Author: PreppyPrincess5103

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: Harm. & Mac begin their life together, while both deal with the reality of Harm's decision to resign his commission. Spoiler alert: Mac doesn't handle it very well. (Continuation of It Started in Russia, and Everything is Going to Be Okay)

Notes: Sorry for the delay with this one. I've been staring at my outline for this part for about 2 weeks, trying to figure out how to put it together. It was difficult for me, because I absolutely despise Boomerang (1 & 2), and the actions of every single character (except maybe for the Admiral). Like the show, this part & the next will both deal with Australia. Also. I know on the show Harm & Bud arrived in Australia in uniform. I changed that based on my own personal experience – whenever my active duty husband flies commercial, he always wears civilian clothes, and he's told me that's because you don't want any unnecessary attention. So, that's why I have Bud & Mac in civilian attire. Also, it's literally a 22-hour flight from Washington to Sydney. I can not imagine being in a uniform on an uncomfortable plane seat for that long, so I took a little creative liberty to make these fictional people more comfortable.

Part Eleven

Two Months Later

Mac pulled up at the airfield and grinned. It was finally starting to come together, and looked completely different than it had when he had first show it to her. She pulled in front of the once decrepit building that was now home to his office. "Harm?"

He emerged in the doorway of his office, and smiled when he spotted her. He took in the jeans and her heavy quilted jacket, looked at his watch, and frowned. "Why are you in civilian clothes in the middle of the afternoon?"

"Bud and I are heading to Australia in a couple of hours." She reached for his hand. "I went home and changed and packed, and now I'm hoping I can kidnap you and we can have lunch before I have to go."

He was still frowning. "Why are you going to Australia?"

"During the Vietnam War there was a murder in Sydney while the USS Chicago was in port. They've finally apprehended the suspect and Mic has requested our help." Mac watched as his jaw clenched and she narrowed her eyes. "Please do not tell me that you're still jealous of Mic." She waved her left hand in front of him. "In case you've forgotten, I have agreed to marry you."

"I know that, Mac. But I still don't like the guy. Or you being alone with the guy."

She rolled her eyes and leaned against the desk a receptionist would someday sit behind. "Harm, I'm not going to be alone with him. For starters, Bud will be there too." She moved closer to him, and put one hand on his chest and the other on his cheek. "You know I don't like it when you're jealous. You have no reason to be. Like I told you when we first started dating – I'm yours because I choose to be. And I will always choose to be. Okay?"

"Okay." He covered the hand on his chest with his, and leaned in for a kiss. "You're right. I'm sorry." He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Where do you want to go for lunch?"

"That pho place down the street? It's too cold for anything else."

He grinned, and kissed her hairline. "It'll be warmer in Australia. Just promise me you won't go to one of the topless beaches."

She snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "I promise. No one sees the goods except for you. Let's go." She tossed him her keys. "Can you take me to the airport after we eat?"

"Of course. Let me go tell the contractor I'm leaving. I'll meet you at the car."

The flight to Sydney was almost unbearably long, and it was the next day before she and Bud finally landed. She spotted Mic instantly. He had told them he would meet them in baggage claim, and there he was. He was leaning against a pillar looking tanned and cheerful. He spotted them, straightened, and made his way over.

"Welcome to Oz, Colonel. Lieutenant." Mic shook Bud's hand vigorously, and then moved to Mac. His cheerful façade slipped for a moment, as he tried to sort out the best way to greet her. He finally decided she wouldn't punch him in front of Bud, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. He pulled back, and grinned. "I know it's one hell of a flight. Do you want me to take you straight to the hotel? Or would you like to get something to eat first?"

Bud opened his mouth, but Mac managed to speak first. "I think we should go meet with our client first."

Mic stared at her as if she had lost her mind. "You've been in the air for 22 hours, and instead of a shower or food, you want to go talk to your client?"

"I'm starving, Colonel."

She looked at Bud and softened. "Okay. Let's get some food, and then go to the hotel. I guess we need to change before meeting with our client." She frowned as Mic gave her the once over, and for a second wished she was still wearing the heavy coat she had left with Harm instead of the lightweight t-shirt.

They followed Mic to his vehicle, and waited as he threw their bags in the back. He opened the door for each of them, and then went around to the driver's side. "There's this great place right on Bondi Beach. It's mostly fish, but it's all local and is really good. And the view is pretty spectacular." He glanced at Mac, and she nodded. He knew she was with Rabb. At least he assumed she still was. But talk about a spectacular view - she looked better than ever. He glanced at her every so often as he drove to the beach, and kept up a steady conversation with Bud about Little AJ. He pulled into a parking spot at the busy restaurant and grinned. "Let me see if I can charm Lois into moving us up the wait list. I'll be right back."

Mac leaned over the railing and took in the view. The beach was crowded, even though it was a weekday, and she wistfully thought back to that perfect week in Bora Bora, and their secluded bungalow. A group of surfers ran into the water, and she straightened. She had always wanted to learn do that. She heard heavy footsteps behind her, and turned to see Mic.

"We have a table. Shall we?" The three of them followed the young blonde to a table on the deck. Mic pulled out her chair, and they all sat. Mac opened her menu, and her engagement ring shone brightly. His eyes widened as he noticed it, and reached for her hand. She resisted the urge to tug it back, while he whistled as he admired the ring. "It seems congratulations are in order, Colonel. John Farrow is a lucky man." He winked at her, and then laughed at Bud's look of confusion. "I'm just teasing, Mac. I know that Rabb is the secret boyfriend. Well. I guess now he's the not so secret fiancé."

She tugged her hand away and frowned. "Who told you about Harm and I?"

Mic smirked and leaned back in his seat. "He did. He told me when all of us were on the Patrick Henry." She was still frowning, and his smirk faded. "He and I were both in the gym at the same time one night, and overheard a couple of sailors saying some derogatory things about you. Rabb had words with them, and I had his back. After he was finished telling them off, I just had a feeling about the two of you. I asked, and he confirmed it."

She thawed slightly and glanced at Bud. He was watching them and she offered him a slight smile. "We continued to work together for months after that. Why didn't you say anything? Why did you keep making comments about John?"

"Rabb told me that you wanted to keep it a secret." He shrugged. "So, I kept it a secret."

She smiled at Mic for the first time since the near kiss on the fourth of July. "Thank you."

Harm felt around the dark room, and his hand finally landed on the ringing phone. "Hello?" His voice was thick and slurred, and he cleared his throat. "Hello." The word sounded a little more human the second time.

"I have a collect call for Harm Rabb from Sarah MacKenzie. Will you accept the charges?"

"Yes." He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand and sat up in bed. "Mac?"

"Hey handsome. Is everything okay? Why are you still in bed? It's almost 7:30 there."

He glanced at the clock and rubbed his eyes again. "I actually have a meeting with AJ at 10:00, so I'm not going to the airfield until after that."

"AJ? As in Chegwidden?"

He could hear the confusion in her voice and grinned. "Roberts, actually. Harriet is letting him set his own schedule these days."

She snorted. "You're such a smartass. Why are you meeting with the Admiral?"

He stretched, and pulled the covers up. "I honestly have no idea. He called me last night and asked if I could come see him today. He said he had a huge favor to ask."

She sat down on the edge of the hotel room bed and began to pull off her clothes. "This should be interesting. I wonder what it could be?"

He shrugged, and then remembered she couldn't see him. "I have no idea, but I'm not concerned. Maybe he has someone who needs some pro-bono legal assistance? Who knows? How is the land down under? Is Brumby behaving himself?"

"He's fine." She though back to lunch, and Mic's revelation that he had known about them for quite a while. She understood that Harm wouldn't have wanted to lie when asked point blank, and decided not to mention the conversation to him. She looked out the window of her hotel room and smiled. It was dark of course, but the city was lit up and it was still lovely. "Mic is fine. He sends his congratulations on our engagement. And it's beautiful here. It's warm and sunny, and all I want to do right now is learn how to surf."

He smiled at the tone of her voice, and scooted a little further up the bed. "I could teach you."

She raised an eyebrow. "You know how to surf?"

"I grew up in California, Mac. I'm not an expert by any means, but I managed not to drown." She laughed, and he felt a familiar warmth fill him. "As a matter of fact, I think my old boards are still in the pool house."

"Well, next time we go visit your parents I'm going to take you up on that."

"Please do. I have a feeling you'll look really, really good in a wet-suit." He glanced at her nightstand and grinned. "So, speaking of things that are incredibly sexy…"

Mac laughed, "Were we talking about things that are incredibly sexy?"

"We were talking about you in a skintight rubber suit. So absolutely." She laughed again, and he swallowed. "I was looking for some lip balm last night and looked in your nightstand drawer…"

She knew what he was about to say and blushed. "Oh? And what did you find?"

"It wasn't what I found as much as what was missing. Do you always take that purple satin bag with you when you go on assignment?"

She stretched the phone cord, and reached into her suitcase. She found the purple satin bag, and pulled out her vibrator. She lowered her voice and leaned back against the pillows. "I usually do."

He was instantly hard, and moved his spare hand under the blanket. "So, all of those times we were on assignment together, you were in the next room taking care of yourself?" He heard a faint buzzing sound and bit back a moan.

"Maybe not every time."

He didn't try to hold back his moan that time, and then cleared his throat. "Mac? What are you wearing?"

"Not a thing."

Walking into JAG headquarters in civilian clothes with a visitor's badge pinned to his jacket was an incredibly strange experience. He smiled at former coworkers, accepted a hug from Harriet, and made his way to Admiral Chegwidden's office. Tiner greeted him warmly and told him to go on in. Harm opened the door and stepped inside, a curious look on his handsome face. His former commanding officer was sitting behind his desk, and an attractive blonde woman sat in one of the other chairs. He leaned over to shake AJ's hand. "It's good to see you, sir." He took the other chair, and tried not to notice the woman staring at him.

AJ leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Harm, I'd like you to meet Renee Peterson." He waited while Harm shook her hand. Her eyes moved over him as if he were an extremely expensive cut of meat. "Ms. Peterson is a director, and she was hired to direct a Navy recruitment commercial. She was doing some research on high profile officers and stumbled on a few articles about you, and would like you to star in the thing."

Harm frowned, and looked back and forth between the two of them. "Sir, I'm assuming that you have told Ms. Peterson that I'm no longer in the Navy." AJ raised his eyebrows and smirked. Harm turned to Renee. "I'm flattered, but I left the Navy a few months ago."

She shrugged, and ran her eyes over him again. "Harm - may I call you Harm?" He nodded, and she continued. "You have the look we're looking for. You're tall and handsome. And I've seen video clips of you. You're very charismatic and an excellent public speaker. You would be perfect for this commercial."

"That may be true, but I am not in the Navy anymore. I'm sure there are a number of officers who have similar physical characteristics."

She shrugged again, and leaned forward. "Yes, I'm sure there are. But we want you."

He turned back to the Admiral. "Sir, I think this is incredibly inappropriate. I do not feel comfortable putting the uniform back on to participate in a commercial. It means too much to me for that."

AJ smiled softly. This was why he felt so much affection for Harm. He had never been a perfect officer, but he had always had the utmost respect for the military. He looked at Renee and shrugged. "I'm sorry, Ms. Peterson. You've heard it directly from the horses' mouth."

She frowned and stared him down. "I don't understand. Can't you make him?"

AJ snorted. "Ms. Peterson, I had a hard time making him do anything when he was in the Navy. Now that he's not, I don't think there's a chance in hell of that happening." He watched as she picked up her purse and stormed out of the office without another word, and then he turned back to Harm. "Sorry about that. The SECNAV was pretty insistent that I get you in to meet with her."

Harm winced. "Hopefully he doesn't take my refusal out on you, sir."

AJ waved him off. "It'll be fine. So, how are things?"

He smiled and relaxed in his chair. "Things are good. The airfield is coming along well. I should be ready to open within the next two months. Mac and I are starting to put together wedding plans."

"I thought you were insane when you resigned. I thought you had lost your mind, I thought Mac was going to murder you, I thought this was a colossal mistake." He studied Harm, and smiled. "But the civilian life seems to suit you."

Harm shifted in his chair and smiled. "I think it does. I'm happy. I loved being in the Navy, I really did. But I also love everything about my life right now."

End Part 11