TUESDAY, 30 MAY
0915 ZULU
SARAH MACKENZIE'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN
WASHINGTON D.C.

Mac returned from taking Jingo for his morning walk to find Harm, already dressed in his uniform, at the stove making breakfast.  She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.  "Good morning, sleepyhead," she greeted him.

Harm turned his head to look at her as he flipped the omelet he was making in the frying pan.  "You know, you could have woken me," he said.  "We could have taken Jingo for a walk together."

"Together," Mac said wistfully.  "You know, I could get used to that word.  And to all this .... falling asleep in your arms, waking up lying next to you, you making me breakfast ...."

"I never figured you for the mushy, sentimental type," he teased as he took the pan off the stove and slid the omelet onto a plate already waiting on the counter. 

"What can I say," she sighed as he turned to face her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.  "You have turned me into a hopeless romantic."

"I think I could really enjoy getting to know this new side to Sarah Mackenzie," he said as they walked over to the table.  Harm held out a chair for Mac, then placed the omelet in front of her.

"Aren't you having any?" she asked as he went back into the kitchen.

Harm returned a few seconds later carrying a glass of what looked like a milkshake.  She wrinkled her nose as a look of disgust crossed her face.  "I don't think I want to know what is in that."

Harm laughed.  This wasn't the first derogatory comment she had made about his healthy eating habits.  Nor would it be the last.  "Just lots of stuff that is good for me," he told her.  "You should try it sometime."

"I don't think so," she said emphatically, taking a bite of the omelet.  "Mmmm.  This is good.  Much better than Harm's meatless meatloaf."

"Hey!" he retorted in mock indignation, then he sobered suddenly.  "I was thinking while you were out.  Have you thought about how you are going to tell Brumby?"

Mac looked down at her omelet, pushing it around on her plate with her fork.  She had spent a lot of time on her morning walk thinking about that very subject, when she hadn't been thinking about the man waiting for her back in her bed, that is.  "I was going to call him later today," she admitted, "see if he will meet me at McMurphy's after work.  I just don't know what I'm going to say."

"Would you like me to go with you?" he asked, concerned.

Mac shook her head sadly.  "As much as I would love to have your support, I don't think that's really a good idea.  I don't want you two to beat each other up again on my account."  She put her hand on his arm and smiled at him.  "I do appreciate the concern, but this is something that I really need to handle on my own."

Harm covered her hand with his other hand and squeezed gently.  "Just remember I'll be here for you when you need me," he said.

"I know," Mac answered, leaning over to kiss him.  "I know."

1055 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA 

"So, can you get away for lunch?" Mac asked as Harm turned his SUV into the parking lot at JAG Headquarters, both of them saluting the Marine guard at the gate.  "I need to go buy a new tire so that I can finally get rid of that flat on my car."

"What, you don't like riding into work with me?" Harm teased.

Mac laughed.  "Coming into work together every morning and leaving together every night isn't exactly keeping quiet about our relationship," she reminded him. 

"Oh, yeah, we did say we were going to keep quiet, didn't we?" Harm sighed as he pulled into his parking space.  He turned off the ignition and leaned back in his seat.  "The logistics of this are going to be a lot harder than we thought."

"I think it will be kind of fun," Mac commented, her tone light and teasing, "sneaking around to see each other, carrying a mad, passionate affair behind everyone's backs."

Harm shook his head, chuckling as they got out of the car.  "I don't know about you sometimes, Marine."

"It's a good thing to keep men guessing," Mac retorted, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Harm was about to reply when he saw Bud and Harriet approaching them out of the corner of his eye.  "So what time did you want to go pick up that new tire for your car?" he asked her, raising his voice slightly for their friends' benefit.

Mac looked at him, startled, then turned slightly and saw the other couple approaching.  Playing it up, she replied, "How about 1100 hours?  Does that work for you?"

"Works for me," he told her as Bud and Harriet stopped in front of them.  "Good morning, Bud, Harriet."

"Good morning, Sir, Ma'am," Harriet answered enthusiastically, while she eyed her friends, looking for any sign of hope for the two of them.  Bud echoed her greeting while his wife added, "Thank you for coming to the park with us Sunday.  It really meant a lot to us and to little AJ."

"It was our pleasure," Harm answered.  "Any opportunity to spoil our little godson."

"Yes," Mac added, "it seems that we haven't been able to do that much lately."

"How about spending some more time with your godson?" Harriet asked, making a spur of the moment decision, as the foursome walked into the building.  "Bud and I were thinking of going to a movie Friday night.  If you don't have other plans, how would you two like to watch AJ?"

Bud was about to interject that they hadn't made any plans for a movie until Harriet surreptitiously elbowed him, effectively quieting him before he could say something that would ruin her plan.  Bud smiled at Harm and Mac while promising himself that he would have a long talk with his matchmaking wife later.

Harm and Mac looked at each other and shrugged.  "We'd be delighted," Harm answered for both of them.  "Enjoy yourselves at the movies."

Harriet forced herself to refrain from jumping up and down for joy, which would have been near-impossible given her pregnancy, but she was definitely thrilled about this development.  "Thank you very much, Sir, Ma'am," she told them.  "This really means a lot to me and Bud."  And someday you will thank me for this, too, she promised silently.

Harm and Mac headed for their respective offices while Bud practically dragged his wife into his.  Harm turned to look back at Mac before entering his office, his eyebrow raised.  "She was a little transparent out there, wasn't she?" Harm commented.

"Just a little," Mac replied, "but I don't mind at all.  Not at all."

In Bud's office, Harriet was standing patiently in front of his desk, a satisfied grin on her face while Bud paced nervously behind his chair.  "I can't believe you just did that," he said, shaking his head.  "What possessed you?"

"Oh, Bud," Harriet responded, sighing.  Men could be so obtuse sometimes, she thought.  "Didn't you notice?"

"Notice what, honey?"

"The Colonel," Harriet answered excitedly.  "She's no longer wearing Commander Brumby's ring!"

1505 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Harriet had gone outside for lunch right at 1100 hours, so she had seen Harm and Mac leave together a few minutes later.  Harriet smiled as she watched the two of them brush hands as they walked to Harm's SUV.  Obviously, they weren't going to need too much of a nudge into each other's arms, she thought as she took a bite of her sandwich.  She watched them until they drove out of the parking lot, then turned to find Carolyn standing over her, holding a lunch tray from the cafeteria in her hands. 

"Mind if I join you, Lieutenant?" Carolyn asked, indicating the empty seat next to Harriet.

"Go ahead, Commander," Harriet replied.  "Bud's working through lunch, researching his new case, so I could use the company."

"So, Harriet," Carolyn began as she took a sip of her coffee.  "Did you notice Harm and Mac at the ball Friday night?"

Harriet smiled.  Maybe she could convince Carolyn to join her as a co-conspirator.  "You mean that dance they shared?"

Carolyn nodded.  "Exactly.  Sometimes I wonder how two people so smart can be so stupid at the same time," she commented.

"My thoughts exactly," Harriet agreed.  "But did you notice the Colonel's hand this morning?"

Carolyn shook her head, then began to smile as understanding dawned.  "She took off the ring?"

"Yes," Harriet responded, excited.  "We talked about the ring once, and I said that it helped if you were sure.  She wasn't sure that Commander Brumby was the one.  How could she be?  It's so obvious that she has strong feelings for Commander Rabb."

"You know," Carolyn added conspiratorially,  "I once asked Mac what he was like, well, you know.  She insisted that nothing had ever happened between them.  But I could see the look in her eyes, the one that said that maybe nothing had happened yet, but she would definitely like it to."

"Well," Harriet said, lowering her voice to almost a whisper, "Bud and I had a little family day at Rock Creek Park Sunday and invited them along, as AJ's godparents.  Things were a little tense at first, but it was so apparent how they felt once they relaxed around each other."

Harriet took a deep breath and continued, "Bud and I are going to the movies Friday night.  Guess who's going to be babysitting little AJ together?"

Carolyn laughed.  "You're quite the little schemer, aren't you?" she teased.

Harriet nodded, a smug grin on her face.  "I just happen to think those two are perfect for each other.  If I can help out by giving them a little nudge in the right direction, what can it hurt?"

Carolyn patted Harriet's arm.  "If you need any help, just let me know.  They'll never know what hit them."

1620 ZULU
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Mac sat at her desk, staring at the phone for a long moment, dreading the phone call she knew she had to make.  It wasn't that she was not feeling confident in her decision.  She had never been more sure of anything in her life.  But Mic was so kind and sweet.  She hated having to hurt him.

Sighing, she picked up the phone and dialed the number to Mic's room at the Doubletree in Arlington.  He picked up after the second ring.  "Hello, Mic," she said, fighting to keep her voice level, "it's me."

"Hello, luv," Mic answered.  "I was hoping you would call."

Mac took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, steeling herself.  "Can you meet me at McMurphy's after work, say around 1630 hours?" she asked.  "We need to talk."

"That we do, luv," he replied.  "I'll see you there."

Before Mic could say anything else, Mac hung up the phone.  She didn't want to drag this out any more than necessary.   She looked up to find Harm standing in the doorway.

"Are you okay?" he asked, the concern evident in his eyes.

"Why is it that I know I've made the right decision," she said softly, "but it's still tearing me up inside?"

Harm stepped into the office and closed the door.  He wanted to hold her, do everything in his power to convince her it was going to be all right.  But he couldn't, not here.  "Because you don't want to see anyone get hurt," he responded, "and you know this is going to hurt Mic."

Back in his hotel room, Mic stood staring at the phone in his hand for a long moment before placing it back in it's cradle.  That was it, then.  There was only one thing left for him to do, he thought as he pulled the phone book out of the nightstand drawer and began flipping through the pages.

2025 ZULU
MCMURPHY'S BAR
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Mac sat at a corner table, nursing a club soda, while she waited for Mic to arrive, going over in her mind what she was going to say to him, how she was going to say it.  How many times had she wowed judges and juries with her brilliant legal arguments, yet she was having a hard time finding the words to tell Mic that it was over?  She could really use Harm's strength right now, she thought.

Harm had offered to drop her off at the bar and wait around the corner for her, but Mac had vetoed the suggestion.  As much as she wanted – no, needed – his support, she wasn't about to kick Mic while he was down by having him see Harm there waiting for her.  So Mac had walked the short distance to the bar, Harm waiting for her back at JAG, using the extra time to try to find the right words.

Mic entered the bar at exactly 1630 and immediately saw her sitting by herself, staring down at the scarred table top.  The thought crossed his mind that he was surprised Harm wasn't with her, to gloat, but then Mic shook his head as if to clear the thought from his mind.  Mac wouldn't do that to him.  He slowly made his way to her table, as if he could delay the inevitable.

Mac looked up as Mic sat down across from her and smiled weakly at him.  As much as she didn't want to hurt him, she did want to get this over with.  "Mic, I have something to tell you," she began slowly, searching for the words.

"You've made your decision," he stated.  It wasn't a question.

She nodded as she retrieved his ring from her purse and handed it out to him. "I'm sorry, Mic," she apologized, "I really am.  But I can't marry you."

Mic took the ring and squeezed his hand into a fist around it, as if trying to block out the pain in his heart and soul.  "I think I knew what your answer was going to be," he said sadly.  "I think I've known since Friday."

"I'm sorry," she repeated.  She didn't know what else to say.

"Sarah," he began.  She looked at him expectantly as he took a deep breath to steady himself.  "Be happy."

Mac stood and leaned down to kiss his cheek.  "You too, Mic," she said softly as she turned away from him and everything he could have given her.  "You, too."

Mic ordered a beer after she left and downed it quickly, motioning to the waitress for another one.  He couldn't dwell here too long, he knew.  After all, he had reservations on the next flight to Los Angeles and then on to Sydney, Australia.

Part 3