Title: We're in Heaven...
Author: Emma
E-mail: harm_mac1984@yahoo.se
Rating: K+ (using the system they use at fanficiton.net)
Spoilers: This is a sequel to my story "Everything I Do..." and the same spoilers apply.
Summary: Harm and Mac are sent to investigate a simple case, but stumble onto something more serious.
Note 1: I don’t own any of the characters of JAG. If I did I would not be studying to become a teacher so I could earn no money at all…
Note 2: Thanks to my wonderful friend Rabea for giving me support in trying times. Without her, this story probably never would have happened.

Saturday, November 16th
0523 Local
Harm and Mac’s Apartment
North of Union Station

The sun was shining through the window. It was an early Saturday morning, and she was still sleeping. But he wasn’t. He loved to watch her when she didn’t know it. She was so beautiful. She seemed so relaxed. They had now been married for about two months and so far life was wonderful.

Harm remembered the weeks following his release from the hospital. They had both agreed that they didn’t want to wait too long to get married, so they set a date just two months later. It had been hectic, but they had managed to make it all work. And here they were. Husband and wife. She was his now, and he had never been this happy before.

There hadn’t been to much trouble at work as they had expected. The Admiral had managed to keep them both at JAG, despite the rules. He’d had a long conversation with the SECNAV, and after some convincing he’d been successful. He would owe the SECNAV a huge favor, but he’d reasoned that Harm and Mac would owe him, and that it might even out.

’It never will’ Harm thought. ’I got the most precious treasure in the world, and no matter what I do, I will never be able to pay any of it back.’

He laid back down and kept on watching her. ’never!’

Monday
1132
JAG HQ

”What are you doing for lunch?” a voice asked from the door.

”Oh. I was thinking of having a simple meal in the cafeteria with this beautiful Marine I know. But I heard that she’s married now, so guess I’ll just have to eat by my self.” Harm answered trying to keep himself from laughing out loud. ”How about you?”

”Well. I was going to ask this sailor to spend his lunch hour with me, but he’s married too. I guess you’ll have to take his place.”

”I’d love to.”

He rose from his chair and pulled her into a kiss. ”Have I told you lately that I love you?” He asked as they broke apart. ”Not in the last hour, 42 minutes and 13 seconds. He kissed her, and together they began to make their way towards the cafeteria.

”Colonel! The Admiral would like to see you.” They heard Tiner’s voice across the bullpen.

”I’ll be right there. I guess you really will have to eat alone. See you later.”

”Yeah.”

The Admiral’s office
JAG HQ

”Sorry to disturb you during lunch Colonel, but I have a case for you.” He looked down at his desk, at the folders on top. ”The case itself is not that big, but it involves the SECNAV’s niece and so he wanted it to be handled by you.”

”What is the case, Sir?”

”Lt. Emily Johnson, has accused her commanding officer, Captain Alexander Murphy, of sexual harassment.”

”What does she claim happened?”

”She is a pilot stationed aboard the Nimitz. The CAG, Captain Murphy, allegedly made sexual advances towards her, and when she said no, he grounded her. You will be going out there tomorrow morning. Finish up what you can, and leave the rest with Commander Rabb. I want this handled as quickly and as quietly as possible. Dismissed!”

”Aye Sir!”

1827 Local
Harm and Mac’s apartment

”That smells delicious.” Harm was in the kitchen making dinner while Mac was finishing her packing.

”Well, it’s got dead cow in it so you should like it.” He smiled to himself. Even though they now were married, their teasing manner towards each other hadn’t changed. They were even better friends now. He heard her footsteps and felt her arms around his waist. He loved the way her touch made him feel.

”I think I like this new married Harm. Making food that contains meat. That is a real improvement.”

”You wish. That is my food over there. Only vegetables for me.”

”Suit yourself.” She came around him and gave him a kiss.

”Not that I don’t like this kind of thing, but if a certain marine I know wants her dinner, I really need to get back to work.”

She moved away slightly and looked at him smiling seductively. ”A girl can ask her husband for desert can’t she?”

He returned the smile. ”yes she can, but someone ought to tell her that desert comes after dinner.”

”She knows, but when a girl is going out of town for several day, and wont be able to get her desert, she wants a lot of it when she has the chance.”

Harm lifted the frying pan of the stove, and turned towards her. He swooped her of the floor and began to carry her towards their bedroom. ”I think that can be arranged.”

1248
USS Nimitz

Mac entered the bridge and came to attention. ”Lt. Colonel Mackenzie reporting as ordered Sir!”

”Stand at ease!” Captain James Donovan looked over at Mac. ”Colonel. I want this thing handled yesterday. Sexual harassment is a serious charge, and I want you to handle it quickly. For all parties involved.”

”Yes sir!”

”You can find Lt. Johnson in the mess. Dismissed”

”Aye Sir!”

1305
USS Nimitz

Mac walked into the mess. She looked at the younger woman who she thought was the young Lieutenant.

”Lt. Johnson?”

”Yes Ma’am!”

”I hear you’ve had some trouble.”

”Yes Ma’am. Some.”

Mac looked at the younger woman. She looked so strong. Like someone who’d had to fight for her place in the Navy.

”You want to tell me about it?”

”Well, it first started out as just flirtatious remarks. Nothing I minded very much. In this business a woman can’t let stuff like that get to her. If she does, she’ll be out in the cold before you can blink. Anyway. It didn’t get really serious until a few weeks ago. The CAG wanted me to come to his quarters for a talk about my future career. I didn’t really want to go, something felt off. But I didn’t want to make more out of it than it really was. So I went there.”

She stopped. Mac followed her gaze to the door. A man in his mid forties had just walked in.

”Captain Murphy?”

”Yes Ma’am.”

Mac stood and left the table.

”Come on Lieutenant. We’ll go somewhere else.”

The CAG watched as the two women left the room, and sat down at his table. ’That must be that JAG lawyer they had sent.’ He thought. He’d just wanted some fun. Now thanks to that bitch Emily Johnson he might be going to prison. Or at least he would be thrown out of the Navy. ’I wont let that happen.’

Mac followed Lt. Johnson back to her quarters. At least there they wouldn’t be disturbed. As they sat down, Mac looked over at the Lieutenant. She seemed to have gained some color back, after the encounter with Captain Murphy.

”So what happened next?”

”It first started out like any other conversation, but after a while he started touching me. Just caressing my hand, or my thigh. And then he started telling me how he could advance my career if I had sex with him. I told him I would do no such thing, and that if he ever made such a proposition again I would press charges. Then I left. The next day I flew a mission, and I blew my landing. It was all it took for him to ground me. Then I called you guys.”

”Thank you for telling me your side of the story. I still have a few interviews to do before I can make any recommendations. But I can tell you this. If it all happened like you told me, I will personally make sure he pays for it”

”Thank you Ma’am.”

”Good day Lieutenant.”

Mac made her way back to the mess hoping to find the CAG still there. She was right. He still sat alone at his table, eating. Mac joined him.

”Captain.”

”Colonel. Please have a seat.”

”Thank You Sir. As you probably know, Lt. Johnson has filed a claim, stating that she was sexually harassed by you. ”

”That is just what it is Colonel, a claim. I did no such thing. She’s just mad at me for grounding her. This is her way to get back up there.”

”She did come to your quarters the night in question, did she not?”

”Yes. We discussed her role in some upcoming mission. Then she left. Nothing else happened. ”

”Isn’t it a little strange to do that in your personal quarters?”

”Not really. I know it isn’t entirely correct to do so, but it had been a long day, and it was the easiest way to do it. I didn’t expect this to happen.”

”I can imagine that. I think this will be all for now. I have some more things to look into. I’ll contact you with my findings.”

1832
Mac’s quarters
USS Nimitz

Mac sat on her bed. If you could call it a bed. She was tired and she missed Harm. Everything was going so great between them . Last night had been wonderful. Now she was stuck out here. She loved her job, but sometimes is really sucked. She didn’t blame the lieutenant for getting her all the way out there. Captain Murphy on the other hand. She’d had a bad feeling about him since she first saw him in the mess. She got the feeling he would stab his best friend in the back if it would help him get what he wanted. She rose to her feet. She had a few phone calls to make. First she would call the Admiral, to tell him she thought filing charges would be the right thing to do. She believed the Lieutenant’s story. Then she would call Harm, and have a nice chat about non work related things, trying to get this case of her mind.

1124
USS Nimitz

He hated to do this to her. Hell, he wouldn’t want to do it even if she wasn’t the person opposing him . From what he had heard, Captain Murphy was a real slime ball. But he had a job to do. He just hoped the Admiral had given her a warning. He didn’t want it to be like the time on the Guadalcanal. Given, things had changed a lot since then, but surprising her like that again was not high among his priorities.

1126
Mess
USS Nimitz

Mac sat in silence. She had just gotten a call from the Admiral, informing her that since everyone involved with the case was onboard the ship, the trial would be held there. She would act as prosecution. He also informed her that harm, would be representing the captain. He had been requested by Murphy himself. Why, she didn’t know. Murphy had been informed of their marital status, and still insisted in having Harm as defense council. She had been up against Harm in court before. Even since they had been married. All though it had been occurring less and less. They always informed their clients about their marriage, and more often than not, they requested a change in council.

She looked up. There he was. He looked so damn good, she had trouble keeping herself calm. It had only been a few days since they had last seen each other, but she had still missed waking up in his arms. His eyes searched for hers. When they found each other, he started to move towards her.

”Hey..” he said when he’d come close enough for her to hear him, without raising his voice.

”Hi Yourself. So. I hear I’ll get the chance to beat you in court again. ” She teased.

”We’ll see who beats who. So, I gather the Admiral called you. You OK with this?”

”Yeah. We’ve been opposing each other in court for a long time. Even though we weren’t married at the time, I still had the same feelings for you. And. I still like to kick you ass, Commander. ”

”Well then. You’ve got yourself a date Colonel.” His smile could light up the room. Now that he was sure Mac wasn’t angry with him, he could do his job without hesitation.

”I should get going” he continued. ”I need to see my client, and interviewing a few witnesses. See you for dinner?”

”Sure. See you later.”

Harm walked away from the mess. He still had his doubts about this, but knowing that he and Mac were fine, made what he had to do a whole lot easier.

1203
USS Nimitz

Harm interviewed his client, which gave him about the same story as he had given Mac. Harm felt a bad vibe coming from the captain. He didn’t know what it was that made him feel that way, but he knew something was up.

”So, Captain Murphy. May I ask why you wanted me to defend you. There are several other good attorneys, and my marriage to Colonel Mackenzie doesn’t exactly make this an ideal situation.”

”I heard you were the best Commander. And you are a pilot. You know what it’s like up there. You have to be at your best all the time. My grounding that lieutenant has nothing to do with her being a woman, or her not having sex with me. She didn’t do her best. She was lucky this time, but next time, se might not be. I thought you might agree in my assessment of the lieutenant’s performance, and therefore do a good job defending me.”

”I will do my best, Sir. It doesn’t matter if you did what she says you did, or not. I’m required by law to give you the best defense I can. And so I will. It has nothing to do with my being a pilot. ” Harm made a pause. ”Now lets go over this one more time.”

1254
A few days later
USS Nimitz

The days had flown by. The trial was almost over, and Mac’s case was very convincing. She’d made no mistakes, and had presented her case very carefully. There wasn’t much Harm could have done, but to watch his own case go down the drain. The last straw was the testimony of Lt. Johnson. Her story drew the compassion of the jury, and Captain Murphy started to get edgy. He was beginning to think his life was over, and he sure wasn’t going to sit still and just watch it happen. He had a plan. He just had to wait for an opportunity to arise. And then.

It was the last day of court and Both Harm and Mac had made their closing arguments. Mac had made by far the best argument, and the she had managed to convince the jury, of the lieutenant’s story. After the jury had made their ruling, captain Murphy was to be transferred to a holding cell, awaiting sentencing. Harm walked over to Mac.

”I’m glad this thing is over. This means we can finally go home” He said as he took her hand.

”Yeah.” Her response was cut of by crashing noises and then a loud bang from the back of the courtroom. ’ They turned to see what was going on, and were met by a gun pointing in their direction. Captain Murphy was the one holding it

”I guess you lovers can’t go home just yet.”

1314
USS Nimitz

The whole room was quiet. No one knew what to say. Everyone sat against the wall, Murphy never taking his eyes of them. Harm had tried talking to him in his usual way, but as soon as he had started speaking, Murphy had pointed the gun at Mac and told him to shut up. Now he sat with his back against the wall, his gaze shifting between the love of his life, and the man threatening their lives.

Mac knew how Harm felt. She felt the same way. Why did things like this always happen to them? Now, when everything was going so great. How could a man like Murphy be able to make them fear loosing the life they now had? She would never let that happen. But then again, what choice did she have in the matter.

Suddenly they heard a loud shout coming from outside in the hall.

”Murphy! Come on. Talk to me. No one wants anyone to get hurt.” Came the skipper’s voice.

”Then you make this thing go away. I will never be able to fly again, thanks to that bitch. If you just make things go back to the way they used to be, everyone will be safe.”

”You know I can’t do that. Alex. So far no one is hurt. I’m sure we can work something out. You made a mistake. You will have to pay for it somehow. I’m sure it wont be to bad if you give up now.”

”Forget it. That bitch is lying, and no one cares. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

”It doesn’t matter. This isn’t the way to solve it.” Harm chipped in. ”This will only make it worse”

”Don’t you think I know that?! But this is my life we’re talking about. She is the one who’s doing wrong, and I get hung for it. It’s not fair!”

Murphy again pointed the gun towards them. Harm tried to stay calm. It wouldn’t do him any good to get into an argument with him . Mac’s life was at stake. Also, the tone in Murphy’s voice was telling him that he actually believed what he was saying. Murphy was telling the truth.

”What do you know that I don’t?” Harm asked carefully.

”Nothing.”

”This isn’t the end of it. You could always appeal, and I’ll stay on as your council. But, if you want me to help you, I need to know the truth.” Harm Looked over at Mac. She was holding her breath. So was he. Murphy would have to make the next move.

Murphy stood still for a moment. What if he was right? He knew this wouldn’t help, he would only get into more trouble.

He started moving towards them. Suddenly he stopped. His body tensed, and he fell forward. A knife was sticking out of his back.

1123
A few days later
JAG HQ

Harm looked up from the folder he was flipping through. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. They had been buried in paper work ever since their return from the Nimitz. Everything had gone crazy after the hostage situation in the courtroom and finally, after much ado, he and Mac could go home. He still had a very strange feeling about the case. Something was not as it was supposed to be His suspicions had only grown after Captain Murphy had been killed.

*Flashback*
Murphy started moving towards them. Suddenly he stopped. His body tensed, and he fell forward. A knife was sticking out of his back. Harm looked up and found Lt. Johnson standing where Murphy had been. Looking into her eyes, he did not see any fear, and for a moment he thought he saw a glimse of pure pleasure.
*End Flashback*

Now he was stuck here. He was so far behind in everything else, that there just was no time left. He had tried talking to the Admiral about reopening the investigation, but since Murphy had already been convicted, there was no real reason for doing it, and his request had been denied.

Now though, he was seeing an end to the endless pile on his desk, and he was going to do something about it before it was too late.

“Coates, would you come in here, please.”

“Yes Sir?”

“I need you to do me a favour. Can you find Lt. Emily Johnson’s service records for me? And everything else you can find about her? If she stole a chocolate bar when she was five, I want to know about it.”

“Lt. Johnson as in the sexual harrasment case?”

“Yes Coates. That’s the one.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Sir.”

“Thank you, Coates.”

*****

1439
JAG HQ

“I hear you have Coates running your errands.” The familiar voice spoke softly from his open door.

“I know something’s not right. I just can’t put my finger on it.” He turned to look at his wife. “I’ve been looking through her service records for the last hour, and there’s just something that’s missing. Why does everything have to be so complicated? Why can’t the answers just be there, without one having to look for them?”

“Are you sure there is something to find? I mean, she had me convinced from the start, and you know that I don’t do people favours just because they are women.”

“Everything just seems too convenient. I’m not saying that Murphy is a nice person, but I don’t think he did it. The way he spoke in the courtroom... Mac, this guy was framed. I’m sure of it.”

“Well then. Let’s get to work...”
*****
2347
Same day
Harm and Mac’s Apartment

They had been at it all day. Searching through everything they could get their hands on about Lt. Johnson. Her service records had been clean. In fact, everything they had seen so far had been clean, and Harm was beginning to despair. He had been so sure he would find something. Not only had he wasted his own time, he had brought Mac into this mess aswell. He looked over at his wife. She was sitting on the couch flipping through a file containing Johnson’s Highschool records. She looked so beautiful. It did not matter if she wore her uniform, sweats or an evening gown, she would always be beautyful to him.

She looked up and her eyes found his. He was so handsome. She admired his determination when it came to his cases. He would not give up until he had the answers he was looking for. When they had not gotten anywhere with the case at the office, they had decided to go home. She could feel his frustration.

“Lets call it quits. Mac.” Harm finally said. “We have been working with this all day, and we still haven’t gotten anywhere. I’ll just have to face it; there is nothing there to find...”

“Harm don’t!” she said just as he trailed off. “I don’t want you ginving up on me. Your gut told you there was something there, and now mine is telling me the same. Something is not right with her school records. When she first started highschool she was only there for about a month, and then she disappared, and didn’t come back until a few weeks later. It doesn’t specify what happend during that gap, but I have a feeling it might be significant.”

“Let’s check it out when we get to the office tomorrow. It’s getting late, and my brain is falling asleep on me. I’m sure there are some kind of records stating what happened to make her leave school, and we will find them. Just not tonight.”

“You’re right. There is not much we can do tonight. Lets go to bed.”

“Lead the way, my love...”

1024
Next day
JAG HQ

“Got a minute?” Harm looked up. Mac was standing in the door with a smile on her face.

“Sure. What have you got?”

“Emily Johnson was injured when the gymnasium in her school caught on fire. Not severely, but she did have to spend some time in hospital. Two other girls were not so lucky. Christina Burns and Joanne Lindsey were both killed.”

“Was it an accident?”

“It was ruled that way, but I’m not so sure. A few days before the fire, there had been cheerleading try-outs. Both the deceased girls and Lt. Johnson tried out. They made it, she didn’t.”

“You’re not saying you think she would kill someone over not becomming a cheerleader. Mac, that’s crazy!”

“No it’s not. Considering it had been her dream since she was about five, I think it’s a real possibility. Also, guess who got on the squad after her recovery.”

“Was she ever a suspect?”

“Yes, since she got out of the fire and the others did not. Also there was always the question of why she was there in the first place. The police never found any evidence of the fire not being an accident, and even if they had, they never had anything to really make a case against her.”

“We need to go see the Admiral. This might be enough to reopen the case. If she truly does have a tendency to get rid of those who oppose her, we need to do something before it happens again.”

1053
The Admiral’s Office
JAG HQ

“Be seated!” The admiral looked over his to best people. “What have you got Commander?

“Sir. Last night the Colonel and I were looking into Lt. Johnsons past, when Mac found something in her Highschool records.”

Harm and Mac told the Admiral about what they had found.

“Sir, we’d like you to reopen the case. This could just be a councidence, but if the Lt. did what we think she did, Murphy’s death would be murder.”

The Admiral sat in his chair thinking. “Fine. I hereby grant your request. The case is reopened. But Commander, Colonel. Therad carefully! I want to be appraised on every step throughout this investigation. Dismissesd!”

”Eye eye Sir!”

*****

2342
Harm and Mac’s Apartment

They had spent the day much like the previous one going through more files and newspaper articles concerning Lt. Johnson. Every single piece of paper mentioning her name had been gathered and Harm and Mac now had the glamorous job of reading them all. They needed somewhere to start. They had talked to people at Johnson’s high school who had been there at the time of the fire, but nothing had given them any clue of where to start looking. And now, here they were, sitting in their living room with piles of boxes containing Lt. Johnson’s entire life. Well, most of it anyway. Harm had spent the last hour going through more of her high school records. After finding the facts about the fire they had put those aside and forgotten about them, but now Harm was giving them another go. Suddenly he froze.

”Hey Mac, take a look at this...”

”What?” she said looking up from her own file.

”She accused her English teacher of sexual harassment as well... She claimed he offered her a higher grade if she slept with him. It’s the same story all over again.

”What happened?” Mac interupted.

The teacher said it was she who offered sex and when he turned her down she filed the charges. The case was dropped. After the whole gymnasium incident, no one was very eager to believe her. After that she dropped out of school and wasn’t heard from until she joined the Navy. It didn’t help the teacher though. Some of the parents believed her story and wouldn’t let their kids come to class. Eventually he couldn’t take it anymore and quit.”

Harm shook his head. It had been a long night and finally they were getting somewhere.

”God knows how many others she has disposed of in different ways through the years. Every time someone gets in her way she either kills them or tries some other stunt to get them out of her way. If we had only been more observant in our initial search of her past, Murphy might have been alive today...”

Mac sensed her husband’s feelings of guilt. She knew he wouldn’t listen if she just told him that it wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t his fault, but she knew from personal experience that nothing would make you feel any better than time.

”I know,” she just said. ”Perhaps we should just call it a night and continue this in the morning. We won’t do anyone any good if we’re exhausted.” She looked over at Harm. He still seemed hesitant. ”I can think of a few ways to make you relax...”

With that, Harm dropped everything on the coffee table and pulled his wife close to him, kissing her as if he hadn’t done so for months even though it had only been a few hours. She gently broke away from him and instead took his hand and began leading him towards their bedroom. She couldn’t make him forget about Lt. Johnson and Murphy, but she could damn well distract him for a few hours...

*****

Early the next morning.
Harm and Mac’s apartment

He was watching her sleeping. It had become something of a habit for him. The early sunshine was filtering through their bedroom window, making her look angelic as she slept. There was nothing more beautiful than that to him. Her hair was dark and felt like silk underneath his fingers as they moved its full length. It was longer now than the way she used to wear it. A lot had changed about her since the day a few months earlier when they professed their love for each other. She was more confident in herself and their love. Not that she had been lacking in confidence before, but she now seemed more relaxed and she seemed to trust her own emotions more than she used to.
She stirred at his touch. Her brown eyes opened to meet his and they stayed locked for what seemed like an eternity.

“I know...”

“You know what?” He asked the question even though he knew exactly what she meant.

“You feel you need to set a trap for her. I know you remember. I know how that stubborn head of yours work works. Also, I came to the same conclusion a couple of hours ago.”

“You’re okay with it?”

“Not really but there doesn’t seem to be much of a choice. There is something you need to know though before you get too involved in this idea. First of all, I’m in this along with you whether you like it or not. Even if I could make myself stay away, I would get pulled in as soon as Johnson makes a move. She knows we’re married, so it would be just as likely for her to come after me as it would be to come after you. Secondly...”

She paused, trying to find the right way to say what she had been suspecting for the last couple of weeks.

“Harm... I think I may be pregnant.”

“You think...?”

“I haven’t been to see a doctor yet, but the signs are all there. For one thing, my period is three weeks late. It’s never late. I made an appointment to find out for sure on Thursday...”

“Wow... We’re gonna have a baby...”

He slowly leaned forward and touched her hair again, a gesture he himself was not even aware of doing whenever he was close enough to touch his wife.
The gesture did not go unnoticed by Mac though.

“Yes Commander, we are... Are you all right with this? I know it isn’t exactly what we had planned.”

“All right... Mac... Sarah honey, I’m more than alright. We had a deal remember? Even though we actually both are in a serious relationship, I think we both want this child. What do you say? A boy with your looks and my brains?”

“What if she has your looks and my brains?” She asked him back, just as she had done that day a few years earlier when she had felt her biological clock start ticking.

“Then she’ll be perfect too...”

They lay in bed for a few minutes both fantasizing about their upcoming happiness...

“It doesn’t change what I have to do though.” Harm suddenly whispered in her ear.

“I know, but as I said, I will be with you whatever happens. I just hope we know what we’re getting ourselves into.”

With that Mac slid closer to her husband, neither of them knowing that their plan had already been set into play...

*****

Harm and Mac were standing at attention before their commanding officer. The decision they had come to earlier was not an easy one, but now that it was made they were standing here, both feeling equally small in the presence of a man they both admired both as an officer and as a man. They had told him about their plan and now they were waiting for his response. This had always been the part of their job which they disliked the most - the waiting in complete silence while someone else made the choice for them.

Admiral Cheggwidden looked between Harm and Mac and the file in front of him containing all the facts they had found concerning Lt. Johnson. The two senior attorneys were the closest thing to a family he had. Sure, he had Franscesca, but he never really saw her and he felt like he didn’t know her any more. It was different with Harm and Mac. When he had met Harm all those years ago, he had been reckless and in need of someone to keep him on a leash. That person had turned out to be Major Sarah Mackenzie. He hadn’t been sure if their partnership would work out, but as time went by his opinion had changed. Mac had been the perfect match to the hotshot pilot turned lawyer. She kept him earth bound when needed and gave him the leash he needed when it called for it. A.J. had never before been afraid to send them on an assignment. They had always made it through before. But this time it felt different. Something was off, and he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. There was nothing forcing him to let them go through with their plan. He could just order the both of them off the case and be done with it. But he wouldn’t do that. He knew Rabb’s sense of honor wouldn’t let him just drop the case, and even if it did, A.J.’s own conscience wouldn’t let him give them such an order.

He looked at them again.

”You have really thought this through? Once you leave this room there is no turning back,” he said to them.

Harm glanced over at Mac and then answered.

”Yes Sir. The Colonel and I talked about it and we bot agree that this is the only way to handle this case before someone else gets hurt.”

”You’d better be careful or one or both you might be the ones who get hurt.” A.J. sighed. ”You have my permission to do this, but I expect regular updates on how things are going. I don’t plan on visiting anyone in hospital in the near future and I most definitely do not want to attend any funerals. Please make sure these orders are followed. Dismissed!”

”Aye, Sir!” both attorneys turned on their heals and headed out of the office.

*****

Lt. Johnson was sitting in her car in the parking lot outside of JAG: She was starring at the building where they worked. If someone had been paying more attention to the cars they might have seen her and done something, but no one did. She was alone and could watch the entrance of the building without any disruptions from anyone.

*They think they’re so smart just because they’re lawyers. But I’ll show them. They will know who is the smartest of us. I’ll show them. Thinking they can get me. Ha! No one will ever get me. I’ll get them first, that’s the way it will be. They’ll see. They’ll see...*

She saw how Mac exited the building and walked towards her car. She was probably heading out for lunch, she thought. Lt. Johnson stepped out of her car and walked towards Mac.

*I will show them*, she thought.

Harm's office
the same time

It had started. Harm thought as he looked up from the computer screen. The moment they left the Admiral's office they had begun working on putting their plan into play. It was simple enough, but the risk to both of their lives and that of their unborn child was great. Was it worth it? He knew that if they did nothing, Lt. Johnson was still likely to come after them in on way or another. But still... Risking his own life had never been the problem. Not even thinking about what implications it might have on Mac's was something he had thought much about. It was the baby. His and Sarah's baby. Before it had only been their own lives on the line, but now they had an involuntary passenger along for the ride, and it was something they had not planned for. Definitely something they wanted, but the timing sucked.

The thought of his wife and child brought his eyes back to the screen. The face in the picture starring back at him looked so determined. She knew what she had gotten herself into and she counted on him to get her out of it. God, he hoped he would. He read the note again. He would be at the address on time. He would get his wife back. It had started indeed...

A few hours later
Abandoned ware house

Harm pulled up outside the building a few minutes early. He looked at the door and took a deep breath. This was it. He needed to stay calm for her sake. He couldn't go inside while his heart was still pounding as if he had run a marathon. He leaned back against his seat and tried to focus. A few minutes later he stepped out of the car and started walking towards the building.

The same time

Mac was still sitting in the same chair as she had been doing for the last few hours, and her back was killing her. Her hands were tied together behind her back, placing her shoulders in a really awkward position. She had been trying to talk to Johnson the entire time, but had only gotten comments to shut up in reply. So now she was. She heard the door open and then she saw her husband walk towards them.

"Johnson!" she heard him calling.

Johnson turned towards the sound of his voice.

"Commander. How nice of you to join us. Say hello to your wife."

Harm glanced over at his wife. Stay calm. He thought to himself.

"I'm here. Now, what do you want?"

"Why, Commander Rabb. I would think that was kind of obvious. I want you to leave me alone. This had nothing to do with you, but you couldn't let it be. You had to put your nose where it didn't belong."

Harm glanced over at Mac. She was trying her best to get free. He had to keep Johnson's attention focussed on him.

"Why did you have to do it? You could have had a great career in the Navy without using these kinds of means."

"Could I Commander?" Her voice was reeking with sarcasm. "You're a man. You wouldn't understand what it is like to be a woman in a man's world. Always having to do everything better than everybody else, just to show them tat you belong there."Johnson was getting irritated. She started waving her gun around as she spoke. She was blocking his view so he couldn't see how Mac was doing with her bonds. He just had to take a chance and hope she would get loose before he had angered the Lt. too much.

"I know lots of women who have made it a long way without murdering anyone."

"I imagine you are thinking of your beloved wife." Johnson said as she involuntarily spun around to glance at the female marine in the chair behind her.

As she turned she noticed that the chair was empty. She could barely react before she felt something slam into her head and then everything went black. As she fell to the floor Harm rushed forward. He hadn't realized what was about to happen until he saw his wife swing the shovel and it hit Johnson.

"Hey, You..." He said in as calm a voice as he could muster.

"Hey yourself..." She said and smiled at him, a little out of breath.

"You took your time with those ropes. I didn't know how long I could keep her occupied..." he said as he pulled her close for a hug.

"You starting to lose your sweet talking abilities, Sailor. I thought those came with the uniform. But then again, you are getting old..." She teased him as she relaxed in his embrace.

"Old! Who's getting..." His reply was interrupted by a team of marines bursting in through the door, shortly followed by the Admiral. The both attorneys exchanged a look and smiled as both were thinking; ‘on time as usual’.

A.J. approached them as he saw Johnson on the floor.

"The two of you OK?" he asked as they broke their embrace.

"Yes Sir." They answered in unison.

"Good. Then lets get out of here." he motioned for them to exit the building just as the marines moved up to apprehend Lt. Johnson who was now starting to regain consciousness.

They walked towards the exit and Harm and Mac's eyes met for a few moments. Their one look spoke a million words. They were safe. Their baby was safe, and now it was time to take care of business.

"Sir, there is something we'd like to talk to you about..." Harm started. "It has to do with those hospital visits you didn’t want to make…”

About ten months later
Harm and Mac's house

The covers were warm, and she was dry. Her father had rocked her to sleep, singing as he held her close in his arms. Now he was standing in the doorway with her mother looking at her. He was holding her close, softly kissing her forehead. But she didn't know that. Hope Mackenzie Rabb was sound asleep in her crib, in the house her parents had bought only a few months earlier to make room for her. They hadn’t been expecting her at that point of their lives, but she had still been welcome. Her Uncle A.J. had not been surprised to hear the news, and he had congratulated both her parents and wished them luck. They were going to need it. Being parents was the most important assignment they had ever had. And they had no intentions of messing it up.

To be continued in “Is There Hope?”