A/N: LPC, thank you for clarifying the ins and outs of Navy flight training!

2

Major Sarah Mackenzie was sitting at her desk tapping her pencil as she tried to come up with an opening argument for her latest case against Brumby. He was no Harmon Rabb with his words, but she wanted to always do her best when representing someone… no matter how guilty they might seem.

She longed for the days that she could walk to the other office and bounce ideas off Harm, or bribe him with home cooked meals in exchange for his opinions on her arguments. She hated that she missed him, but she did.

She considered his request to see him for the long weekend. After all, since he was at Oceana for training rather than Pensacola, it would be far easier. She just had some hesitations about spending any time with him, now that she was coming to terms with her feelings. Feelings that were so cliche, she wanted to bury them. How often were there movies about the woman falling in love with her best friend, a very overdone trope.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts.

"Enter."

Tiner stuck his head through the cracked door. "Ma'am, the Admiral would like to see you."

"Time?"

"In thirty minutes, he's wrapping up a meeting. Will you be available?"

Mac nodded and smiled scribbling the time down and making a mental alarm in her mind for thirty minutes. "I'll be there, thank you Tiner."

Tiner nodded and moved away from the door, shutting it. Leaving Mac alone with her thoughts once again.

She tapped the pencil against the legal pad rereading the last line, and scribbling some more persuasive words. Scratching some out, then back again.

Twenty minutes passed and she consulted her mental clock, then down at her watch just to make sure. She sighed, and grabbed her portfolio before heading to the Admiral's office.

"Hello ma'am, he should be wrapping up," Tiner said glancing at he clock on his monitor.

"Any hints on what this is about?" Mac asked him as she stood in the waiting room.

Tiner shook his head. "Not sure, ma'am. I wasn't told what it would be about. Just that he wanted to see you during this time."

Mac nodded. Standing in the waiting room, to her, always felt like she was in the principal's office waiting to get told she was in trouble once again for being late because she had to walk to school after nursing her mothers wounds from the night before. She shook off that feeling and stood taller, taking in the strength that the green uniform provided her.

It was exactly 23 seconds until Tiner's phone rang to let him know to send her in.

"You can go in now, ma'am."

She flashed him a smile, and knocked on the door.

"Good afternoon, Admiral."

"Mac, please take a seat," Chegwidden motioned to the chairs in front of him, without looking up from the paper in front of him.

Mac sat, her back straight at a modified attention, waiting for the Admiral to speak. She waited precisely 104 seconds before he pushed the paper away and looked up at her.

"You might be wondering why I asked you to come in without a prior meeting scheduled," he started.

Mac noodles her head. "Aye, sir."

"Let me get to the point, Mac. With Rabb gone, I need a new Chief of Staff to run the office. I've seen the quality of your work, and I'd like to offer you that position."

Mac looked at him in surprise. After all that had occurred with her Article 32, this was the last thing she thought she would hear from the Admiral.

"Me, sir?"

Chegwidden nodded. "It'll be good for your career, Mac. It'll bring you back up from the recent past, and give you a chance to prove yourself."

"If you're sure sir, I would love to be your Chief of Staff."

Mac didn't even have to think twice about the opportunity she was being presented. She knew what that would look on her promotion sheet if she was to run HQ as the right hand of the Admiral. It would mean long nights and weekends, and budget meetings, but she helped Harm some in his CoS duties so she had a leg up.

"Now there is no turn over from the previous CoS, but I trust that your FORMER partner shared some of his duties with you in order to spend more time in the. courtroom… I don't anticipate you'll have any issues getting settled into the role."

"Aye, sir."

"Good," the admiral said, turning his chair to reach behind him.

"First order of business is some politicking. You know that CoS has to attend all functions."

"Yes, sir."

He handed her a crisp white envelope across his desk. "There is a gala that I — and my deputy — are invited to this weekend. Sorry to spring it on you so late, but I trust you can rearrange your weekend to attend?"

Mac nodded her head, she didn't have plans that weekend. "Yes, sir."

"You do have a plus one on the invitation, please let Tiner know if you are planning on bringing anyone."

"Will do, sir."

"Good. On your way out, please speak to Tiner about scheduling the CoS meetings with me. Court schedules take priority, but I'd like a predictable cadence if possible."

He paused. "You'll do great Major. Dismissed."

Mac stood up and snapped to attention, then walked out of the office.

After speaking with Tiner, she headed straight for her office, feeling like she was on cloud nine. She wanted to share the news with someone, but found that the only person she wanted to share that news with was Harm.

She dialed the phone number to his crash pad, and to her surprise, his voice came through the other line.

"Rabb."

"Hey, it's me."

"Hey!" Harm's voice cheered.

"You're home?"

"Yeah, I just had academics in the morning, came back from the gym."

Mac bit her lip, trying to stop herself from imagining her ex-partners arms in those home-made tank tops that used to be t-shirts.

"Mac?"

"Oh, uhm… yeah."

"Everything ok?" Harm asked, his voice taking on a tone of concern. She never called during the day, well. Since he got to Oceana and left her a message with his new number, she hadn't called at all.

"Yeah— I. I was ready to talk to your voice mail."

"Do you want me to hang up and you can call back?" He joked.

"No, no."

"What's up?"

Mac squared her shoulders preparing herself to say her new position out loud. A big deal to her. "The Admiral made me his new CoS."

She exhaled.

"Congratulations Mac! You deserve it!" Harm said, she could hear the smile in his words.

"Yeah?"

"Hell yeah."

She smiled, hesitantly. "Thanks."

"You're going to do great, I know it. The admiral knows it."

"Okay," Mac said letting his words sink in to fight her imposter syndrome.

"What are you doing this weekend? Want to meet me half way to eat and celebrate?"

"Uhm… actually…"

"A date?" Harm asked, his tone changing slightly.

"Uhm, no. A ball."

"Bug-me your plus one?"

She scoffed. "No."

"You have a plus one?"

"No… I mean…"

"Want me to come out? I have been told I look good in dress whites."

She smiled. "I think they're overrated."

"So?" Harm pressed. He was only three hours away, driving. He wanted to see his best friend, someone he missed. He loved flying, but sometimes there was a nagging feeling of seeing something amazing or having an idea and not having Mac around to share it with.

"So?"

"You want me to come up?"

"Aren't you… busy with…" women? Flight training? Busy having a life without her? She didn't know which to say, so she left it open ended.

"You can say 'no', Mac."

"Fine. Yes, come with me," Mac paused. "But I still think dress whites are overrated."

"Sure, Mackenzie. Keep lying to yourself."

Hope you enjoyed! More to come.