Rating AO – Paring – Harm/Mac

Summary- Mac's behavior is off- can Harm put the missing pieces together before a tragedy ensues?

Chapter One

0800 Zulu

Twentynine Palms, California

The sun was slowly moving down the horizon, bathing the earth in a golden hue. But no beauty was found in this place at this moment. Blood was everywhere. Death had taken hold of every person around, and shown no prejudice of man, woman or child. All were gone, leaving nothing but lifeless shells, which seemed to stare into the very soul of the watcher. Looking to the left and to the right, there was nothing but death. Faces the watcher did not recognize slid quietly past- a tall, distinguished woman with a scar on her cheek, a young Corpsman and then an older man with a laser sight still resting on his forehead. Since the watcher did not know them, no emotions were felt, as if it was a film being played out without sound. It was then that the face of one of the victims made the watcher take notice, the familiar face of a man, with brown hair, and lifeless green eyes with blood on his cheek. The watcher stared in muted horror now as the fading light caught the bloodied white uniform and glinted off golden pilot’s wings. Then, the only sound ever occurring in the dream happened, a gunshot ringing out loudly as if it were from beside the watcher.

**********

Suddenly Sarah Mackenzie sat straight up in her bed, her body moist with perspiration. She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts, to turn off the macabre movie that seemed to play in front of her eyes, but with no immediate avail. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she was able to realize that she was no longer part of the horror, but rather was in her bed in the dimly lit visiting officer’s quarters on base. Looking around for any indication of danger, she found none. She let gravity take her body, falling back onto the mattress, her mind alight with thoughts as to what the dream could mean. This was not the first time she had the dream, actually it had been the third straight night. The funny thing about the entire ten-day stay here at Twentynine Palms, was that she could not remember any other dream she had while here. In fact, beyond the Legal Justice Leadership sessions she had attended, she couldn’t remember anything at all about the trip since she arrived on base.

Her first instinct was to call Harm, as it had been each night she had the dream, but she did not want to worry him. Instead, she got up and slowly walked into the head to take a long slow shower, get her thoughts straight and prepare to get on the transport back home. 12:45 Zulu

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Harmon Rabb finished filling his cup of coffee and slowly stirred the mixture to his liking. Making his way back through the bullpen, he stopped and watched one of the overhead monitors that showed Stuart Dunston’s broadcast on ZNN. He listened to the narrative.

Preparations are underway here in Washington, DC to welcome Mayane Kambiz, the first woman leader of Tajikistan ever to be elected. It is hoped that the visit will cement the strained relations between the United States and Tajikistan, created by failed treaties and rumors of impropriety from officials from both sides of the table. In four days, the President and the First Lady will entertain Madame Kambiz and her husband, General Tameer Kambiz, the most revered and highly-decorated military leader in the country’s modern history, and arguably the selling point for his wife’s election into office. He is a national treasure in his own right. It is hoped that the two will be able to meet with the President and pave the way for a more trustful working relationship in the business of peace. For ZNN, this is Stuart Dunston reporting from the State Department, Washington.

Harm slowly turned and continued the small journey to his office. Entering, he glanced to his desk to view the calendar and verify what he already knew to be true – today was the day that his partner, Lt. Col Sarah “Mac” Mackenzie, would return to HQ. The past few months had been a time of healing for the pair. Their friendship had taken a beating, but seemingly weathered the storms that had presented themselves – from Lauren Singer’s murder, Paraguay, the whole Webb fiasco and Mac’s pain and inner struggle to endure Endometriosis and all of its implications. Then to top it all, he nearly lost her in the car accident on Christmas Eve. However, now things had seemed to become something that resembled their normal interaction from an earlier time, and the two friends had been able to work on more important things, like the fact that they both were in the same place at the same time relationship-wise, and were both willing to move things to the next level. The awkward glances, fishing statements rather than speaking directly, and the verbal barbs and jabs once leveled at each other had simply faded away.

Breathing a deep sigh at such thoughts, he sat and rested his hand on his mouse, moving it slightly to wake his monitor. Glancing at the screen, he frowned when he noticed that he did not have an e-mail from Mac. He was beginning to worry, as she had been gone nearly two weeks, but he had not heard from her in days. He knew that she was fine because in a couple of staff meetings General Cresswell mentioned messages coming from Mac on new procedures or potential changes to SOP regarding administrative issues. However, that was not necessarily helping his level of concern. He thought about the time they had been spending together, with Mac apparently enjoying it as much as he had, and although they had not taken the step to a physical relationship, he felt that it was just a matter of time, if he had read his feelings and her actions correctly. So why the silent treatment now? Mac tended to run away when things got to be too much, and he couldn’t help but think that perhaps ignoring him was a new verse to the same song.

Realizing that he had only twenty minutes until the morning staff meeting, he temporarily dismissed these thoughts and resolved to finish answering his messages. As he began to type a response to a message, there was a light tap on the door. Looking up, he noticed Bud Roberts, long-time colleague and friend, waiting for an invitation to enter.

“Come on in, Bud. What can I do for you?” he queried as he watched the other man come in and sit down.

“I was just wondering if you had heard from the Colonel. Have you sir?” Bud inquired, but before Harm could answer, he continued, “I mean, I don’t want to pry, but Harriet and I were wondering. Harriett usually gets an e-mail or two from Colonel Mackenzie when she goes to conferences, but this trip, nothing. I e-mailed her a week ago and invited her over for dinner this weekend, but she has not even responded.”

Harm did not let the concern over his lack of communication with Mac come to the surface just yet. They were playing things close to the chest with the idea of becoming a couple, and he did not want to do something to jeopardize their agreement without Mac’s consent. He responded, “Maybe she has just been having trouble receiving e-mails. I know that if she had received a message from Harriet, she would have answered it.” Harm heard the words coming from his lips and tried to project the confidence needed to deflect worry in his tone. Perhaps he should convince himself as well.

**********

2130 Zulu

Reagan National Airport

Washington, DC

Mac steadily made her way out of the security area and headed towards the long, narrow, polished corridor of the airport to meet up with Harm. They had agreed that he would pick her up before she had left and it was a great comfort, as she had no desire to tackle the afternoon rush hour traffic today. Making the mandatory right turn, Mac was flooded with the bright afternoon sunlight reflecting up off of the marble floor, polished to a high shine. Something in her shivered at the influx of light. Her pulse quickened for a second and she realized that she had closed her eyes in an effort to calm herself. Attributing the small spell to travel fatigue, she shook her head and continued on. She could sense his presence without even seeing him. She was soon rewarded with a visual of her friend, standing in the front of the group of people waiting to greet their respective parties. Wearing a black suit and dark sunglasses, he looked the part of a driver, rather than her best friend. He completed the picture by holding up a small sign with ‘Mackenzie’ clearly spelled out in large block print.

“What are you up to?” Mac asked as a slow, easy smile filled her face.

Harm slid the sunglasses off his face before he replied in jest, “Are you Ms. Mackenzie? It’s been so long since we spoke, I wasn’t sure.”

“What do you mean, Harm? I spoke to you just the other…” she paused, clearly unable to recall any more information. Quickly, she recovered, “Well, I am sorry that I ignored you, I guess time just got away from me.” In a move dripping with sarcasm, she added, “Can you ever forgive me?”

Letting the slip pass for the time being, Harm played along with her. “Well, you have greatly offended me, but I’ll try to overcome the pain and see my way to forgive you, just know that it won’t be easy.”

Mac let out a hearty laugh, and responded, “Thank you, kind sir.”

Harm offered his arm to walk with her. Sliding her hand easily into the crook of his arm, she let him set the pace towards baggage return. They strolled easily together, proof to both of them of the great progress they had made transitioning into a couple. Retrieving the luggage, Mac bit back her first instinct to grab her bag and let Harm collect it. Holding on to the handle of Mac’s suitcase, he extended his hand out grasping hers as they ambled towards the exit. Neither had said a word, but just took in the comfortable silence of each other’s company.

“Have dinner with me? I’ll cook,” Harm offered as they were both secured into his car and he was motoring through the parking garage headed for the exit.

Mac smiled at the gesture. “That’s the best offer I’ve had all day."

Chapter Two

0310 Zulu

Mac’s Apartment

Georgetown, Washington, DC

Soft blues filled the apartment, setting the tone for a relaxed, intimate evening. Dinner had been wonderful, with Harm quickly stopping for supplies and cooking a meal that was just right. Mac had hoped he would do something like this, else she would have likely gone home, taken a hot shower and gone to bed with a good book. She had helped clear the table, while he rinsed the dishes off to go in the dishwasher, and now the two were on the sofa near the soft warm glow of the fireplace. He was sitting on the sofa at an angle, as Mac comfortably reclined against his chest, her legs crossed out in front of her on the remaining space of the sofa. He alternated between just holding her in his arms and lightly stroking her scalp and neck in a small massage. Right now, he was doing the latter.

“If you don’t stop that, I’ll be asleep in minutes,” murmured Mac, whose eyes were closed and her face relaxed.

Harm punctuated his response with a small kiss to the side of her head, “If that’s so, maybe you should get some rest.”

Mac gave a tiny smile, then replied, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead, Harm. Right now, I want to spend some time with you.”

A smile slid onto his face and he gave a slight laugh at her answer. Sliding his arms down and around her, he gave her a firm hug. He began a slight stroking motion on her arm as he asked, “So, Ms. Mackenzie, since we have not really had the time to share by e-mail, why don’t you tell me about your trip?”

A spark of anxiety flashed onto Mac’s face. Her mind whirled for only a moment, and then a thought found its way home. “Well, the Legal Justice Leadership sessions were really well done. Brigadier General Adams with Army CID addressed the group, which was special. Army personnel have their own sessions, so this was a first that an Army Officer spoke at a Navy/Marine Corps session.”

“Yeah, I know that the communication you sent General Cresswell regarding changes in SOP seemed well-received,” Harm added, “but what about your downtime? How did the Marine pass her time? Field stripping M-16’s? Target Practice? Obstacle courses?”

This comment made Mac chuckle as she slapped his arm in false protest. “No. You do know that I like to do more than field maneuvers, right?”

Harm took the bait. “Well, I was hoping that we could get around to some field maneuvers of our own one of these days.”

As Mac turned her head towards him and they greeted each other with a warm kiss, there was a hint of passion, which intensified slightly. Harm decided not to pursue this tonight, as Mac was tired, and he wanted their first time together to be special, not rushed, or short. Slowly, he broke the caress, reached up, and placed a couple of small kisses to her forehead.

“That was nice,” Mac commented after he pulled back and they were staring at each other affectionately.

They were silent for a few moments, content to be together. Harm was the first to speak this time, inquiring again, “So, if you weren’t out playing ‘Combat Queen’, what did you do?”

“I did some shopping, had a massage a couple times, and Tuesday, I played hooky, went swimming and got some sun,” Mac responded.

Harm pretended to chide her. “Colonel Mackenzie! I am shocked! You skipped out on a sanctioned Marine Corps function?”

“Well, the day was so beautiful,” she began. “Not a cloud in sight and at least 80 degrees. Can you blame me?”

“I suppose not.” A smile crossed his face. Harm pondered the last ten days and what he wanted to say about her lack of contact. Not wanting to be pushy, he still knew there were some things needed to be said.

“I had word from Harriet by way of Bud today,” Harm began.

Mac’s voice had a tinge of concern. “Everything OK?”

“Fine,” he replied. “Bud came by to ask if everything was OK with you. Seems Harriet missed e-mails from you while you were away, and wanted to make sure that everything was alright. Bud mentioned that he sent you a message a week ago, inviting you to dinner this weekend, and you had not answered.”

“Really?” came Mac’s simple response.

Harm returned an equally simple, “Yeah.”

Mac’s brow furrowed. “Something must be wrong with my e-mail. I never got that message. As far as Harriet, I did send her messages. Maybe the problem that kept me from getting Bud’s kept her from getting mine.”

“Maybe,” Harm countered, “but why were you able to send the General messages?”

She sat up, turned around and faced front on the sofa as he did the same. She thought for a second, and then replied, “Simple. I used a PC in the Admin Services area to send him the first message, and I logged on in the computer training area we were using for the other.”

Harm frowned. “You need to get your notebook checked out. Maybe something is wrong with the modem.”

Mac assured him. “I’ll try to log on and send you a message with it tonight. When you get to work tomorrow, tell me if you get it, OK?”

“Good idea.” Harm agreed, as he rose from the sofa.

“Where are you going?” Mac asked with a confused look on her face. “It’s not that la...wow, it’s after 2200?”

Harm was surprised at the time miscalculation. “Home,” he responded, then upon seeing her expression, added “What? Your timing thing is off, too? You really do need some rest!”

They walked to the door holding hands. She was hesitant to let him go, and he picked up on it. Reaching the door, he turned slowly and pulled their joined hands, bringing her into his arms. He held her for a minute, basking in the freedom to do so. Unwilling to separate, but realizing the need to go home, he slid his hands up her shoulders and rested them on the back of her neck, leading her towards him. She moved willingly and slowly as their lips connected in a soft, meaningful kiss.

After what seemed like an eternity, the kiss ended on its own. Harm was the first to open his eyes, and he watched her face for a moment before her eyes fluttered open, as well.

“Get some sleep,” he instructed, “I’ll see you in the morning”

During the drive home, Harm reflected on the evening, trying to put things into perspective. Mac had basically ignored him for several days while she was away, yet came back as if nothing was wrong. She had several small lapses, like the time and even before, when she truly seemed surprised when asked about the last time they spoke.

“Perhaps it’s just jet lag,” he thought to himself. “She usually bounces back quickly. I’ll bet she’ll be back in form tomorrow...I hope.”

Chapter Three

1315 Zulu

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

The morning office bustle was just beginning, with the noise levels already reaching the normal clamor. Harm emerged from his office long enough to grab his first coffee of the day, and return to work. Prior to Mac’s return from California, he kept preoccupied with the JAGMAN investigation of a hit and run incident involving a Petty Officer stationed at Patuxent River Naval Air Station. It had helped keep the worry at bay, and now he was placing the finishing touches on the requisite paperwork to finalize the investigation.

He had not yet even seen Mac this morning, much less speak to her, but he knew when she had exited the elevator. There was a palpable change in the room’s energy. She had that effect on him, but it was odd to feel that effect on the rest of the office as well. Hearing the near-trademark click of her heels on the floor, he looked up at the door, anticipating her welcome greeting of “Morning, Harm”. It never came. Able to do little more than sit and watch her pass, Harm noted the flat affect to her face. No expression could be detected. Mac virtually marched into her office, a steady cadence and no variation. This intrigued Harm as it seemed as if she were performing a rote task. Another item was placed on Harm’s “Things to Think About” list. Deciding whether to wait and see if she came over or just headed into her office frustrated him. Before the decision was made, it was time to head into the conference room for the morning staff meeting.

Bud waited for Mac just outside of the conference room, seeking to have a quick word with her. “Ma’am?”

“Yes, Bud.”

“Have you reviewed the offer for Lt. Martinez, ma’am? I need an answer by noon today.”

Mac was incensed. The rage boiled up in her veins, and Bud was in the crosshairs. “Commander, I will give you an answer when I am DAMN good and ready, and not a minute before. Keep your demands and your opinions to yourself! My client will not be railroaded because you are attempting to push for a judgment. Are we clear?”

Bud was astounded. Standing at attention, he did not recognize the woman before him. He could do little more than reply, “Yes, ma’am!”

Mac spun and entered the conference room, not noticing the shocked expressions on the faces of everyone in the room, Harm included. They had obviously overheard the confrontation. Allowing a moment to collect his thoughts, Bud entered the conference room, his expression unruffled, his demeanor calm.

The meeting came to order in much the same way as every morning. However, this morning, Harm tried several times to make eye contact with Mac, but found her looking intently at the General, her gaze never faltering. Every question was answered with the standard “Yes, sir”, “No, sir” or “No excuse, sir”, as was expected in basic training. Assignments were dispatched, updates on current cases were provided, and then the meeting was over. Standing at attention, the General rose and left the table as he ordered, “Colonel Mackenzie, with me. Commander Rabb, follow in five.”

“Aye, sir.” The joint reply sounded as the pair followed the General toward his office.

Inside the office, Cresswell motioned for Mac to sit. Pausing, he took in the Colonel’s general state. He felt that something was off with her, as she seemed more like the officer he first encountered when be came to his position, rather than the trusted and respected fellow Marine and colleague he had come to know.

Needing to know, he inquired, “Colonel…Mac. Is everything alright?”

Mac’s brow furrowed as she replied, “What do you mean, sir?”

Focusing his thoughts on choosing the correct words so not to go too far, he asked, “You seem out of sorts, formal.”

“You feel that I am too formal, sir? In what way?” Mac countered.

“That’s just it. In every way,” Cresswell began. “This morning you did not walk to your office, you proceeded inside using parade cadence. You handed Commander Roberts his head when he was following standard procedure and participated in staff meeting with clipped responses. Is there a problem? Can I or one of your colleagues do something to help?”

Mac sat there in utter shock. She had no idea to what he was referring.

**********

Harm made his way over to the General’s door, stopping to give a morning greeting to Cresswell’s Yeoman. He noticed Petty Officer Jennifer Coates’ curiosity was piqued as to his presence. “Believe me, Coates, nothing is happening,” he remarked.

“Sir?” Coates responded, her forehead wrinkled in confusion.

Realizing that perhaps he was projecting his own concern onto the Petty Officer he responded, “It’s nothing. Apparently I misread your expression.”

Taking the free moment, Coates inquired, “Sir? Have you heard from Mattie lately?”

Talking about Mattie Grace always made Harm smile. “Yes, as a matter of fact, she called a couple of days ago. It seems that she has a double date with Kevin and his brother and sister-in-law on Friday.”

Jennifer smiled as she commented, “That sounds nice. I am planning on going down to Blacksburg on Saturday, so I’m sure I’ll get the news.”

“Well, if it is anything I should know about, I’m counting on you to tell me,” Harm countered, squinting his right eye and lifting his finger to point for emphasis.

“Aye-Aye, sir.” Coates replied with a smile.

The moment ended when the buzzer sounded for the Commander to enter.

Harm crossed into the office and was immediately asked to have a seat. As he moved closer to the General and to Mac, he noted a tension in the air. While Cresswell was calm, Mac was slightly flushed, her attention focused so intently on another subject, she never realized his presence.

Cresswell lifted a form off his desk and commented, “Commander, I saw your findings in the Keller case, why don’t you bring the Colonel up to speed, as well?”

“Aye, sir,” he said, shifting towards Mac. “Lt. Brandon Keller has been charged with reckless endangerment and attempted vehicular manslaughter. According to the charges, Lt. Keller was driving to his ex-wife’s home off base. Allegedly he was in a hurry, and failed to check before he pulled out onto the road and hit a car being driven by a civilian, Karen Masterson, from Silver Spring. She is on life support as a result of head injuries, but expected to survive. Witnesses reported seeing a car matching Lt. Keller’s backing up and fleeing the scene at a high rate of speed. Lt. Keller insists that he was not driving and that his car was in the shop for repairs at the time of the accident. We located his car and noted that there were paint flakes from Ms. Masterson’s automobile still embedded onto the front end. The local authorities were more than happy to hand this back to us, as they are overloaded at the moment. I’m recommending an Article 32.”

Cresswell nodded as he responded, “Thank you, Commander. You’ll take the defense. Colonel, you will represent the government. Dismissed”

“Aye, sir,” The two attorneys offered as they came to attention, turned an about face and left the office. Cresswell mentally reviewed his conversation with Mac. He was perplexed at how stunned she appeared, as if she did not know what he was referring to. How could she not even know what happened?

**********

Mac’s head was spinning through the entire session with the General. What was happening to her? She was missing time, unable to recall events which apparently had just happened, and verbally berating a colleague. She felt badly about the incident with Bud and knew that, even though she did not remember it, she needed to apologize for it. Excluding the time spent with Harm, nothing seemed to go the way it should. She had told the General that she was simply tired from the trip and the downtime of the conference. Physically, she felt fine, and up until this moment, she had no problems that were noteworthy. Now she felt as if her life was trying to get away from her.

Bud returned to the bullpen, continuing to his office. Mac gave him a second’s lead and then followed. Knocking on his door, she requested entrance. Acknowledging her and showing respect for her rank, he rose from his seat. At his assent, she came into the small room and sat in front of the desk. To Mac, the Lt. Commander resembled a whipped puppy. He still managed to offer a slight smile and asked, “How can I help you, Colonel?”

“I wanted to talk. Bud, I wanted to apologize for what happened out there this morning,” Mac stated, looking down for strength before she continued. “I took out my frustrations and anger on you just because you were the next person in my wake. I was wrong, and I am sorry. Please accept my apologies for my outburst and for my lack of e-mail while I was away.”

Bud showed a heartfelt smile. “Apology accepted, ma’am. Is everything alright? You said you were frustrated and angry, is there something I can help with?”

Smiling at his offer, she replied, “Unfortunately, no. At least not directly. You mentioned to Harm that you sent me an e-mail for dinner? If the offer still stands, I would like to take you up on it so I can spend time with you, Harriet and the kids.”

“Absolutely! The invitation is for you and the Commander, ma’am,” Bud said happily. “If you don’t mind my saying, ma’am, I’ve noticed that you and the Commander seem to be getting closer. I’ll say no more, but I just wanted you to know that I think it is a good thing. You both deserve to be happy.”

“Thanks, Bud. You are right, we’re trying to keep it out of office for now, but I appreciate the vote of confidence,” Mac assured.

“How about this Saturday, 1700?” the junior officer queried.

“I’ll run it past Harm and let you know,” she then added, “Bud, thanks again.”

Leaving Bud’s office, she strode evenly towards her own space, thoughts flashing in and out of her mind. She felt badly about the events of the day, but had a hard time feeling strongly about them. In truth, it was as if she was watching a movie play out rather than reality. She did the appropriate responses, said the right words and tried to make amends, but it felt dishonest and awkward. Apologizing and promising to do better seemed odd, since she had no recall of the events she was supposed to be sorry for. Mac returned to her office to set up her interrogation for her case.

**********

Harm sat in his office, doing some research on the Internet. Deciding to take a mental break for a few minutes, he checked for Mac’s test e-mail message, but it wasn’t there. He then typed the address to ZNN’s website. The first thing that caught his eye was an article on the Tajikistan delegation that would be coming to DC in four days. There was an interesting article on President Kambiz and how she was making history not only as the first woman elected to the office, but also the leader that had the most number of known foiled assassination attempts. Failing to follow through on her promise to avoid pulling her country into dependence on the West was a strong blow to the country’s confidence in her, as well as ignoring several labor groups that were notorious for utilizing atrocious work practices, causing many deaths and injuries to her country’s workers. Things seemed to be bleak in the President’s camp right now. The mainstay of any semblance of peace was largely due to efforts by her husband, Tameer. His popularity stemmed from a Civil War waged in the region ten years ago. He was granted power to direct the troops and did so with the utmost respect for the need to spare human life and the desire to balance that with the cause for war. He personally wrote the families of fallen soldiers, attended their funerals, and helped set up rehabilitation programs for the injured and disabled. For his efforts, he was awarded the Legion of Excellency and Valor, the equivalent to the American Congressional Medal of Honor.

Harm continued perusing the site. Moving over to the weather, he thought about taking Mac sailing this weekend, and decided to check the forecast. He clicked on the streaming video of the most recent forecast, which began to play.

The East Coast will see a beautiful weekend, with highs in the low 70’s, and lows only in the mid 60’s, and virtually no chance of rain. Be thankful, because the West Coast is still under the grip of a nasty storm front that just wants to stick around. Since Monday, most of Southern California is being pounded with thunderstorms and plenty of rain. As a matter of fact, Twentynine Palms, just east of Los Angeles, received nearly four inches of rain on Tuesday, causing flooding and the postponement of a marathon scheduled to begin in front if the Marine Corps Base and conclude at nearby Yucca Valley.

Harm replayed the video clip three times. How could that be? Why would Mac tell him a lie? There was no way that she could have spent Tuesday outside. Harm’s “Things to Think About” list was now so long it would have rolled off the desk. He needed to get to the bottom of this.

Chapter Four

1745 Zulu

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Mac sat at the conference room table across from Harm and his client, Lt. Brandon Keller. The interview was proving less than informative, as each time she asked a question she met resistance, increasing her confidence in the man’s guilt. He didn’t stand a chance.

Rising, she began questioning Keller again. “So you say that you and your car were not involved with the hit and run? Where were you?”

Keller sat stiffly in the chair and said, “I already said.”

“Ma’am.” Mac corrected.

“Ma’am,” Keller replied with a hint of disrespect.

“Lieutenant, you will address the Colonel with the respect due a senior officer, are we clear?” Harm admonished.

“Yes, sir, understood.” Keller replied quietly.

“Let me recap. NCIS has paint from the victim’s car that was found on yours, you and your car were seen and identified by three witnesses and the shop where you took your car has forms stating that you placed it there the day after the accident, not before like you claimed in your statement. So before you answer my previous question, Lt. Keller, you might want to reconsider your response.” Mac reminded.

Keller looked over at Harm before attempting to answer. Harm spoke for the man, “Colonel, could I have a moment to confer with my client?”

“Take a moment. In fact, take two.” Mac replied smoothly.

Leaning over to Keller, Harm commented, “We need to negotiate a deal. I’ve seen the evidence and the government has you dead to rights.”

“Sir, I don’t care if she says that the Pope saw me,” Keller began. “I’m not going to prison. No deals.”

Harm frowned as he turned back to face Mac. “The Lt. is not going to answer any more questions, until the Article 32 hearing.”

Mac was amazed at the young sailor’s bravado. “Are you saying that you are willing to put yourself on the mercy of the court? I’ll have you on a transport to Leavenworth so fast your head will spin. Why should you be shown any compassion? Did you bother to think of anyone or anything else when you slammed into Ms. Masterson’s car? What about when you literally had to spin your wheels to separate the vehicles? And I haven’t even gotten into the fact that you got out of the car to use the tire tool so you could pry away the fender to leave. NCIS has a footprint in Ms. Masterson’s blood that I am sure will match a pair of your shoes. You really are a selfish bastard!”

“Colonel!” Harm raised his voice slightly in objection, to no avail.

Mac continued, the anger flaring in her veins. “It’s too bad that the UCMJ doesn’t charge for stupidity, or for being an arrogant ass!”

Harm rose, “This meeting is over! Colonel, you’ve crossed the line. We’ll see you in court.”

Mac rose and stormed out of the conference room, leaving the two men alone. Keller sat back with a cocky smirk on his face. “Somebody must be on the rag!”

In an instant Harm was towering over him. “You stand up and come to attention. NOW!”

Swiftly, the man rose and Harm continued. “The United States Navy is a place for men and women, each bring strengths to the service to make it better. You or any other person who thinks like a Neanderthal has no place in this Navy. I suggest you suck up any other sexist, degrading thoughts that you might otherwise let fly and keep your mouth shut. Are we clear?”

Keller’s eyes widened in surprise, “Yes, sir. Crystal.”

Harm strode to the door and summoned the guard, “Escort MISTER Keller out of here.”

Watching the young man leave, Harm could not help but think that something was not right, that a storm was brewing and all he could do was hope that Mac did not get swept away in the process.

1530 Zulu

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

The Article 32 hearing began the following day on time, and from the beginning, problems were apparent for the defense. Despite the fact that Harm spent the entire night re-tooling his case’s direction, to show that Keller was guilty of an accident, and did nothing that should cost him his freedom, Mac effectively drilled holes in each theory and argument that he tried to issue. Harm knew that this was a slam-dunk case. He just failed to convince his client of the same. Harm worked together through lunch, interviewing Keller again to find something that would either turn the case or at least soften the blow should they need to go to trial. Finding no new developments, he decided to go for a human appeal, saying that Keller was not self-centered, but rather just fatigued from his service and trying to end a marriage, and simply made a mistake.

Suppressing a hesitancy to put his client on the stand, Harm decided to go ahead and try it. Keller strode to the stand with confidence, took his oath from Mac and sat down.

Harm rose and came towards his client. He queried, “Lt. Keller, can you tell us what happened with regards to the day of the accident?”

Keller sat forward and replied, “Yes, sir. I had left my post and as I was walking to my car, my cell phone rang. It was my soon to be ex-wife, Marlene. We had agreed to divorce quietly, keep what was ours before we married and split up the rest. She said that agreement was not good enough. Marlene said that she had thought about it and talked it over with an attorney. She wanted alimony, and our house. Somewhere at that point, we began arguing on the phone. I was going to go over to the house and talk to her. I jumped in the car and took off. The next thing I remember, I was sitting in my car. Apparently, I had driven it from the scene until it stalled from the damage of the accident.”

Harm leaned into the questioning, “So you don’t remember the accident itself?”

Keller looked wide-eyed and innocent as he replied, “No sir. I just remember getting in to drive. I never meant to cause an accident, and I know that I did not try to run away consciously. That isn’t me.”

Harm smiled as he stated, “Thank you, Lt. No further questions.”

Colonel Clifford Blakely motioned for Mac to begin her questioning as she sat at the desk. “Lt. Keller, you say that you actually drove the car that caused the accident?”

Keller gave a simple reply, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Umm, that isn’t what you told NCIS, now is it?” Mac inquired.

“No ma’am. To be honest, I was afraid that something, well, like this would happen. I thought that things would be blown out of proportion. It was an accident, I swear.”

Mac could feel an anger rising up in her from somewhere she did not know and a slight ringing began in her ears. She was unable to assuage it, she felt helpless, but continued. “So, you swear that this is the truth? You swore that your statement to NCIS was true, as well, so how is this court supposed to be able to tell which version of the truth is the one you want to sell to us today?”

“Objection! Your honor, the Colonel is badgering the witness. Move to strike.” Harm’s voice sounded out in defense of his client.

“Sustained. The last statement will be stricken from the record. Colonel, please reserve your time for questions, nothing more.”

“Yes, your Honor.” Mac answered quietly, then continued, “Lt., you stated in your testimony that you never meant to have the accident, and that you would not do anything like that on purpose, correct?”

Keller responded, “That is correct.”

“How do you explain the fact that you were seen not only hitting Ms. Masterson’s car, but that you actually got out of the car and worked to free yourself?”

Harm bolted up again, “Objection!”

A ring of darkness began to encircle Mac’s field of vision, but without pause, she continued, “How can you justify not remembering the fact that you did something so callous and horrible? What you did could not be something that someone acting on some sort of trauma induced ‘auto-pilot’ would be capable of.”

Again Harm belted out, “Objection! Your Honor!”

Colonel Blakely pounded the desk with the gavel once, calling for Colonel Mackenzie to cease, but to no avail.

Mac was not finished. “Are you such as selfish, self-centered bastard that you had no compunctions about walking over the woman as she lay bleeding, halfway out of her car, just so you could avoid getting caught?”

Colonel Blakely hammered the gavel repeatedly against the stand as he called out, “Colonel Mackenzie, stop right now or I’ll have you put in contempt of court.”

“No further questions. The government rest….” Mac’s speech halted mid sentence. A strange look of confusion on her face, she turned to walk back to the desk before she fell, but a wave of dizziness overcame her and she collapsed onto the courtroom floor.

Chapter Five

Mac found herself in a familiar setting. It seemed as if she was back in the VOQ at Twentynine Palms, but how could that be? She had returned days ago. While things looked like Twentynine Palms, she knew within seconds that things were very different, the first being the fact that nylon straps were around her hands and feet, effectively leaving her spread eagle on the bed. The straps were not biting into her flesh because they were covered with a soft rubber sheath.

As she tried to clear the swimming sensation out of her head, she noted movement. A young man coming towards her, seemingly a Corpsman.

”Oh, thank God you are here,” Mac began, before the young man reached her.

“There, there, Colonel,” the medic soothed. “Things will be alright now.”

Looking around her room, she noted that there were bags on the ground, and several folders spread out on the bed next to her. She noted a photo sticking out of one of them, and although she could not see the person clearly, it was obvious that the person was a man.

Mac felt a cold sensation that quickly changed to a burning rush rising from her forearm and fluttering to life throughout the rest of her body. She heard footsteps on the floor and saw the man in a black suit coming towards her, but something was wrong. The man was tall with black hair and brown eyes. His face was drawn and gaunt, and blood ran down his right cheek from somewhere in his hairline. Mac could hear something dripping onto the floor. She followed the sound and noted that the sound came from the steady droplets of blood that dripped from a gunshot wound in the man’s chest. The man’s hollow voice came wafting out from his throat and into the room, “Colonel Mackenzie?”

Mac again began to feel the sensations she had experienced earlier, but now the burning did not cease. The breath in her lungs seemed to become too heavy to move and she could feel herself sliding, and then nothing. Disembodied voices floated into the remainder of her consciousness. Her last memory was that of the bleeding man’s hollow voice calling to her again, “Tell me, Colonel, isn’t there something that you need to do?”

**********

1650 Zulu

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

“Mac?” Another more familiar but also disembodied voice called.

“Mac?” repeated by the same voice.

Mac slowly opened her eyes and focused on Harm’s loving green eyes, searching over her, verifying she was all right. She could feel his hand carefully caressing her cheek as she lay on a sofa in one of the judicial offices.

“Hi there, welcome back. How are you feeling?” Harm inquired when he saw her beginning to stir.

“Where am I? What happened?” Mac asked as she found her voice.

Leaning forward in her chair, Harm reached down and took her hand before he replied. “Well, we were in court, at the Keller Article 32 hearing. You were doing the cross, turned to go back to your desk, and then you collapsed. Colonel Blakely had you taken into one of the offices. You roused, but not for long. You’ve been sleeping for about an hour now. ”

“Any word on what happened?” Mad questioned.

Harm continued holding her hand as he responded, “Well, a doctor checked you out, and said that your blood sugar was low and you were probably exhausted. He gave you some glucose gel under your tongue and said that we should feed you once you woke. He suggested that you should be checked out by your physician once you got back on your feet just to make sure that you aren’t developing a more serious problem.”

“Thanks, Harm.”

He wrinkled his brow as he asked, “For what?”

Mac smiled as she replied, “For staying with me, for watching out for me, for everything.”

“Anytime, anything, I’ll be there,” Harm stated as he picked up her hand and placed a delicate kiss on the back of her hand.

The moment ended when a knock sounded at the door; it was Colonel Blakely.

“Colonel Mackenzie, how are you feeling?” Blakely asked, his voice tinged with concern.

“I am feeling better, sir, thank you.” Mac supplied.

“Are you up to finishing today, or should we look to pushing it back till Monday? I am ready to render my findings, so it shouldn’t be much longer if you’re up to it, Colonel.” the judge inquired.

“If I could get something to eat and a chance to rest a bit,” Mac reasoned, ”I could be ready by end of lunch recess, sir.”

“Fine. And Colonel, I know that you are not feeling up to par, so I am going to trust that your behavior was due to the sudden illness,” Blakely continued, “Otherwise, I would give you a letter of reprimand for your conduct, and tell you that your performance was not acceptable for a lawyer, let alone for a Marine.”

“Then it’s a good thing for the Colonel that this was all due to her illness, sir.” Harm stepped in and responded.

Blakely looked between the two of them and gave a laugh. He knew that both of them got his not-so-subtle warning. “I’ll leave you to get some lunch. See you at 1300.”

“Aye-aye, sir.” replied the pair in unison as Blakely turned to go.

“Well, you stay here,” Harm instructed. “I’ll go get you some lunch. Try to get some rest.”

“And Harm?” she called out to stop his departure. “No salad.”

Harm did not answer, he just laughed as he shook his head.

**********

1800 Zulu

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Clifford Blakely called the session back into order and began by stating, “Just to clarify where we were before we recessed, Colonel Mackenzie was ill, but has been evaluated and she has agreed that she feels well enough to continue. Colonel, I believe that you were ending your questioning of the defendant and resting for the government. Is that correct?”

Mac slowly rose and answered, “Yes, your honor, that’s correct.”

“Very well. In considering all the facts presented today. I find that there is enough evidence for this case to proceed to Court Martial.” Blakely pounded the gavel onto the block once, effectively ending the hearing.

Harm turned to his client and offered his hand as he added, “We’ll meet Monday to plan for the trial. Don’t worry yet, we’ll do all we can.”

Harm turned and looked over to Mac, checking if she was still all right. Seeing his concerned expression, she walked towards him and he met her halfway into the aisle. Harm was the first to speak. “Get your things. I’m taking you home.”

“I am not ready to go home,” Mac stated plainly. “I want to go to your place first.”

Giving a grin, he turned his head and replied, “That’ll work too.”

Harm would take her home, get her comfortable and they would talk about everything that he had noticed. He realized that she was not feeling up to her normal self, but the changes that he had noted, combined with the fact that he had just caught her in a lie yesterday told him that something was not right. They would talk tonight; he would get to the questions that had plagued him since she had returned.

He only hoped that he would be prepared for the answers she had to give.

Chapter Six

1930 Zulu

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

Mac ambled towards her office, her footing certain, but her confidence in it lacking. Opening the door, she slid down easily into her chair and whirled the mouse, bringing her sleeping computer to life. Reviewing the files on her desk, Mac debated on which ones to take home for the weekend. She tried to be quick but thorough, as she had told Harm that she could secure in 30 minutes. She chose only one, and promised that if there were time, she would review the new material to get ahead, since her next case was not on the docket until near the end of the coming week.

As she turned back to her computer, something caught her eye. Looking up, she was face to face with the same bleeding man she saw in her dreams earlier that day. He was tall, nearly 6’4”, and was wearing a tattered uniform shirt that covered a large gunshot wound in the center of his chest. The white shirt was stained red with blood across the chest. His skin was pale and it looked as if he would collapse at any moment. He could not be real, but there he stood, blood pooling up on her office floor from the massive wound. It truly was a horrific sight. He looked at her serenely as he asked, “Hello, Sarah, isn’t there something that you need to do?”

Mac’s heart pounded with anxiety, no words coming at first. After a few moments, her lips were able to push out, “What do you want?”

The man sneered as he replied, “You know what I want. You have until Monday to prepare.”

Aghast at the site, Mac looked down and returned her eyes to the man.

He was gone.

Shooting up out of her chair with a start, she looked to the left and the right, but he was not there. She quickly came from around the desk and made her way out her office door to catch his departure, but he was not there. Her heart slowed to its normal pace as she took in the quiet normality of the bullpen. She turned and stepped back through the doorway of her office, taking an extra moment to check the floor for the man’s blood, but somehow not surprised when she found none.

“Everything OK in here?” The sound of the warm, familiar voice made her jump in surprise. “You ready yet?”

Not turning around yet to face Harm, Mac closed her eyes and took a breath to compose herself before she responded, “More than. Let’s get out of here.”

She tossed the previously chosen file back into the “To Do” pile, grabbed her things and walked with him out to the elevator.

The elevator ride to the ground was quiet at first, until Harm decided to share his plans with Mac. “We’re going to leave your car here. I left word with the guard already. I know that you’ll want to get out of the uniform, so let’s go to your apartment and you can change. I’ll take you home later. We can leave a little early for Bud and Harriet’s tomorrow and I’ll drop you off to get your car then.”

“Thank you for thinking about that. It’s a great idea.” Mac acquiesced.

This startled Harm somewhat, as he was prepared to argue over the point. He reached over and placed his hand on her head and replied, “Funny, you don’t have a fever, and you seem to be in your right mind.”

“Stop that,” Mac swatted his hand away and continued. “Don’t quit your day job. And as to my state of mind, the jury may still be out on that one.”

Harm’s inner level of concern rose a notch. The statement made him realize that it wasn’t just him being overly sensitive. Obviously, she was picking up on the changes in her behavior, as well.

2355 Zulu

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

The sun had begun to set as the two made their way back to Harm’s apartment. The afternoon sun gave way to an evening rain shower, which covered the city in a blanket of humidity. Mac felt as if her lungs were taking on fluid as she used a towel to remove some of the downpour from her face and arms, and she groaned, “Forget about the heat, the humidity is the worst!”

Harm agreed and added, “Well, what do you expect for a place built on a swamp in the first place?”

“True, but I don’t have to like it,” she groused.

Harm worked from one side to the other of the apartment. He turned on the stereo and set the volume low to play a CD of acoustic guitar music he always loved. Continuing on, he lit several large candles for atmosphere and finally, he lit three candles to go on the coffee table in front of the sofa. “Mac…Sarah, sit down and relax while I get dinner started. I’ll be back to check on you,” he suggested once the room was to his liking.

Mac smiled at the use of her first name. He rarely used it, and when he did, it made it all the more special. With a sigh, she sat down on the sofa and made herself comfortable. Reaching over, she opened her purse, pulled out a small silver vial and placed a small amount of perfume behind each ear. She loved the perfume, but could never remember when or where she got it. She knew that she had to put some on, as this was a quiet, intimate dinner, and she wanted to share the fragrance with Harm.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a few deep breaths to relax. Slowly she opened her eyes, and saw the candle burning on the table. She was transfixed; she could not take her eyes away from the candle. It was as necessary to her as air to breathe. She could hear sounds from a different time and was pulled into the events playing out in front of her eyes.

Mac found herself once again on her bed at Twentynine Palms, the straps on her extremities, each pulled tight and holding fast. She was terrified, and had no memory how she got back to her room and into the state she was now in. The last thing that she remembered was being at the conference mixer at Daly Hall. It was the second day of the conference and she was chatting with a fleet JAG about maritime laws during war, the challenges faced with potential terrorist activity and protecting the fleet. The other attorney rose, took her empty glass and returned with a new club soda for her.

Movement from the left side of the bed made her turn her head and look. She saw two faceless people: one in fatigues, the other in scrubs. The former swung around the back of the bed and secured her head with two straps, similar to the ones on her hands and feet, while the latter placed drops in her eyes and put an IV in her restrained arm. She began to float, and the last thing that she saw clearly was the bleeding man in front of her, but this time without blood. He was smartly dressed, was smiling and waving.

**********

Harm had been talking to Mac for the last few minutes but never got an answer. Thinking that she was asleep, he grabbed a blanket, padded softly to the sofa, and prepared to cover the slumbering woman. However, as he came around the sofa, he noted that she was not asleep, but staring directly into the candle. It seemed as if she were in a trance. Touching her arm, he said her name, “Mac? Sarah? Wake up!”

Mac continued to stare into the flame, unaware of anything else in the room. Harm grabbed her arms and began to shake her, with his force growing in intensity after the first couple of shakes were to no avail, but still nothing worked. Thinking a moment, he decided that if she were staring in the flame, perhaps if he extinguished it, she would come to on her own. Turning around for a moment, he took in a deep breath, expelling it out onto the flame, effectively extinguishing it. He turned back to see if she had awoken, but there was no change. He gave her one last shake, and called her name.

Mac came around to the sensation of being firmly shaken. She did not see who was holding her, but she was flooded with the need to free herself. Reaching up, she slapped him firmly across the face. Harm let go of her in surprise of the contact. Now realizing who she had hit, Mac was surprised and embarrassed, the only thing in her head was to leave immediately.

Taking the moment of surprise to her advantage, Mac stood up and ran out the door, taking the steps on the other end of the hallway rather than the elevator. Breaking through the doorway on the first floor, she barely felt the rain pelting her skin, soaking her through. She had to get away.

Chapter Seven

Harm raced down the stairs after Mac, determined to protect her from the weather and more importantly, from herself. He knew that when things arose that were more than she could or should handle, she either ran or threw up a wall. He burst through the door leading to the alleyway, just a few large steps behind her.

“Mac, please wait!” he called out, his voice urgent.

Mac froze where she stood, letting her head fall to her chest. Her tears mingled with the rain on her face. She took a deep breath before she replied, “I can’t, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what, Mac? Mac, sweetheart, listen to me, please. I think something is wrong and we need to deal with it together,” he pleaded, taking slow, silent steps towards her.

“I can handle it myself,” she insisted and turned to face him. “I don’t want to suck you into another monumental Sarah Mackenzie screwed up relationship. Let me go, please…please.”

Harm took a deep breath and gave her a sad half smile. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that, Mac. Don’t you know that by now? I love you, I’m in love with you, and nothing you or anyone else would ever do can change that.”

Mac returned his sad smile and responded, “I’m in love with you too, but I love you enough to not want to see you hurt. Even if that means letting you go. Harm, this is big.”

“It would hurt me more than you could ever imagine if you walked away tonight, with me knowing that you need help,” Harm confessed. “I’m not leaving, and I can’t let you go, either. If you run, I will follow you.”

The declaration broke something loose in Mac’s defenses. Looking up, the two locked gazes, and Mac rushed into his arms and pulled him into a tight embrace. A few seconds passed, and Harm loosened his embrace, not ending it completely. Totally ignoring the rain, he slid one hand up, caught Mac under the chin, and lifted her face up to his. Their lips met in a slow, powerful and passionate kiss.

Several moments passed, and their lips parted of their own accord. The couple stood firm, holding one another and taking solace in the contact, letting the rain wash away the doubts and fears they had carried for so long.

**********

Several minutes later found the couple back inside, where Harm observed Mac’s cold, dampened state. “You’re freezing. Why don’t you take a nice hot shower, then we can get comfortable and talk?” Harm suggested as he continued to hold her. Since they had returned from outside, he had no desire to stop touching her. To be honest, he didn’t know if he could stop.

“So are you.” Mac slid up onto her tiptoes and gave him a firm but quick peck on the lips. This led to a second kiss and a third, as well.

Harm began to feel the heat rising inside. He wanted her, and it was obvious that she felt the same. He smirked as he suggested, “Well then, since we are in the same state, what are we going to do about it?”

Mac’s eyes flashed with desire. She wanted him. “I’d say that I am going to go and take a shower. I would love it if you’d join me.”

“We still need to talk,” Harm reminded.

“And we will, after the shower. I need you, Harm. Help me find myself again,” Mac whispered as she slid his collar away slightly, kissing the pulse point of his neck, causing Harm to close his eyes. She continued the caress, sliding kisses higher on his neck and onto his jaw.

Harm, on overload, knew that they needed the shower, and if they didn’t go now, they’d end up making love on the floor where they stood. The pull was too strong to resist anymore. He had to have her. Pulling her to his lips, he gave her a strong, burning kiss, branding her lips as his own. Pulling away, he slid his arms down and picked her up, carrying her to the shower.

Entering the bedroom just outside the shower, Harm slid Mac down his body to the floor and stood her in front of him. Their lips mingled countless times as they undressed each other. Finally nude, they stepped fully into the shower. Harm allowed Mac to step in first so that he could get a full view of her lithe form. She was beautiful. Mac reached in, turned on the water, offering her back to Harm. Glancing back, her eyes beckoning to him, she offered her hand. He slid his hand into hers and together they stepped into the shower.

Harm and Mac’s lips joined in a fiery kiss, each giving and taking from the other in a fierce way. Harm held her to him with his right hand and ran the left up and down her back, mapping the landscape, finally coming to massage her right breast. Mac groaned at the sensation, it was such a powerful feeling, one that would soon be her undoing. She slid her hands onto his firm six, giving a good squeeze. She was amazed that she was able to be playful with him, express her feelings, and show what he meant to her.

Harm slid down onto his knees, sliding his mouth over the valley of her breasts, and over onto her breasts, one at a time. Taking her right nipple into his lips, he suckled her with tenderness, while kneading her left.

Harm’s heart was beating out of his chest with excitement. His hands were all over her, caressing, stroking, and holding her while he ran his lips down the contours of her torso. Mac’s head was back against the wall, her chin up high and her mouth open as she panted for air.

His mouth continued to place kisses on her breasts, and down to her abdomen. She stopped for a moment as she leaned down and gave him a searing kiss, their tongues clashing together. Once the kiss ended, he rubbed her thigh and easily slid a finger into her folds, questing, seeking her readiness for him. His finger pulsed in and out, and soon Mac could take no more. She called out to him and he held her while she reached her climax. Once she had settled, he slid his fingers away and ran her left hand down and under her right thigh, lifting it up and over his shoulder. Licking his lips for moisture, he placed an intimate kiss on her womanhood. She was writhing from the vibrations he drew from her as he alternated between kisses, licks, nips and strokes. As she neared her climax again, Mac reached down and pulled him up crushing her lips to his. She reached down and stroked his manhood, feeling it become firmer in her hand. She wanted to give him some of the same rapture that he had given her, and began to slide down.

“Later, Mac.” Harm moaned as he slid his hands to her waist and lifted her up slightly. Sliding her legs around his waist, Mac’s breath caught as he placed her up against the cool wall of the shower, but he soon sealed her mouth with his own. Within a few moments, his tip sought entrance to her core and found no delay, as he slid easily inside to the hilt.

The intensity was so sensuous for both of them. Mac called out, “Oh God, Harm!”

Harm let out a blast of pleasure-filled laughter at the ecstasy that he was feeling. He was home. Soon the need to move was too great. He slid out slightly and soon pushed back in, filling her yet again.

Mac could hardly believe that they had finally come to this point. The feelings he was stirring in her were amazing and so very powerful. She held on to him as firmly as possible, using every chance she had to kiss a shoulder, an arm, anything that she could reach. She caressed his firm, muscled chest as the sensations soared. She knew that she was close as she could feel herself getting tighter and the sparks started to fly behind her closed eyes. She knew that he was close, as his need to thrust harder and stronger grew. She practically screamed his name as she fell over the edge, he fell soon after, filling her with his seed and he eased them to the floor of the shower, still joined.

**********

An hour had passed since they had first made love, and the need to talk was once again at the forefront of their thoughts. The couple sat on the sofa in their favorite position, Harm stretched out on the couch and Mac reclining on his chest. Needing to voice his concerns, he began, “Mac, I am worried about you. Something is obviously wrong. You’ve been acting strangely, like not being able to tell the time. You’ve been flying off the handle at people more frequently, and often for no reason, and you told me that the last Tuesday of your trip, you had played hooky and enjoyed the beautiful weather.”

Mac looked back at Harm and responded, “Right, I did. What’s wrong with that? I thought you were joking when you said you were shocked.”

Harm assessed her facial expression for any change as if she were joking, but found none. He then continued, “Mac, there’s no way that you could have. ZNN reported that Twentynine Palms and the rest of Southern California had torrential downpours and flooding for the most of that week, and especially mentioned Tuesday.”

If almost anyone else had said that to Mac, she would have stood up to them and called them out. Instead, she looked astonished and replied, “Then why do I remember it so clearly? I can still smell the coconut from the suntan lotion I used.”

Harm inquired, “What about the sessions? Did anything out of the ordinary occur?”

Mac thought a moment, then shook her head. “Nothing stands out. The first week involved only Navy and the Corps, and then Monday and Tuesday were devoted to General Adams and the Army CID.”

“And you attended both days?” Harm queried.

“Yes.”

Scrubbing his hand across his chin in thought, Harm countered, “Then there is no way you could have gone swimming on Tuesday. You can’t be in two places at the same time.”

Mac paled at the discovery. “That can’t be!”

“Are you sure that Army CID was there on Tuesday?” Harm asked.

“Yeah, I have an agenda for the entire session,” Mac explained. ”I even spoke to General Adams for a while about the differences in the investigative process between CID and NCIS on Tuesday afternoon.”

Harm frowned at the discrepancy. “Is there anything else that you remember about the trip?”

“Other than the sessions, and what I told you about shopping and the massages?” Mac inquired.

“Yeah.”

Mac’s eyes drifted up as in thought for a moment. Grimacing, she replied, “No, not really.”

Harm was perplexed. “Nothing? What about meals?”

“No.”

“Old friends?”

“None.”

“Getting off the plane?”

Silence filled the air. Mac’s face showed that she was deep in thought, anxious to recall the memory. Her face blanched and Harm asked, “What is it?”

“I don’t remember getting off the plane. I don’t remember any more about the trip at all until I woke up Wednesday morning to fly back. Harm, what’s happening to me?”

Harm pulled her to him and answered, “I don’t know, Love. We’re going to get you checked out for anything physical or neurological first thing, and I am going to call Twentynine Palms to see if there is anything that the session planners can tell us.”

Mac blew out a deep breath onto his shoulder. “I’m sorry that our first time together wasn’t that special.”

Harm kissed her forehead and replied, “Sarah, I thought it was very special. if it were any more special, my head would have blown off!”

Mac laughed at his comment, swatting his arm as she said, “You lech! You know what I mean.”

“I do know what you mean. It was special for me because I hope that it was the last first time that I’ll have.”

“Me, too. I love you, Harm.”

Harm smiled and said, “I love you too, Sarah.”

Mac strolled towards the bedroom, unbuttoning the blouse she wore as she went. “Let’s get some rest, Harm. We’ve got a busy day, and if I am going to ravage you again tonight, I expect that I’ll need some rest.”

Harm’s smile exploded onto his face as he laughed. “Let me make sure we are locked up for the night, and I’ll be right there.”

Turning to check the door, he let his thoughts wander back to the evening’s discussion. Something had obviously happened to Mac’s memory, but what? His stomach churned with a strong sense of foreboding at the possibilities of just what had happened to her on that Tuesday.

Chapter Eight

1100 Zulu

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

Sunlight drifted into the apartment, filtering through the linen curtains in the living room, slowly creeping through the privacy shades hanging in front of Harm’s bedroom. He lay in bed, watching the light dance across Mac’s skin. Content to just hold her for awhile, he settled in and watched her sleep. He could smell the perfume she wore, and wondered when she had bought it. He felt certain that he knew her various fragrances, and did not recognize the cinnamon-tinged musky scent that she had re-applied before they went to bed. Her skin was visually stunning to him, and he eagerly wanted her to open her eyes so that he could share this feeling of giddy excitement with her. He had to tell her that he hoped to wake up with her like this for the rest of his life. He wanted to be able to touch her, stroke her skin and look into those exotic eyes of hers forever. He needed to be able to hear her voice any time he desired, especially in the throws of passion. Nothing in the world was more precious to him, than to hear her breathy call of…”

“Harm?”

Harm nearly jumped out of his skin, he was so deep in thought that he did not see her eyes flutter open. The timing of his thought and Mac calling his name could not have been more perfect. Once his heart stopped pounding, he took in the humor at how easily he startled. He slid closer, touching her and leaned over, placing a light kiss on her lips. “Good morning, how did you sleep?”

“Very little,” she hinted, a sexy smirk filled her lips. Her eyebrow rose in challenge as she added, “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” Her hand began to draw tiny circles on his chest as she anticipated his response.

The awkwardness that had accompanied the “morning after” of Harm’s previous encounters was absent. This was real, this was right. From the first contact, they both felt the exact moment that their souls clicked together, joining one to the other for eternity.

Harm smiled as he began to return the banter. “I know about it, and to be honest, I intend to make sure I know all there is to know about it.”

“Really?” Mac purred as Harm began to kiss her neck. “How do you intend to do that?”

“Simple, actually,” Harm whispered between kisses. “I intend to remap the entire territory, and to make sure I’ve done a thorough job, I intend to make you scream my name before I’m done.”

Mac smiled at the possibilities he promised. “Sounds like you have a specific plan, Commander. I have only one thing to say.”

“What’s that?” he moaned, never stopping his ministrations.

“Fire away,” she coyly proclaimed.

Harm laughed at her comment, pulled the sheet up and slid on top of her as he affirmed, “Aye-Aye, Ma’am!”

**********

Two hours later, Mac emerged from the bedroom, the bed sheet wrapped around her form as she proceeded to find Harm. She could hear noises generally associated with cooking and knew that she had made quick work of the search. He was in the kitchen wearing only his boxers and an undershirt and was in the process of making a rather large mushroom, cheese and pepper omelet.

“That smells terrific, I’m starving!” exclaimed Mac as she stood next to him and observed.

Harm turned and gave a proper good morning kiss, teasing her lips open with his tongue and allowing it to tangle with hers for a moment. Pulling back and attending to the stove, he replied, “Thanks. I thought that I would make extra. After all the extra activity we have had, I am starving this morning. I figured you might be, too.”

“You thought right,” she agreed. “I’m ravenous.”

“Here, snack on this. Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes,” Harm informed her as he reached over, picked up a slice of pepper and placed it on her lower lip. She closed her upper down over it and took a bite, then moved around the bar and had a seat on a stool. He had already set places for them, including glasses of juice. Mac took a sip of the cool orange juice, feeling the fruit’s acid slightly burn her throat as it went down.

Watching him work, she thought about the busy day ahead and decided they should set up a loose plan of the day’s activities. Mac questioned, “So, we’ve got a lot going on, what should we do first?”

Harm switched the burner off, turned around and placed a platter with the omelet between their seats. He reached into the refrigerator, pulled out a bowl of mixed fruit and placed it on the bar, as well. They ate a large portion of the food before he speculated again. “Well, think that we should finish breakfast first and then get you some clothes. After that, I think that you should call Dr. McCool. Between then and the time we go to Bud’s, we’ll see. At some point, we’ll need to get your car, too.”

Mac wrinkled her brow. “Dr. McCool, why?”

Harm reached up and straightened an errant lock of her hair before he answered, “I think that she might be able to help us figure out why you have conflicting memories, and maybe shed some light on the memory lapses that you have been having.”

Mac looked pensive as she pondered what he had said. She opened her mouth to speak, but then she closed it, almost nervous at what she would say.

Harm noted this action and expressed his concern. “What is it?”

Pausing a moment more, she replied, “What if something is wrong with me? I mean really wrong. What if now that we are finally getting things right, something comes along and ruins everything?”

Pulling her to him in a fierce hug, Harm kissed her hair and replied, “Sweetheart, I love you. No matter what comes along, I have no intentions of anything being able to ruin what we have now. No matter if you are ill, hurt, or even dying, I will never leave you. I couldn’t, I’d die without you now.”

The embrace ended after a few lingering moments. The pair sat back a bit, still able to touch. “Oh, Harm. I love you, too. Thank you for saying that. I guess I just needed reassurance,” she said as tears lightly played down her cheeks. Looking down and then up at him with a childlike insecurity, she added, “You’ll come with me?”

“Of course,” he answered firmly.

A dozen heartbeats passed before she spoke again. When she did so, she snickered, “So, I’m ‘sweetheart’, now?”

Harm thought back to the conversation and shook his head. It had come so easily, he didn’t even realize he had used the term of affection. “Do you mind?”

Smiling, Mac took his hand and responded, “In the office it might cause some confusion. Outside the office, though, I don’t mind at all. I might even get into using terms of endearment with you, as well.”

Harm smiled and shook his head at the playful wisecrack. Taking the last bite of his omelet, he reached over, picked up a piece of melon and fed it to Mac before he announced, “OK, I need a shower. I would invite you to come, as well, but we’ll never make it out of here if you do. Why don’t I clean up and you shower, then I’ll take mine?”

Mac shook her head as she offered, “You cooked and I’ll clean up. Go shower first.”

“You sure?”

Her response was to grab a towel and playfully snap him with it. “Go!”

“OK, OK! I’m going,” Was his response as he leaned over, kissed her lips and turned to go to the shower.

Passing through the bedroom, Harm never noticed the bleeding man looming in the corner.

**********

1500 Zulu

Dr. McCool’s office

Bethesda, Maryland

Mac sat on the edge of the left chair facing Dr. McCool’s desk while Harm occupied the one on the right. Vera McCool had spoken to Mac and Harm on the phone, as both relayed their information about what had been happening the past few days and asked them to meet her at the office. So now they sat, watching each other in near disbelief at the facts as they all came together for the Commander.

Taking notes regarding the conversation, she looked between the two of them and then summarized, “Let me see if I have everything here. Sarah has been forgetful as to her normal time awareness. She has lost days at a time and now you are finding that she has conflicting information about one day while she was gone. She is absolutely certain that the days happened as she describes, when she describes, correct?”

The couple looked at each other before Mac answered, “Yes, that’s it.”

Commander McCool continued, “And you wish that Commander Rabb stays with you for the entire session?”

Mac nodded, then confirmed, “Sorry, Dr. McCool, but he is the one person that I trust right now. I need him here.”

McCool nodded her understanding. “Well then, is there anything else that has happened that we haven’t covered?”

Harm shook his head and answered, “No.”

Mac looked down and whispered, “Yes.”

Harm was surprised. Turning his head toward her, he wanted to hold her, protect her, and he even wanted to grab her and demand to know what else she hadn’t told him. Years of experience reading people on the stand told him that she needed a bit of time to collect her thoughts before she continued.

After a few seconds, Mac looked ahead at Dr. McCool. “I see people.” She said starkly.

Raising her eyebrow, her interest piqued, Dr. McCool inquired, “What people?”

Mac tugged at her sleeve, as if she were hoping for the right words to tumble out onto her lap. “I…I…Oh, hell, I don’t know how to say it without making it sound like that movie. I see dead people!”

A period of silence of at least ten seconds passed before anyone in the room responded. Mac found the words she needed to continue. “While I was away, as we have discussed, I don’t remember many details. However, I do very vividly remember a dream that I had for several nights. It wasn’t long, but it was as if I was awake and looking out through my own eyes. I was floating over this…this stack of bodies.”

McCool leaned forward in her chair. “Do you recognize where you are?”

Mac closed her eyes and let herself wander through the dream as she replied, “No.”

Commander McCool continued with the questions. “Was there anyone that you recognized?”

Mac paused a second, “No, not…” a second passed and she paled as she gasped out, “Oh no!”

Commander McCool inquired again, “Colonel Mackenzie, what is it that you see?”

“I see Harm. I see his body. He has been shot and is dead.” Mac recalled.

Dr. McCool was hanging on the potential answer of her next question. “Can you tell who shot him?”

Mac opened her eyes, tears spilling out in a flood. She couldn’t look at Harm as she replied, “I did. I shot him!”

Chapter Nine

“But it is just a dream, Colonel. You didn’t really shoot him.” McCool tried to assure Mac, visibly shaken at the realitization of this new information.

“I know, but a part of me is afraid that it might be a vision, something to come,” she responded, wiping tears away with a tissue.

Harm was baffled. He couldn’t say anything, so he chose to show his support by taking her hand in his and giving a firm but loving squeeze.

Dr. McCool waited for Mac to compose herself, and decided to continue. “You said that you had these dreams while you were away. Are you still having them now?”

Mac tightened her eyebrows, thinking before she revealed any further information. “In a manner of speaking.”

Commander McCool turned her head in contemplation as she quickly pondered the reply, then asked, “How so, then?”

Mac tightened her lips before she responded. She knew that her answer would sound crazy to the Doctor. Hell, it sounded absolutely nuts to her. “I don’t always see all the dead people that I saw in the dream. Now, I usually only see one person, a man in a white dress shirt, with blood spilling out from a chest wound.”

“How many times a night do dream about him?” Harm asked, he could stay silent no more.

“I don’t dream about him. I am seeing him when I’m awake.” Mac lamented in a near-whisper.

“When do you see him?” Dr. McCool questioned.

Mac sighed before she provided the information. “Different times. Once at work, a couple times at Commander Rabb’s apartment, once last night and again this morning.”

“Does he ever try to hurt you?”

“No,” Mac answered. “Usually he just looks at me with a cold look, almost disdain. In my office, he spoke to me once. He said, ‘Hello, Sarah, isn’t there something that you need to do?’”

Alarms went off in Commander McCool’s head. Remaining calm, she decided to end the session at this point. “OK, let’s stop there for now. I have some concerns, Colonel. Waking dreams are usually either drug induced or show signs of a serious psychological disorder manifesting itself. However, I am not convinced that either of those fit you. I am going to set up a session for you with a colleague of mine. His name is Raymond Gettes, and he specializes in this type of incident.

Harm’s curiosity was raised at her choice of words. “What type of incident do you suspect that this is, Commander?”

Dr. McCool looked to Mac for approval. Once given, she responded, “Dr. Gettes specializes in the more covert areas of military neuro-research. He studies mental manipulation, coercion and even cases of brain-washing.”

Harm and Mac displayed the same look of shock on their faces. Both looked to the other, and Mac responded, “Are you saying that I was brain-washed, Commander?”

“Not necessarily, Colonel. I think that you have been subject to some form of attempted manipulation or force, hence the reason that you have such strong memories of two events that could not have happened at exactly the same time as you remember. Perhaps one is reality and the other is the memory they are trying to ingrain.

“When can she see him?” Harm inquired.

“I will call him today. I know that he is currently at a conference in Okinawa. He’s back on the schedule Monday, but I’ll try for tomorrow, if he is back. Otherwise, we will have you see him definitely on Monday. I would like you to consider being admitted here for observation in the meantime.”

Mac shook her head, “No. I don’t want to stay here. Is there something here that you plan to do for me before Dr. Gettes arrives?”

McCool responded, “Not really, other than observation should circumstances change in your situation.”

Harm could sense the apprehension rolling off Mac in sheets. “Would I be able to take responsibility for her observation, if I promised to get her here if things change?”

”Fine, but should your behavior begin to change or the visions or dreams return, I expect you to come back,” McCool demanded.

“I will see to it, Commander,” Harm assured.

“Dr. McCool, thank you once again,” Mac said as she offered her hand to the woman.

Commander McCool smiled, “You’re welcome, Colonel. Try to get some rest, and I’ll see you soon.”

**********

Harm held the door for Mac as they left the building. Walking to the car, he told her, “I am going to call Bud and reschedule for tonight. I think it’s a bad idea to go out.”

Mac placed her hand on his forearm, stopping him. “Please don’t do that. I think that it would be a perfect way to get my mind on something more pleasant this evening.”

Hesitating for a moment, he grumbled slightly, “Fine, but the first second you are tired or if you have a problem, we’re going home, alright?”

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then smiled at him and responded, “I promise. Thank you.”

Despite the conversation in the parking lot, all the way home, Harm had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something devious was at work, and he had to help Sarah get the help she needed to find what had been done to her. He had to stop whatever evil was supposed to come at her hands, or die trying.

Chapter Ten

The ride to the Roberts’ house could be classified as “interesting”. For the first half of the trip, neither Harm nor Mac spoke at all. Observing Harm’s nervous habits provided Mac some inroads as to just how much her lover kept inside himself and what managed to spill over, such as tapping the steering wheel, and the occasional swinging leg thing that he did while in the car. He was doing the latter now, and she wondered if he was even aware of it.

“Harm, are you OK?” she inquired in a quiet manner.

Looking over before responding, he then quipped, “You know, I should be asking you that.”

They shared a quiet smile of understanding, as Harm reached over and took hold of her hand. Mac smiled slightly at the gesture, then asked, “I’m not talking about just that. We’ve had a lot of changes the past few hours, and now we are going to Bud and Harriet’s and as soon as they see us, they’re going to know that we have…moved things along.”

Harm laughed at her euphemism. “Sarah, I intend to go in there and just be myself. If they see that we have become lovers, so be it.”

Mac’s voce rose slightly as she queried, “And if they ask?”

“Then I’ll lie and run out the door, screaming,” he jested.

She gave him a disbelieving look, her eyebrow slightly raised in challenge. Harm saw the face she made and decided to come clean, “OK, OK, if they ask, I’ll tell the truth. They’re friends, they’ll be happy for us.”

2320 Zulu

Roberts Residence

Falls Church, Virginia

Dinner had progressed nicely, now the four friends were sitting on the back porch, sipping iced tea and pleasantly catching up. The sun was sitting low on the horizon, bathing the landscape with breathtaking tones of pinks and gold. Harm and Bud were engaged in shop talk, while Harriet kept Mac laughing with tales of little AJ’s latest exploits.

There was a break in the conversation, as Harriet refilled everyone’s glasses and turned to go in to the kitchen for dessert. Mac followed to offer assistance. As they turned to go, Mac noted the sound of a large dog barking nearby. “Is that a dog on the loose? He sounds big.”

Harriet sat the pitcher on the counter, reached up for dessert plates and responded, “No, that’s just Max, the neighbor’s dog. He a German Shepherd, but he thinks he’s a Chihuahua. He is friendly, and likes to interact with people, but his size can be a bit unsettling to people. He hears us out there and wants to get in on the conversation. He’ll settle down. He always does.”

Mac shook her head in agreement, although she was still a bit concerned. Harriet, not wasting a second more, continued, “Speaking of settling down, it sure looks like you and the Commander are well on your way. Have you two made some progress?”