Chapter 27

The rest of the week just seemed to fly by, with the two of them deciding what they absolutely had to have in California. Things like books, music, clothes, computers and such. When it came to furniture, they needed to evaluate if it would be better to buy there or move what they had. In the end, they decided to take their favorite pieces and purchase new for the rest. Mac closed up her apartment and moved anything she wasn't going to take to California, but still wanted to keep, to AJ's house in McLean. They decided they would both need their vehicles when they got out there.

Mac had all of her cases cleared up by Thursday and had her desk cleaned out too. She checked with Creswell to make sure that he didn't mind her not coming into the office on Friday. He confirmed that it was okay and even managed to relax enough to tease her about what she and AJ would be doing with their free day. He winced in supportive sympathy when she told him that they would be collecting AJ's daughter from the airport.

Creswell's opinion not withstanding, Mac was looking forward to seeing Francesca again. During the week she and AJ had talked on the phone with Francesca and she was very supportive of the marriage. She and Mac had hit it off during their talks and Mac hoped that the two of them could become good friends.

They gathered up Francesca's luggage from baggage claim and were quickly on the way to McLean. The talk on the ride home was about the wedding the next day and their move to California. AJ was worried that he would see even less of his daughter now that he was moving farther away.

"But Papa, if you are going to be adding to the family you will be much to busy to miss me!" she teased her father.

"Nonsense! You will always be my first child and no matter how many more we have I will still love you! I want you to promise that we will still see each other, no making excuses that we will be to busy for you!"

"Okay Papa! I was only teasing you, you know," she told him as she rolled her eyes at Mac who laughed along with her step-daughter-to-be.

"Alright you two…no ganging up on the old man here!"

"I will promise not to, if you stop referring to yourself as 'the old man'!" Mac replied.

"So will I, Papa!"

The three of them stopped and had dinner on the way back to the house. They had a quiet evening going over all the plans that had been made and as they talked, Mac and AJ realized that they had accomplished everything that they needed to have done before the move. With the organization skills of two military officers on the problem, they'd finished in record time. With that in mind, AJ suggested that they let Mac's Vette be shipped with her other things and that they take their now free week and drive AJ's Escalade to California. They could make a leisurely trip of it, stopping anywhere on the way that interested them. If they got there by Thursday evening they could meet with the realtor on Friday and Saturday to look at any houses she had to show them in the area. Mac loved the idea and eagerly spent several hours that night showing him just how much, after Francesca had retired for the evening.

Saturday, August 5, 2005

0700 EST

AJ's house

McLean, Virginia

That morning dawned bright and clear, the soon to be married couple decided to go for a brisk ten mile run to start the day. They kidded each other that they might be just a bit ingrained in the military way of life. Francesca sighed and shook her head. She thought that they were crazy, but she was also very glad to see her Papa so happy.

Ignoring tradition, the happy couple had spent the night in each other's arms and were now arriving together, along with Francesca, at the chapel. As they pulled up and got out of the Escalade, Chloe ran up to greet Mac asking, "Why in the world are you with the Admiral instead of Harm?"

To be continued….