Sorry for the lack of up.Sorry for the lack of updates I've been busssy...

Enjoy! Thank you for the reviews!

Chapter 20

Mac teetered on the brink of an absolute uproar. She was livid and when a call came over the intercom, 'fucking pissed' would be a better description for her temperment.

Vukovic had been pulled from his TAD earlier than expected and it gave Mac little time to prepare for his antics and even less time to inform Harm who hadn't answered the phone when she'd called.

She felt like a fool, like an egg had been tossed in her face. Especially when the man sauntered into her office, his swagger so evident as he sloppily snapped to attention. Vic's body was ramrod straight but the self-serving prick had a sickening grin - a cat the canary kind that Mac desired to slap away.

"You wanted to see me, Colonel?" Vic's eyes weren't glued to any particular place either, they casually looked her up and down with seedy interest.

It made Mac feel dirty and for once she wished Harm might have ended the creeper's life that night at the bar. God, that was a repercussion she didn't want to entertain or the punishment that would keep him away from her forever. She forced herself to breathe normally, a slow in and out although her heart was racing.

Hollings issued a direct order, she was not to mention his daughter or the background investigation Harm had been conducting. She assured him that information was basically classified - she wouldn't tip him off.

"At ease, Commander." With an index finger she slid a file across the desk as if the task was the most disinteresting thing in the world. "That's a list of officers that work here in London. All have decent wins. I've already chosen the defense and was told by the Admiral to allow you to choose the prosecution."

"That's simple - I choose you, Ma'am." He stared at the file for a moment and then let his gaze linger on Mac. She shivered, he saw. Few women were immune to his charms and Sarah MacKenzie would eventually come to him like a fly on honey. He'd bet his soul on it.

"Me? I don't think so." Her eyes squared, it was the only show of emotion Mac would allow herself to muster. "I'm very certain General Creswell will not allow that occurrence. Besides, I've seen the inside of a courtroom twice in two years. I'm not apt to take your case or anyone else's."

Vic nodded slowly, well aware that a command position meant less time on the firing line. But Sarah MacKenzie was ruthless and best equipped to understand the inner workings of Harmon Rabb's mind. It would also mean more alone time with the beautiful Marine. He couldn't help smiling. "And you still have more wins as a prosecutor than any officer in JAG history - male or female. I want the best - that's you."

Mac stood abruptly, the sound of her chair dragging across the wooden floors making Vukovic cringe. "Best or not. I'm currently your commanding officer. I'm not sure who put you on this stupid crusade or why you couldn't simply take your licks like a man but I'll be damned if I'm going to prosecute Captain Rabb for your perverse entertainment."

Her palms slammed onto the top of the desk and Mac ground her teeth to bite back the pain from her aching wrists. "You are dismissed."

His tongue darted out to lick his lips in a crude, lascivious way. Her outburst made him realize that he'd won, he'd gotten under her skin. Time would tell when he'd have her in his bed and all the plans he had for her then. "Yes, ma'am…And I'll see you in court. Wouldn't want to miss a second of it."


The flight to Italy was a relatively short jaunt, just under three hours. Using a private jet meant he could skip the lines and avoid the airline schedules. It didn't hurt that his step-father always seemed to know someone that could help and had a friend that chartered private flights around Europe.

A twenty minute cab ride later and the Captain arrived at NSA Naples where he was greeted by the smiling face of one Kaitlin Pike. "Surprised you're still stationed here."

Kate shrugged and pulled him in for a hug. "Good to see you, Harm."

"You too, Kate." He stepped back, noticing a major change in her appearance. She still looked good, maybe even as attractive as ever with glowing skin and a slightly rounded belly. "How many months?"

"Six." Absent-mindedly, her hands dropped to her middle. She was positively radiant, a clear indication that marriage suited her. "It was unexpected, Andrew and I never really wanted kids."

"Why not?"

Kate shrugged, "He's a submariner and I'm a JAG. We're never home." After her last stint in Naples, she'd been to various bases across the globe and one day landed in Miami where she met an XO of a submarine that was vacationing in the City of Magic. They fell in love quickly, were married just as fast and spent three years missing more than they connected until Kate was offered a command in Naples. "Or were never home, he's giving up the bubblehead life for a command position here."

"How do you feel about that?"

"Relieved? Being the military you know something could happen…but a sub… I keep thinking of implossions or leaks or silly things I shouldn't be thinking…was always in the back of my mind but with Ella on her way." She rubbed her rounded tummy. "Guess I became a softy."

"Understandable and…congratulations." She was only showing a little, the uniform had been taken out enough to not make it as noticeable and Harm didn't want to assume.

"Thank you, we're both excited and scared shitless, never really wanted kids." Much like Harm and Mac, Kate was career driven to a fault. Had her submariner husband not shown when he did, she would have still been single. "So, what do I owe the honor of this impromptu visit, Captain? London not exciting enough for you?"

She grinned and saw Harm's face fall a little. In the short time that they were partners she learned some of his tells. "Your in some sort of trouble, aren' you? Something serious."

"Aren't I always?"

"Hah. Some things never change, I guess." Kate motioned for him to sit on the couch in the corner of her office where she sat just opposite. The less formal setting could give the old friends a good space to talk and catch up. "So, what did you do?"

Harm told her about the night at the bar, the attempt to give a shit officer the benefit of a doubt and the few drinks too many. Then came the punch or maybe it was more than one which led to a trip to the hospital. Charges would follow. "I was temporarily relieved of my command. Which gives me all of this free time to visit old friends."

His attempt at downplay was terrible, the light that normally filled his eyes was gone. "Why would you punch a junior office over something they said? That's stupid and childish and-"

"He was talking bad about Mac."

"Oh." Suddenly that made sense. The two has this thing about them, slow burn that could turn radioactive at any moment. If Kate was honest, she was jealous - Harm obviously loved the other woman and she was just a weekend play thing that was over before they started. "How is Mac?"

"Good…really good, actually. She's in command of JLSS in San Diego but is covering my post, for now."

And it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that the former partners were together. "You're finally dating aren't you?"

"No."

Kate rolled her eyes and scooted closer to him. "Harm, it's all on your face…if a man could glow-" She took a good look at him, the man she could have fallen for if things were different. And maybe she had fallen once but life got in the way. "You're in love with her - really in love with her."

"Yeah, I am." He admitted and the way his cheeks tainted pink was actually endearing. "We had a rough patch after her fiance left and…She and I, we disconnected a few years after that." Harm was stammering. Explaining his relationship with Mac to anyone was quite daunting. With Kate it was more so given he'd had an intimate relationship with her.

He could never fully put his finger on it but something about the week Kaitlin Pike spent at JAG HQ ruffled Mac's feathers. Maybe she saw herself as the other woman which was preposterous after willingly wearing Mic's gaudy ring on the appropropriate finger.

"What I mean to say is that this - me and her - it's new and it should have happened a decade earlier."

Kate sat back a little and chuckled. "Does she know you're here?"

"No."

"Hmmm."

The noise she made was a cross between amused and disapproving and he quickly became aware that the woman he could easily flirt with was as off the market as he was. It made Harm relax a little especially when Kate followed up with a comment. "I may have spilled some tea when I was at HQ, I thought you and her had a thing…honestly."

Harm felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach. "You told her about us."

She frowned. "I did and it was a mistake I've regretted for years."

"Why would you tell her? It was one weekend and not something I blabbed about to anyone." It was also what destroyed their partnership and perhaps a catalyst as to why he never pursued Mac sooner. "You were jealous."

"I was." Kate admitted with a shrug. "Mac's gorgeous and you had this look about you like you'd fall to your knees if she asked. You were in love with her back then…You were never in love with me." She sighed heavily. God did Kate want to put that all behind and bury it. At times she considered reaching out to Mac and apologizing but pride wouldn't let her. "I'm sorry."

"That was a fucked up thing to do when we decided to keep it quiet." Which was mostly done to save her name from being smeared. "But it's in the past."

"I regret it though. I am sorry, Harm."

"I forgive you, Kate...And I'm sorry if that weekend together hurt you."

"It did a little but I was too career driven to hope for more from you anyway. Guess it's all water under the bridge now."

"Yeah it is." He glanced around and spotted a carafe on the table with two cups and a little wood box that was likely filled with tea. "Think you can get an old friend a cup of coffee?"

"Absolutely and then you can tell me why you're really here."


It was nearly 2200, far too late to return home from his 'quick trip.' Kate had offered much more help than he could have imagined but most importantly was speaking to Ltjg Jessica Irwin the woman Lt. Graves believed Vukovic had sexually assaulted a few years prior.

The young officer was married now and opted to change her maiden name - Davis - for that of her husband's who was a recon Marine in the Corps. She'd been stationed in Naples and it was a hunch that one of his many searches had led Harm to the right person.

Coincidence had her working under Kate's command, a budding law student that looked far too shy for a courtroom. "Lieutenant, I'm Captain Rabb."

"I know who you are, Cathy said you were looking for me."

Harm stood rooted in shock at the woman's appearance. Short auburn hair, amber eyes and an olive complexion that clearly showed off her Persian roots. Jess was tall, thin and while her assets were less accentuated than Mac's the women bore so many similar traits that she could have been sisters.

It wasn't an uncanny resemblance or a doppelganger like Diane but it was still disturbing and he wondered if Vukovic's sick mind took perverse pleasure in hurting someone that resembled Mac. "I'm sorry Lieutenant, where you from?"

"Virginia originally. But I bounced around a lot - Army brat."

"No, your parents or grandparents. Your heritage?"

She seemed uncomfortable with his question and Harm realized this was a woman who had been hurt too many times in her life. "I was adopted but my real mom was Iranian."

He spoke the few words he knew in Farsi but the woman just stared at him awkwardly. "I don't speak that language, sir and what does my heritage have to do with Vukovic?"

Harm showed her Mac's picture, a well worn image he'd been carrying around in his wallet for half a decade. The reality sunk in for Jess and she visibly paled as she too saw the resemblance. "He's a sick man and I believe he won't stop until he hurts her."

Jess handed him the photo with her hand visibly shaking. "Captain-"

"Harm."

"What?"

"It's my name, Harm. There's nothing formal about this meeting. I'm here because I need your help. I want to stop him and I can't do it unless his victims come forward."

"I'm not a victim!" The outburst was warranted and Harm saw his crucial mistake a breath too late. "There's nothing that proves that we were ever…that I was ever-"

"Lieutenant…Jess, please. I don't want anyone else getting hurt. I promise nothing will happen to you. I promise I'll protect you." And that's when the floodgates opened and the younger woman began to cry uncontrollably.

Kate held the officer while she cried, the motherly instinct already began to take root. She stared anvril6 at Harm who stood with an expression. His best lead was slipping through his fingers and all he could think were the vile words Vic had spewed about Mac.

"I can't help you, sir. Jake will leave me if I do….He doesn't know…he can't know…Please, please leave me alone."

"Go." It was the last thing Kate said with a watery smile as Harm picked up his briefcase and disappeared out the door. The flight home had been delayed and as he sat in a small terminal in Naples, he was surprised to find his cell phone vibrating in his breast pocket.

"She'll help you." It was Kate who sounded as if she'd been crying. "But it has to be anonymous for now." That wouldn't work. Harm knew he needed a formal interview with written transcripts or even a recording. If it went to court, he'd need Jess to testify and detail how much of a sick bastard Vukovic was.

"I need it on tape, Kate. You know there has to be something concrete if not-"

"Well it's what ya got. You coming?"

Harm scrubbed a hand across his face. "Yeah, I'll be there in thirty."


Mac was propped up on a stool by the kitchen counter with several law books and a legal pad spread across the table top. His apartment smelled of garlic bread and pizza dough that served as a reminder to his lack of sustenance besides four cups of coffee and his morning bowl of oatmeal.

"Hey. Sorry I'm late." His arms wrapped around her and his lips kissed a spot on the side of her neck. Mac was out of uniform, recently showered wearing small shorts and a form fitting t-shirt. She smelled heavenly, of that body wash he loved and a scent that was uniquely her.

She pressed her lips against his for a kiss that lingered as a much as it was short. "I'm glad you're home." Mac buried her head in the crook of his neck and held on tightly hoping the strength of his arms could rid her of this nightmare.

"What's wrong?"

Mac pushed him away slightly, enough to put a little distance between them. "I love you but I want to kill you."

He actually found that funny. "I think you've felt that way about once or twice since we met." Harm grinned and then fished out a slice of pizza that he bit into with gusto. It was cold and didn't have the best of flavors but it was food. "I take it you had a crap day?"

"Your trial has been set and it starts next week."

The pizza he was chewing suddenly felt like sandpaper. Harm swallowed hard and had to take a pull from Mac's bottled water to prevent choking. It was coming. He knew a trial was coming but Harm didn't expect the swiftness. He hoped he had more time, enough to expose all of Vic's secrets. "Shit."

"And that sniveling piece of shit is back at the office too. I've wasted the day trying to figure out who's helping him."

"Back? What do you mean 'back?' Wasn't he in the Med?"

She shrugged, "Someone pulled his TAD. He was in the office today."

The way her face fell and paled made the bile rush up his throat. Harm's stomach twisted and turned at the thought of that son of a bitch even breathing the same air she did. "What happened? What did he do?"

"Nothing…just him breathing bothers me."

"That's why you were calling me earlier?" He'd ignored at least six calls before he was able to call back and her know he'd be running late. "I'm sorry, Mac."

"It's okay. Not like you can do much about it anyway." She stared at him for a moment. Harm had circles under his eyes and was wearing half of a business suit. The jacket was draped over the back of the sofa, the two top buttons of his shirt were undone and his tie was looped so loosely, he may as well have not been wearing it. "Where did you go?"

Harm reached into the fridge and pulled out a beer which he drank half of with one pull. He eyed Mac for a moment knowing that his impromptu visit would likely not sit well. "I went to see Kate Pike." He chucked the bottle cap into the sink as he said it and then leaned against the cupboard waiting for a response.

"Why?"

"Jess. Remember the girl Graves told me about-"

"Ensign…. she's not just a girl, Harm."

"Right…sorry and she's JG now." He held up a hand. "She happens to work under Kate's command." He waited for more, a snide comment from a jealous woman but, Mac wouldn't bite. "Look, Kate told me…she said she talked to you about us."

Mac finished chewing and delicately wiped her lips. He brow rose, it was the only sign of hurt she would muster. "Us? According to her it was one weekend."

"It was. I'm not gonna pretend it didn't happen or that I didn't enjoy it because it did and I did-"

"But?"

"I don't love her. I didn't love her back then either." He set the beer down and came around to her side. One hand settled on her thigh and the other took one of Mac's hands. "Part of why you and I took so long was because of Kate. I didn't want to lose you if it was just a one night stand. Even in the beginning, it would have hurt like hell."

"How is Kate?"

"Married to a Marine and…pregnant." He almost didn't want to say the last word not knowing how much trauma Mac still held over not having children. He was surprised to see her smile. "She looks happy."

"I'm happy for her and glad she made the right choice for a spouse." She leaned in and kissed him lightly then let her arms drape over his shoulders. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." He kissed her again and then reached for his unfinished slice of pizza. "Jess is willing to help, off record." The knowing look Mac gave him made Harm flinch. "It's something - for now. She's afraid her husband will leave her if she knew she was "damaged goods", her words, not mine."

"Oh God, poor girl…so did Vic?"

Harm nodded slowly. "She couldn't say the word 'rape' but yeah…yes." He dropped the pizza again and wiped his mouth. "Jess wanted to kill herself because of it…Maybe I should have killed him that night?"

Mac snorted, "I thought the same thing after having to deal with him today…Vukovic wants me to prosecute you." As preposterous as that sounded, Harm's quick bout of laughter ceased when he noticed her expression. "I can't get out of it. Not without wrecking both our careers and eventually getting someone assigned who could do far worse damage."

"Mac, I did the crime. I beat the shit out of him and I'm being made an example of. Just play ball, do your worst."

"Do my worst?" She seemed defended by his statement. "I can't have you put away…I won't."

"Mac, they'll probably drop me down a peg or see me out. I doubt I'll do time." He reached for her hand again and kissed her knuckled. "I don't regret what I did and I won't let him screw your career too."

"How can you be so nonchalant about this?"

He grinned, that sexy cheshire kind that made her tummy do flip-flops "Easy, this time I got the girl."

"I'm not worth it."

"Well, I say you are…Give him this win…if I'm out of the Navy then I can really go after him…find more victims and make sure he does time for it."

He'd been mentioning it since she arrived, The possibility of leaving the Navy. It broke her heart to know she was partially responsible. "You know, when I said dress whites and goldwings were overrated I lied."

"I know, your lips did that upturn thing…"

"My tell."

"Used to be, you got damned good at hiding your emotions…I may have passionate pleas but you're a far better lawyer."

"I don't want to be, not this time." She gave him a watery smile. "I could resign."

"Then he'll win…Mac?"

She hopped off the stool and began to pace from the kitchen to the living room mumbling incoherent words. An idea was sparked earlier that day when she assisted a newer attorney with a case that involved a husband and his wife.

It gnawed at her on the ride to Harm's flat, the wild and crazy scheme that could buy her a bargaining chip or two. She glanced at a picture on his mantel, the one taken in Afghanistan when they'd found their footing again. "It will work."

"What will? You have this crazed look and-"

She came to him with a determined look in her eye. Whatever Harm expected to hear, the two words that would bind them forever were not it: "Marry me."