Monday Morning
0859 (8:59 a.m.)
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

Mac took a deep breath as the elevator doors parted and made her way past two petty officers and a lieutenant as she walked toward the bullpen. She then paused just inside the doorway, allowing her senses to absorb the familiar surroundings: personnel threading their way through the maze of desks, the sounds of fax machines beeping, file cabinets slamming, phones ringing, mugs clinking against desktops, and the occasional laugh or chuckle. She smiled softly to herself. It was good to be home.

Starting toward her office, she was just rounding the corner when she very narrowly missed running straight into Harriet. As soon as the younger woman had regained her balance, her face lit up immediately. “Colonel, welcome back!”

“Thanks, Harriet.” Mac leaned down to give her a quick hug. “I see the place didn’t burn to the ground while I was gone.”

“Not quite, ma’am.” Harriet wasn’t one to beat around the bush, however. “So, how did everything go? Is Chloe any better?”

“Much,” Mac replied. “Funeral was hard on her, but she’s been keeping herself busy.”

“Found a school yet?”

“We’re visiting a few tomorrow afternoon. If all goes well, I’m hoping to have her back in by the end of fall break.” Mac quickly ducked into her office to place her cover and briefcase on a chair. “So, anything exciting happen while I was gone?”

~*~*~*~*

Across the bullpen, Harm was just exiting Chegwidden’s office when he caught sight of his partner engaged in an animated conversation with Harriet. He smiled in satisfaction as he noticed the aura of cheerfulness surrounding her – his pep talk of the previous morning had done its job. Mac was positively glowing.

Getting a better grip on the mammoth pile of folders in his arms, he began making his way across the room. He was almost to his office when he heard Mac ask Harriet where Bud was. “Conferring with the enemy,” he answered from behind her.

Mac turned to him. “‘The enemy’?” she inquired with an amused smile.

“Manetti. She’s trying to get a continuance. We don’t want it.”

“Ahh.” Mac nodded in understanding. “Are those for me?” she asked, gesturing to his files.

“Nope. However, there’s an even larger stack on the Admiral’s desk waiting just for you.” He sounded way too smug for his own good.

“Great,” Mac muttered, but her tone held only a trace of sarcasm. “Well, I better get to it. ‘Scuse me.”

Harm and Harriet both paused to watch her disappear into Tiner’s office. “She looks a lot better, sir,” Harriet commented softly.

“I know,” he replied in an equally quiet tone. “I know.”

~*~*~*~*

Two Days Later
1002 (10:02 a.m.)
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

Harm made no effort to stifle the enormous yawn escaping his mouth as he made his way into the break room on Wednesday morning.

Sturgis glanced up from pouring himself a refill of coffee. “Hey, don’t even start that stuff.”

Harm threw him a mock glare as he pulled a mug from the shelf. “Well, if somebody would accept my oh-so-generous offer on the Hawkins ’32, I wouldn’t have to pull so many all-nighters.”

Sturgis snorted. “‘Oh-so-generous’, my six.”

Harm responded by elbowing him, which caused Sturgis to spill the powdered creamer he was using all over the counter.

“Can’t you boys contain yourselves for just a few more hours?” Mac asked from the doorway, having witnessed the incident. She was referring to the poker match that the men of the office participated in twice a month, which was scheduled for that evening.

“It wasn’t me!” was her chorused reply.

Mac simply rolled her eyes and made her way past them to the coffeepot.

“You coming tonight, Mac?” Sturgis questioned, wiping the creamer off the counter with a napkin. Despite the fact that the poker games were considered to be for “men only”, Mac would occasionally drop in and play a round or two… never ceasing to win by a landslide.

“I’d love to, but I promised Chloe that we could go shopping tonight. She wants a new skirt to wear to the concert on Friday.”

Harm froze, his mug halfway to his lips. “That’s this weekend?”

“Mm-hmm.” Mac didn’t even look up as she sampled her coffee.

“But…”

Mac let the word hang in the air for a few seconds before she glanced at his face. “But, what?” she asked calmly.

“Basketball finals,” Harm said helplessly. “Bud -”

“Yes, sir?” asked a voice. Bud walked through the doorjamb and looked at Harm expectantly.

“- is ref’ing,” Harm finished, letting his breath out in a whoosh.

“That’s what we planned, sir… is that all right?” Bud inquired, looking lost.

“It’s fine, Bud, but we’ve got a scheduling problem,” Sturgis piped up helpfully. “Harm has a boy band shindig to go to.”

“You mean that N Sync concert?” Bud asked.

Harm nodded wordlessly.

Bud grinned with a chuckle. “That’s all our babysitter has talked about for the past two weeks; apparently she called into some radio station and won backstage passes. I hear they’re expecting about sixteen thousand people to show up.”

Harm paled.

“Sixteen thousand screaming teenage girls…” Sturgis muttered under his breath in an entirely too pleased tone. Mac elbowed him in the ribs.

Bud cocked his head in a curious manner. “But why are you going, sir?”

“Birthday gift for Chloe,” Mac supplied.

“Well, that’s very generous of you, sir!”

Harm managed a quick, half-hearted smile. “Thanks, Bud.”

Sturgis shook his head with an amused expression before stepping up next to Bud. “To Harm,” he announced, raising his mug, “and his eminent act of selfless bravery.” There was a loud CLINK as the three cups met, and Mac rolled her eyes as she scooted past them and out of the room.

~*~*~*~*

Two Days Later
1531 (3:31 p.m.)
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia

Harm was thoroughly engrossed in the rough draft of his closing statements when he heard the sounds of a deep baritone engaged in song floating from his office doorway. “You’re all I ever wanted… you’re all I ever neeeeeded…”

Harm ripped his eyes away from his notepad to give his friend a murderous glare. However, the expression didn’t daunt Sturgis as he continued. “… so tell me what to doooo noooooow… when I want… you… back!”

Harm dropped his pen onto his desk, folded his hands in front of him, and inquired calmly, “Do the words ‘harassment charges’ mean anything to you?”

A mischievous grin covered Sturgis’ face. “Just trying to be helpful.”

Harm let out a snort. “How can subjecting me to your awful imitation of a twenty-year-old’s singing be helpful?”

“I’m making sure you don’t forget about the concert, that’s all.”

“How the heck could it possibly slip my mind when I’ve got you sticking your nose in here every five minutes to serenade me?”

“Who’s serenading whom?” asked Mac, poking her head over Sturgis’ shoulder. Sturgis, ever so brave, immediately slipped back into the bullpen. Mac watched him leave, confusion etched on her face. She turned back to Harm, jerking her thumb in the direction of Sturgis’ departure. “Did I miss something?”

Harm shook his head, picking his pen and notepad back up. “Forget it.”

Mac walked the rest of the way into the office and perched on the edge of an empty chair. “Have you figured out yet what you want to do tonight?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you picking her up, am I dropping her off…?”

“Oh.” Harm pondered for a minute. “Umm…”

“How’s this: I’m all done for the day – case closed early – and I told Chloe I’d help her fix her hair. You want to just pick her up from my place?”

“That sounds fine.”

Mac nodded. “OK. I’m headed out then.”

“See you in a few hours.”

~*~*~*~*~*

1743 (5:43 p.m.)

Harm braked his Lexus to a stop, eyes widening in a combination of disbelief and disgust. The road he usually turned onto to get to his apartment building was completely blocked. A huge sign flashing the words “Detour” pointed to the left, and just beyond the barricade, Harm could see the grisly results of a vehicle accident – men in fire suits were hosing down a smoking convertible, and a large SUV was on its side a few feet away. Three people were being carried on gurneys to waiting ambulances.

A horn behind him honked, jerking Harm’s attention back to his driving. With a disgruntled growl, he yanked the wheel to the left and, following the directions of a policeman guiding traffic, made his way onto a side road that was serving as the detour.

Reaching over and pulling his cell phone off its charger, he punched the first number on his speed dial.

“Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie.”

“Mac, it’s me. There’s a wreck at the Olson Avenue turnoff, and they’ve got the whole road blocked. I’m on the detour right now, but it’s going to take me at least an extra twenty minutes to get to my apartment. Tell Chloe that she’ll have to eat dinner before I get there – there won’t be time to grab something on the way to the concert.”

“Yes, there will. Turn around.”

“Mac, the tickets are at my apartment. Besides, I have to change.”

“Turn around. I’ve got the tickets.”

“You do?”

“Yes.”

“And I’m just supposed to wear my uniform to this thing?”

“I took care of that, too. Now, for the last time, turn around.”

With an over-exaggerated sigh, Harm flipped on his turn signal, pulled into a dental office’s parking lot, and made a U-turn. Looking to make sure no cars were coming, he pulled back onto the road, heading in the opposite direction. “OK, I’m on my way.”

~*~*~*~*

1807 (6:07 p.m.)
Mac’s Apartment Building
Georgetown

Harm’s knuckle had barely left the door before Mac swung it open. “Wow, that was fast.”

“Hit three green lights in a row,” he replied, stepping inside.

Chloe’s head popped around the corner from inside her room. “Oh, good, you’re here.” She disappeared back inside, then hurried into the living room with a handful of clothing. “Here,” she told Harm, handing it to him before scurrying back to her room.

“She picked out your clothes for you,” Mac explained after noticing Harm’s slightly confused expression.

His eyebrows rose in shock. “You let her go through my drawers?!”

“Only the bottom two,” Mac assured him. “Go shower.” She pointed toward the bathroom. “Now.”

~*~*~*~*

Mac was adjusting Chloe’s hairdo for the final time when Harm emerged from the bathroom, clad in a pair of black jeans and a collared gray shirt with short sleeves that complimented his muscular biceps.

Mac, glancing up, forced herself not to gulp. Leaning down close to Chloe’s ear, she whispered, “Nice choice.”

“It’s pretty good if I do say so myself,” Chloe replied, her tone holding a note of pride. Mac smiled to herself and finished brushing Chloe’s hair. “There,” she announced finally. “You look great, sweetie.”

“Thanks!” Chloe turned to give her a quick hug. “Hey, Harm?”

“Hmm?” he asked from the sofa, where he was putting on his shoes.

“Do we still have time to get something to eat?”

Harm glanced at his watch as he finished tying his laces. “Yep, if we leave now. You ready?”

“Yeah. Let’s go!” Chloe walked over and grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet and dragging him toward the door.

“Have fun,” Mac told them, smiling at Harm’s obviously disbelieving look.

“Don’t wait up for us,” he said.

“I won’t,” Mac promised. “And here.” She pressed something into his hand just before Chloe yanked him out the door.

On their way down the stairs, Harm opened his palm to see what Mac had given him, and had to grin. It was a pair of earplugs.