Chapter Twenty-seven

An unknown location, Williamsburg VA, 1200hrs

Animal stirred from his rest, thoughts in turmoil as he looked over at Meg who returned his gaze with a look of concern, "One person missing…" he uttered.

"Who?"

"Think who…you came with…to Crane…"

"Lia…? She's here…Oh, no…Bud…" Meg had a look of alarm as she noted that Bud was one of the investigators that came with her from the JAG office.

"Need…bring…whole Roberts family…in protective custody…or they're…all at risk…" Animal said; a look of concern on his face as he met Meg's gaze.

Meg nodded, "I'll let Tracy know to tell Harm when she comes in again…" After the scare with the last medical assistant being fake, they notified the head nurse that they would do the dressing changes themselves and the head nurse would oversee the dressing change so that they were doing it properly. "I'm not leaving you unattended…" But of course it just so happened that Harm decided to check in on the two of them and bring them some lunch; a pair of roast beef sandwiches.

"Harm…Bud…" Animal informed him as he accepted the proffered plate. "Need to bring…whole Roberts family in…here… they could be…targets…"

Harm had a look of alarm on his face. "Oh…geez…We completely forgot about Bud and his family. Bud was up at Crane and he came back…and presumably…DSD wants to silence anybody that was up at Crane investigating the matter."

"Is NCIS at risk too?" Meg looked over at Harm.

"NCIS is the posse that's trying to take out the entire Defense Security Division. I doubt that any of the alphabet agencies want to tangle with NCIS…they'd probably get shot trying to take them out. Besides Gibbs and the rest are here as part of the investigative team who are trying to uncover the shooter." Harm stated. "But what's primary concern are Bud and his family. We need to get them here…under protection."

"Where…would he…be at…?" Animal asked, his voice painfully searching for the words.

"He'd be finishing up at 1730hours at JAG headquarters…and then he usually heads directly for home. We need to send Jack to get Bud and then get over to Bud's house to get his family."

JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA. 1450 hrs

Mac looked annoyed at the fact that everyone seemed to think that it was jolly well OK to have a key person, two if you counted Meg Austin out of the office. Damn Harm and his escapades that got him into trouble. Harm was now over at NAVINSGEN serving with Captain Nakamura. And that damned other officer who Mac wasn't sure if she was a legal officer or a NAVINSGEN stool-pigeon.

And RADM Morris had read her the riot act. After her run-in with him after the incident with Chris that left him dead on the floor of their motel room and her murder trial though ultimately ruled as self defence; Morris didn't like her. She knew he didn't think she should still be in uniform as a United States Marine Corps officer, much less functioning as a Marine Judge Advocate. Officers were held to the strictest ideals and in Stiles Morris's eyes Sarah Mackenzie had fallen way short of the minimum standards as a uniformed officer in the United States Military.

The fact that he was eying her like an eagle eyeing prey weighed on her and made her wish that AJ Chegwidden was still the JAG. He would have over-looked this. And she would still be in his good books - business as usual and she would be able to skirt the legal fallout from this last situation. Hopefully no more skeletons managed to work their way out of her closet. The blame that RADM Chegwidden was removed from command, she could squarely pin on the head of Captain Nakamura. If that NAVINSGEN stooge hadn't shown up life would have gone on swimmingly; everyone none the worse for wear, none the wiser.

Mac was, in her own mind and books a loyal Marine Corps officer and most everyone she knew would grant her that. Even after Chris Ragle. She no longer thought of him as her husband. After he tried to kill her, he had ceased to be a relation and had been just a threat to eliminate. A sad end to a man who she'd once thought of as her lover.

"Lieutenant Roberts, can you find me the last known location of the safe-house?"

"Ma'am I'm not cleared to give out that information."

"Why not?!" Mac was incensed.

Bud looked scared; he had formerly thought of her as a friend, but with all things considered, she and her laissez-faire attitude towards people's safety was seriously starting to scare him and a scared Bud Roberts got seriously pissed off, "Ma'am it means people's lives." he said firmly, "Secondly, I'm not privy to the exact address of the location." He paused for a long minute, "The Admiral feels the less people who know where Commander Rabb and the others are, the safer it will be for them."

Mac narrowed her eyes. As a Marine Corps officer she understood that security precautions were all about reducing; not eliminating the threat of reprisal from hostile forces. But the jilted woman in her was not thinking clearly at all. What she wanted was revenge and she was going to get it somehow, in some way shape or form. But it had to be some way that she wouldn't end up showing her hand.

"Well, I guess I'll have to get that information from someone else!" She snapped turning to her office.

"Aye, ma'am." He stated. And when Sarah Mackenzie went into her office Bud did the one thing that saved his very career. He went to see Admiral Morris.

"Enter!". Bud gingerly opened the door. Morris glowered. "She couldn't leave alone, could she?" His face turned darker than the darkest thunderhead.

"No sir."

"And that's the reason why you'll end up outranking her one of these days. Lieutenant." Morris stated dourly, his mouth set in a firm line. "I get the feeling she's looking for other sources for that information. Any ideas on whom, Lieutenant?"

"Generally, sir, her first point of contact is Clayton Webb,". At Lieutenant Roberts' statement,

Rear Admiral Morris's brows furrowed. That call would lead the bad guys straight to the hideout since Webb was there with them. He picked up the phone, "Gunny! Tell IT to secure all communication from Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie's office, turn on cell phone jammers and shut down her access to the internet. You are to secure access to all phones within the entirety of the building – no-one is to use any phone not their own. Is that understood? I also want you to tap her phone's GPS. Considering her attitude of late, I want to be notified of where she is at all times. If she risks the safety of the others; you will arrest and detain her at the detention barracks on base; am I clear?"

The fervent "Yes, sir" from the Gunny was audible through the phone line to even Bud.

Mac's office, JAG Headquarters. Falls Church, VA. 1455hrs

Mac looked at her dead phone in disgust. "What the hell now!?" There was no dial-tone nor was there a signal on her own cell-phone. Nokias were supposedly reliable phones so what the hell was wrong with hers? Maybe an e-mail? She looked up at her computer and practically screamed in frustration. Evidently her email system was blocked. How did Morris know? Was she getting too predictable? And she knew exactly who notified Morris: Lieutenant Roberts. Who else would run to someone in authority?

Now she knew that she was being watched and that any move on her part to gain information about where the group were safe-housed would land her in a metric shit-ton of trouble. That meant that any reprisal on her part for what she felt was Harm's infidelity towards her would end up with her in chains; probably in Fort Leavenworth Military Correctional Facility, under the loving care of armed guards with the rewarding twenty-five years to life career of breaking rather sizable rocks into smaller ones.

Mac slammed her fist on the desk in frustration causing most in the bullpen to look up like a row of meerkats then promptly return to their work. In any case being startled out of their repose would keep them on their toes. They did not want to inflame the Marine Lieutenant Colonel in the office even further than she already was.

JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, VA. 1555hrs

"Lieutenant Roberts. A moment…" RADM Morris stated. "I'd like to speak to you in my office."

"Yes, sir." Bud answered and got to his feet to follow RADM Morris into his office. "Sir?" he asked as he came to attention in front of RADM Morris's desk.

"Lieutenant Roberts, you were one of the ones that investigated Crane, weren't you?"

"Yes, sir." Bud stated. "Was there something not properly filed on the investigation?"

"No, Lieutenant, it means that as one of the investigators, you are at risk…"

"Risk? Sir?"

"When former Lieutenant Commander Keeter showed up here, he mentioned that all the investigators involved in investigating Crane were in protective custody as the persons responsible were looking to silence them." Morris gave him a hard look, "Unfortunately you were missed on the count. You and your family are going into protective custody along with the rest of the investigators. Your life is at risk…"

Bud looked alarmed. Jack stepped out of the shadows and said, "Lieutenant Roberts. You and your family are to come with me…we're going to go collect them now." Bud looked over at Admiral Morris who just nodded…that Bud was to secure…immediately.

"I'll collect your cases…and re-distribute them to other attorneys…Mr. Roberts…I hope that this mess gets resolved soon." RADM Morris stated as he nodded to Keeter.

"I hope so too…" Keeter stated to the admiral, "But it seems like it may be the status quo for the long haul as it looks right now." He then turned to the young Lieutenant and stated, "Bud…also have your side-arm with you as well and get your wife to bring her service issue side-arm too. We need to collect your wife and your son from your home."

"How did you know about AJ, sir?" Bud asked.

Keeter winked at him. "I keep tabs on such things…especially when it comes to protection. Now let's get secured so that we can collect your son and your wife."

"Yes, sir…"

"Bud, you don't need to call me; sir…I'm no longer in the military…"

"Um…yes, sir…" Bud answered him…while Keeter rolled his eyes.

"Is your wife usually at home," Keeter asked.

"Usually, sir…" Bud stated over his shoulder as he started picking up case files to hand over to the Admiral on their way out and then grabbed his briefcase…and they headed back to the Admiral's office.

"Enter!" was the bellow from Morris when Bud pounded the pine.

"Sir…here are all the case files." Bud showed him a full stack of files.

"Very good, Lieutenant Roberts…secure and get your family to safety." The admiral stated as he looked over at the Lieutenant Junior Grade with an expression of concern. "The quicker you all get into the safe-house; the safer you'll be…"

"Aye-aye, sir…" Lieutenant Roberts snapped to attention.

"Dismissed, Godspeed and God Protect…" Morris looked solemnly over at Bud.

"Thank you sir." Bud did a smart about-face and exited with Keeter on his heels.

CIA Headquarters, Langley, McLean, VA.

CIA Deputy Director Harrison Kershaw looked over at his Special Agent. . "Did you say that Marine Corps officer is trying to get a line through to Webb?"

"And Webb is on a special security detail."SA Mike Fullerton commented, "She keeps this up, she'll end up leading DSD right to their doorstep."

"Palmer already knows about their locale. I don't want foreign intelligence sniffing around looking at potentially undermining the situation and perhaps taking our people off American soil under the pretext of keeping them safe from our rogue domestic security agency."

"That would mean silencing them, would it not?"

"National security is a very fluid thing, Mike. Sometimes we have to subtract to come out ahead.".

"Do you want me to put a sweeper on Mackenzie?"

"Not at the moment. We'll see how much of a danger she is to those who are in protection. Then we'll go from there."

An unknown location, Williamsburg VA, 1800hrs

It was 1800 hrs by the time Keeter and the Roberts family ended up back at the safe-house. "Three more for the safe-house…" Keeter informed the Marine Gunny who nodded and gestured to the door as he inserted the key. All four stepped into the house covered by Rabb who had his side-arm out. The door shut behind them and they heard the key in the lock again as the door was relocked.

"Sir…I didn't realize that we were all in danger…" Bud stated as he looked over at Lieutenant Commander Rabb. "How is Captain Nakamura doing? Sir?"

"Doing just fine, Bud…" Harm grinned at him. "He's lucid and managed to stop a murder attempt on his life. At least the good thing is that he's still capable of wielding a weapon with deadly accuracy."

"That's good to hear; sir." Bud looked over at Harriet who was holding AJ who luckily as a two-month old still wasn't able to comprehend the danger that he and his mother were in. Harriet looked as though she was shaking inside.

"Sir…I'm to take it that this means that AJ and I are going to be in the central room with the Captain? For safety reasons?" Harriet asked; her voice only betraying a slight shake.

"It would be preferable, Harriet." Harm stated looking towards the area of the house that housed the room where Captain Nakamura was in along with Meg. "At least then we don't have to worry about the potential targets being scattered around the house. It's better that we have one consolidated location of defense that we can all collapse into to provide a concentrated line of fire at one entry point instead of multiple entry points. The part of the house that Captain Nakamura is in is essentially a safe-room…a large safe-room outfitted as a medical room."

"Is there someone in there guarding him now?" Harriet asked; a note of concern in her tone of voice.

"Yes, Lieutenant Commander Austin." Harm replied, looking down the hallway towards the central room. "She's been watching over him practically twenty-four seven since he'd been shot."

Harriet's gaze wandered around the room noting that there was indeed only one way of entrance. The house had absolutely no windows…no other doors except for the one that they'd come in through. And considering the concentration of firepower that they had around the interior of the house and surrounding it, outside of a full-on artillery or armor attack, breaching the defensive perimeter would entail a large scale assault with a large number of personnel resulting in an equally large casualty total.

An unknown location, Williamsburg, VA; 1445 hrs 2 weeks later

A gunshot isn't something you survive very easily. And for Captain Toshio "Animal" Nakamura the battle to regain his former physical abilities was strenuous. Not to mention the fact that his health was of utmost importance due to the fact that his and the lives of his compatriots were in danger from those who sought to extinguish them. So this he took his physical rehabilitation seriously.

It had been several weeks since the attempt at his life had been made and he was eager to make headway so that he wasn't that vulnerable ever again, "Goddamnit, Harm, I'm not a kid or a cripple!" His voice and language skills were certainly clearer when he was pissed off. But the loss of oxygen was apparent when he was not as he was still searching for words. Perhaps when he was angry the words came clearer as he was weighing his words before he erupted.

Meg slept in his bed with him to ostensibly be his protection just in case something went down. But considering Animal kept his Beretta right next to him, safety on; and his M-4 leaning against his bed, it was uncertain as to who was protecting who is and whether Meg had other reasons in mind.

Harm realized he couldn't protect everyone here and that didn't go over too well with him. He'd lost too many people he cared about, Diane...and his father; two people for which he'd cared about deeply. Col. Stryker with whom he'd gone into the jungles of Vietnam to try to recover his father to a heart attack fourteen years later and countless squadron mates over three deployments before his ramp strike which killed his RIO and laid Harm up for a considerable time as he recovered.

With Colonel Stryker they said it was a heart-attack, but Harm reckoned it was Agent Orange. There was way too much weird shit in that stuff for it to not have attacked the lymphatic system like the VA was denying.

And the lettered agencies were constantly coming up with new and deadly shit to extinguish lives quickly and efficiently; making their problems go away.

That was the upshot. They were dealing with an agency that had no moral scruples; not that any of them had any to begin with, Harm thought to himself. And if we step wrong in trying to deal with them, we're dead. Harm shivered as the thought crossed his mind. It made him clench his Beretta a lot tighter and hope that he could be that much quicker on the draw than the other guy.

An unknown location, Williamsburg, VA; ten days later; 0845hrs

Meg looked over at Animal who, since he'd gotten shot had his wounds heal up and was in a regimen of mild exercise to increase his strength. He was frustrated that he couldn't do more and that he was incapable of mounting a defense for himself. Getting shot for the second time in his life was not an ideal situation since the second time nearly put him in a 6x4 plot in Arlington in the stupidest way possible. He was certainly not happy about that.

Meg helped him bathe every day as some of the wounds were still tender; even if they had sealed it still pained him on occasion and for him moving his arm which tugged on his chest muscles caused stiff muscles to cry out in pain. And unfortunately, the fact that he couldn't reach his back; healthy or not without intricate, muscle pain inducing contortions, he needed assistance.

Though Meg was more than willing to assist her Tosh and did so eagerly, causing Harm to roll his eyes when Meg referred to Animal as her Tosh. According to Meg she would help him with whatever was needed whether it involved washing or doing anything that involved something that required an intimate touch.

Harm just crossed himself thanking his lucky stars that Meg had volunteered for this particular chore. As much as he and Animal were almost brothers, there was a limit to brotherly love and caring. Yeah, Animal could go ahead and wash himself and since Meg had willingly volunteered herself for that job. Well, so much the better.

Harm decided he much preferred the attentions of Liandra. And as far as this situation was concerned, the fact that it made them closer to each other was an unexpected benefit.

Harm and Lia always kept their sidearms with them and their M-4s right beside their bed so they could reach them quickly. Animal and Meg were, now that his wounds had healed and that Animal was now in rehabilitation mode, able to sleep on a regular queen-sized bed.

It wasn't certain as to how the safe-house would continue to keep them safe, but they were taking it day by day. After all, for Harm each day getting to know Lia was that much more special. Surprising that in an atmosphere of high stress, the mind could turn around and make the little things the most important part of one's day. A glance, a smile, a touch, a caress; all served to make it known to those hiding out that they were still alive and were remaining so, at least for the foreseeable future. And of course the fact that he and Lia took from each other solace and comfort in the most intimate sense of the word.

Harm grinned to himself. Chances were that Animal and Meg were doing the same every time Meg spent time helping Animal to bathe. It was quite apparent, Harm thought to himself, from the sounds emanating from the bathroom and the audible splash sounds of water that something other than bathing was going on.

At least the door was closed. Harm thought to himself.

An unknown location, Williamsburg, VA; fifteen days after that; 0845hrs

Meg sighed softly as she buried her face in Animal's shoulder; his bare shoulder to be exact. His chest wound wasn't hampering his ability to bathe any more and it had left a nasty looking scar in the now sealed wound area. But scrubbing his back was as good an excuse as any to enjoy some private time together considering how closely stuck together in the house the eleven of them were.

The simple optics of Animal and Meg both going into the bathroom with towels and personal hygiene items certainly raised eyebrows from Harm but he had Lia so why would he care? And frankly for Harm it shouldn't matter to him if she and Tosh were doing it like a pair of overheated, oversexed rhesus monkeys on every conceivable surface of the bathroom and in their bed. But for the sake of decency and the fact there was a minor in the house now under protection, they opted to confine their amatory exercises to the bathroom which had been outfitted with a roll-in wheel-chair accessible bathroom. Which meant that they weren't humping in a crowded tub but would be able to enjoy various positions that could be attributed to the Kama Sutra.

Meg thought. Oh god yes. She sighed as she looked deeply into her Tosh's eyes. Just like that, Tosh. She smirked thinking just how much Maegyn O'Bannon had lost in terms of a future with Tosh and well, Meg was determined she was going to do whatever it took to help get her man back to fighting fit again.

Considering the fact that O'Bannon wasn't able to give a clear indication of how she would help Tosh gain back what he'd lost, Meg was certainly glad that Maegyn O'Bannon had buggered off when she did or Meg would have risked court-martial to tell her off. An O-4 telling an O-5 to go fuck herself didn't bode well for the former. But considering the fact that Maegyn hadn't been able to commit to taking care of Tosh when he was down...contrary to her assertions that she wanted to have a family with Tosh, Megan Renee Austin was pretty pissed off at Maegyn. God help her if that bitch comes sniffing around my Tosh ever again. Meg thought to herself. If O'Bannon was going to bail at the first available opportunity and not help Tosh out, then she didn't need to be within sight of Tosh at all. Meg would defend her territory at all cost.

Oh god, she sucked in another breath as her Tosh ran his hands along her bare back, his fingers on her skin sending prickles of sensation all over her and she felt him adjust his position which send a whole new cascade of sensations, "Oh god, Tosh, yes...right there. Yeah. That feels good." Meg purred. "I love you.".

"I love you too." Was there no pause between his words. Meg thought. The neural pathways were rerouting themselves. Her Tosh was starting to heal. Maybe, her mind hoped, the oxygen deprivation from what the doctors termed as his code blue had not been as severe as what they were expecting.

And frankly put, despite certain limitations in his mind, Tosh's ability to procreate hadn't been hampered in the slightest. And Meg grinned to herself. The sex was amazing. And nearly laughed out loud at the thought of Harm's eyes widening and his jaw dropping if she, in the course of coitus maximus, screamed out "oh, God, Tosh, FUCK ME HARD!" Harm would probably have a minor conniption fit.

Hey, if it kept people from being dialed up to ten from stress, risking a myocardial infarction, then why not do the bedroom herky-jerky.

"Penny for your thoughts. Angel" Animal asked seeing a look of amusement cross Meg's face as the water cascaded down her body.

"Just had a thought cross my mind of what Harm's thinking about all this."

Animal slightly grinned, "This?" He asked gesturing to their nude and intimate state.

"Uh-huh", Meg nodded and turned around letting Tosh slip in behind her. She gave him an evil grin cocking her head at the door of the bathroom knowing that Harm was in the kitchen working on things. While Lia was washing dishes.

When Tosh and Meg started moving in motion with each other intimately she leaned her head back gave him a wink to let Tosh know that she was up to something.

When Tosh thrust forward, Meg, in her most throaty impassioned voice, cried out loudly enough that it could be heard through the door. "OH GOD, TOSH. OH YES. JUST DO ME...PLEASE!" then flashed a wink at her man in the midst of their passionate lovemaking.

An unknown location, Williamsburg, VA; Same day as previous; 0915hrs

"OH GOD, TOSH. OH YES. JUST DO ME...PLEASE!"

Harm nearly dropped his plate of left-overs on the floor as an amatory exclamation from the bathroom where Meg had gone in with Animal, was clearly audible as if they were in the same room..

Lia had a grin on her face as she said to Harm, "um, Harm. Don't drop the plate. I don't think Keeter would know the slightest thing about looking for decent china."

"Yeah." Harm said shortly as he looked over with raised eyebrows at the bathroom door.

About twenty minutes later Meg and Animal emerged from the bathroom dressed and ready for the day. Meg noticed Harm's raised eyebrow and enquiring look. She gave him a vague look as if she had no idea about what he was silently inquiring about.

There was a Navy Corpsman who had been assigned to assist Tosh with his exercises and physiotherapy and he was always escorted by an armed Marine Corps gunnery sergeant and staff sergeant who always kept their wits about them looking around the area for threats. Meg also accompanied him to make sure that he wasn't in pain always armed and ready to use her weapons within easy reach.

She also kept Animal's Beretta with her as well ready to hand off to Animal so that he could play a ready-role in his own defence. He hadn't qualified as pistol and rifle expert for nothing. Ten shots rifle x-ring at 300 yards. Ten shots pistol x-ring at 50 yards. Animal was talking about learning how to snipe but that was down the road if and when he recovered to a point where such endeavors were in the realm of possibility.

She watched Animal go through the daily regimen, watched over him; her heart hoping that he would thrive and excel and eventually getting to the point where he would become as close to normalcy as possible.

Meg wanted Tosh. She'd known that from the moment she'd been a part of the MOH investigation; a ribbon he now wore on his rack and a Medal that he wore when he was in full dress whites. Unassuming and humble, he never flaunted his accomplishments in front of others, a true, strong, silent type who let his actions speak for him. Meg wasn't much of a talker either. Most introverts weren't insofar as letting others into their innermost feelings. Just the fact that Tosh had told her that he loved her and was open to their relationship was miracle enough.

She hoped, she'd never considered herself truly devout. A caring God wouldn't have taken her father away from her in some far away land. But she hoped that her man would regain his former self, full of vitality. He was taking steps along that path, it was apparent enough to see, just how well he was doing in any case.

Animal gritted his teeth as he did push-up after push-up. His heart pounded but he knew he needed to get back to fighting fit so that he could better help those around him instead of being a hindrance.

"Sir, you gotta take it a bit easier. You're not going to help any one if you give yourself a heart-attack while doing pushups, sir.", The Navy Corpsman Lieutenant JG cautioned him. "I need you to stop for a moment so I can check your blood pressure with the cuff." Can we do that, sir?"

"Oh, all right!" Animal snapped irritably, as he got up and dusted himself off. "Let's get this done."

The Lieutenant JG in Marine MARPAT with an embroidered black bar on the chest identifying his rank wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Animal's left bicep and started measuring his blood pressure reading. "Sir, you're high. One sixty over one hundred, Your heart rate is one sixty one. You're going to need to walk and cool down."

"Shit!" Animal swore.

"I'm taking personal discretion, sir, your blood pressure is in the danger level and your heartbeat is pushing that margin compounding that problem. Your regimen's over for today while we figure out the solution. I don't need you dying of a heart-attack, sir."

Animal's first inclination was to protest, but he knew the corpsman was looking out for his health. He wouldn't be doing anyone any favors by dying. In fact he'd have done Palmer's job for him and he'd be goddamned if he gave that son-of-a-bitch the satisfaction.

Meg looked over at Animal and said, "Sir...?" Just that one query was enough to snap Animal out of his irritation. He needed to listen to the corpsman to ensure he survived for Meg's sake. And for Animal, Meg was the most important part of his life.

"Alright, Lieutenant Commander." Animal addressed her formally, "I'll pause the training regimen.". He said sounding quite reluctant. "Until we get this situation under control.".

"Sir, your body went through a traumatic injury and it's still healing. If you push it too far, too fast something will break." The Navy Corpsman stated. "You don't need that hampering your recovery, do you?"

Animal heaved a heavy sigh. Frustrated; not sure if he was more angry at everyone or just at himself, he growled, "Understood, Lieutenant."

They walked back towards the house in a group. Animal giving Meg just enough room so that she could swing her M-16A3 if necessary while the two covering Marines could set up a field of fire. Animal had taken to wearing fatigues as well now that he wasn't so bedridden.

When they returned to what was primarily known as the cabin in the woods (a house in a little clearing with plenty of space and fields of fire for the security team), Harm had lunch ready.

Lunch was chicken parmesan, garlic toast and a side of vegetables as well as a good helping of soda. While they were in this situation they wouldn't drink at all. Just so that they wouldn't be impaired if they had to fight their way out of a tight situation. Harm grinned widely as he looked over at Animal who had raised his eyebrows at the vegetables on the plate.

"Hey, it could have been my Harm's Famous Meatless Meatloaf." Harm stated with a prideful thump of his chest.

Meg, with a mischievous look on her face, grinned evilly and asked with an innocent look, "Is that the one that even Chlostridium Botulinum takes one look at and throws up?"

Harm looked insulted at that comment. "I'll have you know that my Meatless Meatloaf is considered a gastronomical delicacy." His affected pique would have done justice to a five-star chef.

"...at a five-star...roach motel" Animal muttered caustically.

The whole room cracked up laughing and despite the fact that Harm was the one getting roasted, he exulted, as he knew that his friend was starting to get his memories back; slow-going as it was. His first attempt at meatless meatloaf if he was being honest wasn't really anything to crow about but he'd like to actually think that his creation had undergone considerable improvement as his culinary skills had improved.

By this time, his friends were digging into the repast and giving nods of approval at his cooking skill with the chicken parmesan. It may not have been five-star restaurant quality, but it certainly was a meal that was gastronomically appetizing.

over at Meg and smiled slightly. She had always looked lonely since the case where Harm had found out his friend Diane Schonke had been murdered. And the round and round with Sarah Mackenzie over the past few years hadn't made her feel anything but the third wheel. Then because of the Crane investigation, Animal had popped back into her life, which made things much better for her. With this relationship that she was in now, Harm could see her come alive; that faint spark of mischief in her become a flame of impish happiness that in turn caused everyone around her to enjoy the fact that they, too, were alive.

Meg had always brought Harm down to earth, especially during that investigation at Vandenberg AFB where she had quite deftly stuck a hat pin in his ego-driven soliloquy about naval aviator astronauts and disclosing the fact that she was highly learned and an avid reader of esoteric scientific and astronomy-related tomes. But she was also quick to be uplifting to Harm during tough times.

Harm looked over at how Meg and Animal sat close together, their elbows nearly touching; the subtle glances between the two and Harm knew that this connection between his former legal partner and his RAG instructor was a solid one. He hadn't gotten that feeling with Maegyn O'Bannon.

Oh there had been sparks and passion between Maegyn and Animal, that was for certain but it had all been physical to be certain. Harm was certain that Animal realized that fact even through the pink tinged haze of new-found love.

After all, Harm knew Animal as the taciturn flight instructor at RAG, with no romantic attachments to speak of; the one whose idea of a superb evening was a night alone in his quarters reading From the Ground Up a primer to aviation and aerodynamics - a scintillating literary masterpiece for sure, which gave rise to Animal's witticisms regarding aircraft attitude, "Alright, cone, you pull the stick, the earth gets smaller in the rear-view. Keep pulling the stick and the earth eventually gets larger in your front windscreen. Now it gets a lot smaller and a lot larger a lot faster with the F-14 than it does with the T-2 Charlie Buckeye. And if you ain't careful you might dig a hole so keep your wits about you." Yeah good ol' Animal always had some wisdom to impart.

And seeing him now with Meg was a world of difference. Meg brought out Animal's playful side as well as his fierce side. The latter being the urge to protect.

And Harm fervently wished that Animal would not have to bring those skills to bear while in a situation of recovering from wounds suffered in the course of their NAVINSGEN investigations.