathised with concerns and wishes and also knew, that Nancy wouldn't see a problem with taking care of Crystal while she was gone.

"Very well, then. Major, take rest of the day off and prepare to leave. Our flight is tomorrow in the early morning. Petty Officer Coates will hand you all the information you need. Hang over your investigation in Ensign Barrev's case to Lieutenant Martin."

"I left my report at your desk yesterday evening, Ma'am." she pointed to the single file, lying on the side of Mac's desk. "I recommend that no court martial be convened, so unless you disagree, that case is closed, Ma'am."

"That's even better. I'll leave you a list of what I want covered while I am away, Commander, and Coates will have it ready for you tomorrow. That'd be all for now, thank you. Dismissed."

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Mac left the office early as well, knowing she too needed to take care of a few things.. One of them was packing, and it wasn't as easy as it seemed. When she was at Falls Church she always had a go-bag prepared, but coming here, she was certain she would become more settled and wouldn't have to drop everything and leave in a hurry, so the bag wouldn't be needed anymore. The worst thing was that despite thinking that she wasn't taking much, she couldn't fit everything into her usual bag. Presents for the little Roberts were taking more space than all the rest of things she decided that she needed, but leaving the gifts in San Diego was out of question.

She had just checked for the second time that she had absolutely everything she might need and when she glanced up, she noticed Harm standing in the bedroom, watching her with an unintelligible expression in his eyes. She sent a small smile in his direction and noticed with mild dismay the slight nod, which he responded with. He wasn't happy to see her pack and now that they had absolutely no idea when they were going to see each other again. He wanted to spend a little more time with her, so using the opportunity he left work earlier than usually.

"I wanted to buy something for Mattie, but I didn't really know what to get…" she spoke and Harm shrugged after a moment of thinking.

"I would have a problem like this, too… Well, a thick book would probably be good. She admitted that she started to read a lot and when they visit her on the weekend, Bud or Harriet bring her a pile of books for the next couple of days. Do you plan to visit her?"

"Yes, of course I do. I want to see her, and I have a small package for her from Jen. Do you think I shouldn't go?"

"No, no! That's not what I meant, that will be great if you go see her. Where do you plan on staying?"

"I was actually thinking about your apartment… There are still a couple of things left there, and I'd probably need it just to sleep, anyway."

"That's exactly what I wanted to convince you to do. Bud has the keys, I've already called him, so he'll take them to the office tomorrow. Do you want me to take you to the airport?"

"Of course, if you're willing to."

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It was a very early morning, when they arrived at the airport. The time, however, worked to Harm's advantage; he didn't need to go straight to the office, so he could wear civilian clothes in order to say goodbye to her properly there. She was travelling in her uniform needing to report straight to JAG after arriving, and it wouldn't be good for anyone to see two officers hugging or kissing each other if he chose to dress in his uniform as well. Public displays of affection between officers were frowned upon, even if the two officers concerned were engaged or even married to each other.

After leaving her bag to be loaded into the hold, as it was too big to take it aboard, they walked out of the building. She hadn't suggested meeting her companion at any specific place, and she would definitely be easier to spot outside than amongst the crowd of people inside.

"Don't forget to call me when you arrive." reminded Harm for the fourth time and she rolled her eyes. "If you don't, not only will I not meet you at the airport when you get back, but you can forget about a welcome home dinner!"

"You don't have to cook for me. I can always grab a burger." she chuckled at his facial expression. "There's no need for you to stay with me until the last minute, you know?"

"Is that your way of telling me I should leave?"

"You can stay, of course, but I wouldn't want you to have to hurry later."

"Very well, Marine." he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, giving her a tight hug. "Have a nice flight, and call me!" he leaned down, placing a kiss on her lips before slowly walking away to the car.

She sighed as he walked out of sight and then started to look around, trying to spot Major Johnson. It shouldn't be too difficult, there weren't a lot of people dressed in Marine uniform around – in fact, it seemed that she was the only one. However, it took only a moment for Mac to notice the Major walking in her direction with a little girl in her arms. Mac was certain the child had to be the Major's daughter; her hair was a little different shade of blonde, but she had her mother's facial features, with the exception of the eye colour.

Andrea knew it wasn't going to be easy to say goodbye to Crystal. When she had told her that she needed to go away for some time, the girl started to cry and scream that she promised she wasn't leaving anymore. It made her feel absolutely horrible, as it seemed that her daughter felt betrayed. She didn't really see the difference between this time, and all the previous ones when she was leaving for much longer. In fact, over the first few years of her life, her little girl spent more time with her aunt than with both of her parents and it was probably all thanks to Nancy that she didn't feel like they actually didn't care about her. She might have been very much a surprise baby, but they both loved her very much and Andrea knew that her husband felt as heartbroken to be away from her as she did.

She planned to leave before the girl woke up, but it didn't work out. Crystal was up even before her and didn't want to go back to bed or stay with Nancy at the apartment. So, in the end, all three of them went to the airport and she wondered how to convince her daughter to let her go. Crystal clung to her the moment they got out of the car and the last thing she wanted was for her child to make a scene at the airport. She soon saw Mac and tried to put the child down to salute properly, but Crystal didn't want to let go of her.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I didn't plan to bring her here, it's just.."

"That's fine, Major." interrupted Mac and noticed a huge relief in the younger woman's eyes.

"Hey, Cryssy… I really have to go…" she said to the girl and even though she finally stood on the ground, she wrapped her arms around her waist and held her mother tightly.

"I don't want you to go…" she mumbled, clearly at the edge of crying.

"I know, but I'm going to be back sooner than you realise."

"You always say that..." she stated, and Andrea could only sigh heavily; she was acutely aware that this was actually true. "I want to go with you…"

"If you could, I would take you with me." she spoke and lowering herself to the girl's level, she cupped her face and wiped away the tears, which were flowing down her cheeks. "I promise that this time, I'm going to be back much, much sooner. We'll have a great mommy-daughter day then; we'll go to the zoo, to the cinema, have pizza for dinner and a lot of other great stuff."

Mac, who stood on the side, felt awkwardly and completely out of place. She couldn't help thinking of her and Harm's goodbye to little Roberts. The children really didn't want their aunt and uncle to leave, especially AJ and Jimmy since the twins were still a little too young, and it was only on the promise, that they would be allowed to spend some time during holidays with Harm and Mac, that the boys finally let them go. It seemed that they weren't the only ones, who this strategy worked on, as the girl seemed to get convinced, too.

"And can we go to Disneyland some other time..?" she asked hopefully and Andrea smiled.

"We'll think about it, okay?"

"Okay… Will you call me?"

"Of course, Sweetie. Everyday."

So with the threat of a major tantrum averted it was only few minutes later, they were able to enter the terminal building. Mac could see that it wasn't easy for the Major to just walk away, especially since her daughter was standing beside her sister-in-law with her eyes full of tears and she could see that the blonde woman was fighting very hard not to let her weakness be seen. Mac knew from the Major's file that for the last couple of years she had been stationed on a carrier and had unsuccessfully applied without success for a transfer a couple of times, but it was only after her CO changed, that she actually managed to get it. She did wonder about her reasons, but now she knew that it had to be this little girl, who made her try so hard for it.

"I'm really sorry for this, Ma'am." she spoke to her again, regaining full composure when they were seated in the airplane.

"No need to apologize, Major. That's perfectly understandable she doesn't want you to leave, especially since you must have arrived in San Diego just recently."

"That's right, Ma'am, and I promised that this time I'm staying with her."

"Well, let's hope we won't have to stay in DC for very long."