Colonel Sarah MacKenzie stared dumbly at the petite, dark-haired woman before her. Next to her was a solemn little girl, who refused to look at Mac. Instead she clutched her tiny hands together and stared at them.

"I’m very sorry, Colonel, to come to you like this. I assumed he had at least told you about us."

Mac forced herself to focus on the words being spoken by Annette Brumby – Mrs. Mic Brumby. But all she could feel was the red tide of anger steadily rising within her. She cleared her throat slightly, forcing her words to remain even as she spoke.

"Mrs. Brumby, I apologize. I did not know about you. Mic never mentioned that he was married."

"I know this wasn’t my place to tell you but I…" Annette shrugged helplessly. "I had to know who his other woman was. I know I’m handling this badly but I didn’t even have a hint that there was something wrong with our marriage. He just simply asked me for a divorce and told me he’d fallen in love with someone else. It took me a bit of trouble to find you but I had to know, Colonel. I just had to," Annette continued, her eyes begging with Mac to understand.

Mac looked down for a moment and tried to force a slight smile. "I do understand, Mrs. Brumby. I’m afraid in your position I would have done the same thing."

"What are you going to do, Colonel MacKenzie?"

"I’m only willing to discuss so much with you and what I do is my business. I will tell you that I had already decided not to marry Mic. So, maybe you should be asking yourself what you’re going to do," Mac pointed out gently.

"Maybe I should," Annette agreed.

A minute later Mac ushered the woman out, closing the door behind the pair with a decisive click. The emotion drained out of her then as the enormity of the situation hit her and she sank into the chair Annette had just vacated. Married! Agreeing to his proposal would have been a big enough mistake on its own but to find out he was married?

Mac lurched to her feet and strode quickly across the bullpen to the Admiral’s office. P.O. Tiner smiled when he saw her.

"Tiner, may I see the Admiral for a few minutes?"

"I’ll see if he’s available, Colonel."

A minute later Mac was at attention in from of her CO. Anger fairly vibrated from her and she sat down and clenched her hands together. The diamond ring was missing from her hands.

"Colonel, is something wrong?" A.J. asked sharply, arching one brow.

"Admiral, I’d like to request a few days leave."

"For what reason?"

"To fly to Australia."

Admiral Chegwidden shifted his weight slightly and glanced out the window. "Then you’ve made a decision?"

"Yes, sir, I have."

"And the situation will be settled one way or another by the time you come back?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then you may go. Just make sure the Commander and Lt. Roberts have what they need on your cases before you go."

"Thank you, sir, and I’ll make sure I speak with them both."

"Is that all, Colonel?"

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

Back in her office, Mac made her flight arrangements immediately and then went to see Bud first and then Harm. He was on the phone when she tapped on his door but he smiled warmly and motioned for her to come in.

"Hey, Marine," he greeted a moment later. "What’s up?"

"I’m taking a few days personal leave and I wanted to leave a couple of my files with you, please," she stated simply.

Harm leaned forward in his seat and dropped his pen on the blotter. "Leave? Why? Are you okay?"

Mac wanted nothing more at that very moment then to break down in his arms and sob out the whole miserable story. But this was something she had to tend to on her own. She couldn’t let Harm solve this.

"I’m fine, Harm. I’m going to Australia."

The words hit him directly in the gut. He paled just a fraction and looked down at the file before him. "When are you leaving?"

"Tonight. I’ll be back at the end of the week."

"Need a ride?"

Mac stared hard at him as their eyes met and clung. Her resolve to remain strong was weakening in the face of his uncertainty. "If it wouldn’t be any trouble," she murmured.

"No trouble at all," he answered.

"My flight leaves at 2100."
"Then I’ll pick you up at 2000."

"Thank you, Harm," she murmured, rising to her feet.

Harm smiled just a bit at her. "You’re welcome."

"This is the final boarding call for Delta Airlines flight 1510. Passengers departing will need to proceed to the gate at this time."

Mac rose to her feet and lifted her carry on to her shoulder. With each step she dreaded the trip more and more. And with each step she wanted more than ever just to turn to the tall man at her side and ask him to take her home. To take her away from all that lie ahead and make it all go away.

"If you need anything at all, call me," Harm told her gently.

Mac tried to smile but couldn’t muster it. "I will - promise."

"Sure you have everything?" He asked.

{Everything but you.} "I have everything I need for this trip. I’m coming back, Harm. In two days. I expect you to be here to get me."

"Count on it," he smiled warmly. "You better go."

Throwing caution to the wind, Mac raised up on her toes and threw her free arm around his neck. She stepped back just as his arms were coming up around her.

"Bye, Sailor," she whispered and then she was gone.

Mic was waiting for here when she emerged from the jetway and he swept her up into a warm hug.

"I’m so glad you’re here, Mac. Did you have a good flight?" he asked, leaving one arm around her and he steered her from the crowd.

"It was fine," she responded.

"You must be tired, though. I’ll take you to your hotel where you can freshen up," he said, kissing her forehead.

Mac wanted to rip his arm away from her and scream, "How dare you touch me?" Instead she forced herself to walk a long beside him until they were out of the airport and in his car headed for her hotel. When they arrived, check in went fast due to the early hour and they pair went up to her room.

"I’m sure you’d probably like to rest for a bit. How about if I pick you up later for lunch?" Mic suggested gently, brushing her hair away from her face.

"Mic, I’d rather talk now, please," Mac answered.

He stopped and looked at her closely. "Something’s wrong, isn’t it?"

"You could say that," Mac returned, inwardly ordering herself to keep her head about this.

Mic reached out suddenly and grabbed both her hands. "You took your ring off," he accused.

"Yes, I did. I took it off because you can’t have two women wearing your rings," she stated flatly.

Mac watched his face closely and saw the second her words sank in.

"How…" he stuttered. "How did you find out about that?"

"She came to see me, Commander. All the way to JAG with your child in tow!" Mac’s temper finally broke free of her restraints and she advanced on the man standing before her. "You lied to me!"

"I didn’t lie to you! I asked Annette for a divorce long before I ever asked you to marry me. I knew I couldn’t stay married to her when I was in love with you, Sarah," he protested.

"Oh, please!" Mac rolled her eyes. "How can I believe anything you say to me now?" Mac demanded. "Everything you’ve ever told me has been a lie!" she accused.

"That’s not true!" Mic barked, his darkly tanned face growing red under the haze of anger. "I never lied to you about how I feel about you!"

"And how could I possibly believe that? You lied about being married, Mic. You lied to everyone – not just me. A lie is a lie is a lie. It doesn’t matter how you tell or what the intention behind it. It’s still a lie and you know how I feel about that!" she continued, fairly vibrating with anger.

"I was afraid if I told you about Annette and Amy you wouldn’t even give me a chance."

"And you think that makes it all right? You think that excuses deliberately covering up such an important item? I can’t honestly say what I would have done had I known but I can definitely tell you what I’m going to do now. I’m going right back home and forget I was ever involved with you!"

"Sarah, please, if you would just listen," he pleaded, coming toward her.

Mac whirled on him furiously. "My name is Colonel MacKenzie, Commander Brumby. I suggest you remember that," she reminded icily. "And there is nothing more I want to hear from you."

She started to turn back around when Mic lunged forward and grabbed her arm, spinning her back to face him. Instinctively, Mac swung and her fist connected with a sickening thud to his jaw. Mic released her in surprise and stumbled back a couple of steps. For a stunned minute they stared at each other. As she looked into his eyes, an ugly notion came to Mac.

"You never loved me at all, did you?" She accused, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What are you talking about?" He demanded. "I wouldn’t have asked you to marry me if I didn’t love you."

"No, it all makes sense to me now. This is about you and Harm, isn’t it?" Mac advanced on him. "This is about seeing who could come out with the upper hand."

Mic stopped rubbing his hand and dropped it to his side, clenching both into fists. "That’s ridiculous!"

"Is it? From the day you two met you’ve done everything in your power to push his buttons. You even thought I was guilty when my ex-husband was killed. Why didn’t I see it before?" She asked, almost more to herself than to him. "You just wanted to have me so Harm couldn’t."

Mic hesitated just long enough to tell Mac she was right. "That’s ridiculous," he said again. "I wanted you because I love you and because the Commander doesn’t deserve you! He can’t even admit how he feels!" Mic yelled angrily.

"But at least he doesn’t lie to me!" Mac retorted. "I don’t believe we have anything else to discuss, Commander Brumby. I’d like you to leave and I don’t want to see you again. If you come back I’ll report you to your CO for harassment," she threatened.

"Mac…" he began again.

"Get out of here!" she screamed.

Without another word, Mic strode across the room and left, slamming the door behind him. Mac ran across the small area and locked the door for good measure. Then she collapsed on the bed and began to cry. How could everything go so wrong?

Sometime later, a heavy knocking at the door awakened Mac. Opening her eyes, she looked around for a moment in confusion. The knocking came again and she hurried over to the door. Afraid it was Mic, she looked through the peephole. What she saw made her breath catch and she jerked open the door. "Harm!"

He lifted one corner of his mouth in a boyish grin. "I had a bad feeling and it looks like I was right. Are you okay?" He asked, moving into the room and shutting the door behind him.

Without another word, Mac launched herself into his arms, crying all over again. Harm dropped his overnight bag to the floor and enfolded her against his chest, holding her tight. Something was very wrong. His stalwart Marine would rather die than let someone see her this way – including him. He steered her over to the bed and sat down, keeping her in his embrace. Harm let her cry for several minutes until she finally pulled back and wiped her eyes self-consciously.

"I’m sorry," she murmured.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m just glad I’m here."

"Why are you here?" Mac inquired gently.

He shrugged. "I told you – gut feeling. Something about all this just didn’t feel right and I felt like I had to come."

"I’m glad you did," she sighed. "For whatever reason."

"Wanna talk about it?" He prodded softly.

The whole story came spilling out of Mac. From Annette’s visit to the blow up with Mic. Harm listened while she talked, not speaking until she was done. He looked at her intently, his eyes taking in the tear streaks, the hurt and disillusionment in her dark eyes.

"Do you really think he was simply trying to prove something?"

"I don’t know what to think!" She cried. "That’s the whole point, Harm. He lied to me so how am I supposed to know if anything he says is the truth?"

"There had to be some truth in his words," Harm pointed out.

"There is no truth in a lie. You’ve never lied to me, Harm. No matter how serious the situation or the outcome, you’ve always been honest with me. I couldn’t, in good conscience, try to make it work with a man who lied to me about anything. Not even a fib. Lies are never okay."

"Are you hurt more over the fact that he lied or because of your feelings for him?" Harm questioned, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Mac looked at her best friend and sighed. "I was going to turn him down, Harm. I’d already decided before I met Annette that I couldn’t marry him," she stated gently.

"You did? But I thought you wanted to marry him? You took the ring."

"I think I was caught up more in the idea than anything. You know how badly I want a husband and a family. I guess I wanted to believe that I could just give in and marry the first man who looked promising."

"What made you change your mind?"

Mac stare at him, hoping he could see that her heart was in her eyes. Like the night on the ferry, Harm met her gaze, too, instead of looking all around the room. Mac reached out and covered his hand with hers. Harm turned his hand over and captured her fingers in his.

"I knew I couldn’t marry him because of how I feel about you."

"I was afraid you were going to tell him yes," Harm murmured.

"I couldn’t. No matter how good the offer sounded. I couldn’t marry him. And even if I had decided to say yes, finding out he was still married would have changed my mind," she explained. "I don’t think it was me he wanted, Harm. I would bet on it. I think he only wanted to prove that he could get me away from you. That he could be the better man."

Harm stared at her thoughtfully.

"You’re being awfully calm about this," she commented.

"I’m not, believe me. I’d like to hunt him down and kill him, Mac," Harm stated in a very low, very cold voice. "What he’s done to you and to his wife is beyond contempt. But what matters to me more at this moment is you. You said I’ve never lied to you but that’s not true. I’ve been lying all along to you about my feelings. I’ve lied to myself, too."

Mac’s expression told him she didn’t understand.

"I was telling you the truth that night on the ferry. But, it wasn’t you I was running from - it was myself. This is the biggest step I’m ever going to take in my life. The feelings you evoke in me I’ve never felt for another woman. It scares me to death to think about moving forward because I know once we cross the line, there will be no turning back. But when we were here last month and you showed up at the airport wearing his ring, I was positive right then and there that I’d let you slip away from me."

"Why didn’t you say something?"

"I honestly don’t know. Fear, stupidity – I don’t know. I guess I thought I wanted you to make your own choice and I wasn’t going to influence it."

"You already knew how I felt. You had to have known, Harm. I’ve never hid it from you," she whispered.

"I know but I’ve sure done my best to ignore it. After what happened here, though, I’m not going to try and deny it any longer. I feel like all I’m doing is wasting my time spinning my wheels trying to get away from the inevitable. Time is going by that we’re apart when we could be together."

Mac swallowed hard. "Are you saying you’ve changed your mind about us?" She asked, her voice but a whisper.

"That’s exactly what I’m saying. No matter what happens, I’d rather be with you than away from you. But we’ll never know if we can make it until we try," he pointed out, his voice growing tender.

He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand, rubbing his thumb across her bottom lip.

"So, what do you say, Colonel? I’m the one wearing my heart on my sleeve now. Will you give me a chance and see if I can give you that husband, family and lots and lots of comfortable shoes you’ve been dreaming of?" He moved closer with each word until on a whisper separated them.

Suddenly her pretty face broke into a loving smile. "I can’t think of anything I’d like more – except for us to go home."

"Deal – as long as your home is with me."

The end