Title: Natural Selection
Author: Anne Taul, anne_taul@gowebway.com

Summary: Harm and Mac work to protect a friend, and find themselves matchmakers for two couples who just "naturally" go together.

Disclaimer: JAG, the premise, the primary stories, the characters and the situations are the exclusive property of Bellasarius and Paramount productions and CBS television. This is a purely recreational endeavour, from which no profit is being made. No copyright infringement is intended.

 

Natural Selection

An attractive dark haired woman exited the elevator in Jag headquarters and made her way to Petty Officer Tiner's desk.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"Where can I find Admiral Chegwidden?" she responded, in a thick accent.

"May I tell him who's here?" the young man looked hard at her. She was very determined about whatever her business was, he was sure of that. She tossed her hair and rolled her eyes before she answered him.

The admiral sat behind his desk, reading the file laid out in front of him, when the intercom buzzed. Tiner's voice announced, "Sir, there's someone here to see you."

AJ sighed. "Who is it, Mr. Tiner?"

"Sir, she says that she's your wife" Tiner's voice betrayed a hint of exasperation.

"What?" the admiral almost barked.

By this time the visitor had seemed to lose her patience. She said, "Is he in there?" She moved toward the door to the admiral's office.

Tiner was on his feet immediately, trying to intercept her course. "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you can't just go in there."

"Nonsense," she said, as she opened the door and moved past him.

AJ got to his feet and walked around to the front of his desk, as the woman entered. He called her by name. "Marcella," he whispered, "Marcella, what are you doing here?"

Tiner snapped to attention and said, "I'm sorry, Sir."

The admiral nodded his head and answered, "That'll be all, Tiner.."

"Aye, Sir." The young man acknowledged as he pulled the door closed behind his exit.

Back in the office, the visitor addressed the admiral, "AJ, I need your help."

"Of course," he answered, "What's the problem?"

"It's Francesca."

"Francesca? Is she all right? She's not sick is she? Or in some kind of trouble?"

"She's not sick. She's fine. And it's not trouble exactly. AJ, I think she's in danger, serious danger."

"What kind of danger? Francesca's my daughter. I love her. You know that I'd do anything to protect her, Marcella. Maybe you'd better start at the beginning and tell me everything."

Later that same day
Jag HQ


Mac approached Harriet Sims' desk. "Harriet, how are you feeling?"

"Much better. Thank you, Ma'am."

"The baby's due any minute now, isn't it? I can tell by the way Bud's been running around here with his head in the clouds."

"Yes, Ma'am he's due a week from today, but the doctor isn't sure I'll go that long. So, as you said, 'any minute now.' Major, if Bud's not doing a good job, I could talk to him."

"No, Harriet. That's not what I meant. We're all excited about the baby, you know that. I think it's great to see Bud so interested in being a father."

At that moment, Lt. Commander Harmon Rabb stepped into the conversation. "Mac, when you get a minute, I'd like you to take a look at my notes for closing arguments in the Hennessee case."

"Sure, Harm, just give me a minute."

Moments later she appeared at the door to his office. She shot him an amused smile as she said, "I thought that you didn't need my help on this case."

"I don't, not really. I'm perfectly capable of handling this all by myself. I just thought that maybe you'd like to look over my notes to see if you thought that I left anything out." He smiled back.

He certainly wasn't going to tell her that the only reason he had made this request was to get her over to his office to talk to him. He may not have even known it, consciously.

Bud Roberts appeared with a large stack of folders. "These are all those case files you wanted, Commander."

"Just put 'em on my desk, Bud. Thank you."

Harm came to stand behind Mac, who was pouring over the legal pad containing the notes he had mentioned. She briefly lost her train of thought as she became aware of how close he actually was.

The note pad fell to the floor (were her hands trembling?). Harm and Mac both knelt down to retrieve it. Reaching for it at the same time, their hands touched.

They both felt very awkward, and both began to withdraw their hands almost immediately.

"I'm sorry, Harm. I don't know why I dropped it."

"That's okay, Mac, no harm done."

He reached back toward her, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. She froze at the sensation of his touch.

Harm stood up, puzzled by why his partner hadn't done the same. He offered her his hand and pulled her to her feet. "Mac, are you okay?"

He didn't get an answer. It was at this time that the admiral, stepping into the bullpen area, called out, "Rabb, MacKenzie, my office!"

Harm and Mac moved immediately to follow the admiral into his inner sanctum.

Once inside, AJ offered them seats, and began, "My ex-wife was here this morning."

Harm could tell by his C.O.'s tone that something was troubling him. "Mrs. Paretti, Sir? Is she vacationing from Italy?"

"No, Commander. She's not on vacation, not exactly. She's trying to protect our daughter."

Mac watched as the admiral carefully placed his fingertips together, always a sign that he was distracted by something important.. "Admiral, is Francesca in some kind of danger?"

AJ engaged her in a direct gaze before he answered, "Well, Major, I'm going to ask the two of you to help me, so I'd better just tell you the whole story."

Harm came back to an alert posture, "Sir, you know that the major and I will be glad to do anything that we can to help you. But, if Francesca's in danger, Sir, where is she now?"

"She's in a hotel downtown with her mother and a whole fleet of bodyguards. She's safe for the moment, but we have to make sure that continues."

Mac relaxed a little in her seat and prompted him, "Sir, exactly what kind of danger is your daughter in?"

He proceeded to give them details of the situation:

"A few weeks ago, Francesca began receiving anonymous threats. Apparently she didn't take them too seriously, the fashion industry being full of industrial espionage. Shortly after that, her mother was contacted by some of her late husband's business associates­you may remember that he was involved in organized crime operations in Italy. These people wanted Marcella to provide them with some information about Vittorio Paretti's activities and holdings ­ the illegal kind.. She had always avoided even knowing about his business, so she really couldn't help them. So, they threatened her. She hired extra security at her villa, but still these hoodlums got in and ransacked the place. The police were brought in, but without specific information about what the thieves were looking for or what might be missing, they couldn't do much. I guess Marcella just hoped that they'd found whatever they wanted so that they wouldn't be back. But then, she got letters and calls telling her that if she couldn't come up with what they were looking for, that they would kill Francesca. Francesa's apartment in Milan was vandalized, as well, so she believes that they mean business. Now, my daughter's mother loves her, so she brought her here, hoping that I could help her find out what these people want, and to keep Francesca safe."

Mac had moved to sit on the edge of her seat. "So, you want us to watch out for Francesca? Protect her?"

"No, Major, I'm going to do that myself, with a little help from the CIA. I've already talked to Webb. He thinks that whatever Paretti was involved in could possibly have some far reaching ramifications in the intelligence community, so he's willing to provide personnel from the witness protection program to take care of Francesca and her mother, at least part of the time. He may need your help with that some, but I want the two of you working on something else."

Harm rose from his seat and began pacing. "What can we do, Admiral?"

"I want to know exactly what Vittorio Paretti was into. I want to know his business and his enemies. I want you to find out what these people want that's worth Francesca's life, and I want to know who we're dealing with here. Do you think you can handle it?"

Harm snapped to attention. "We will do our best, Sir."

Now, Mac stood up. "I'll make our travel arrangements, so we can leave for Italy right away."

"No, Major. I can't authorize a trip to Italy right now, not unless it becomes absolutely necessary."

"Then where should we start, Sir?"

"Webb will be here this afternoon. Get him to use his people to do your leg work. He has operatives in Italy, and also has access to Interpole and other agencies. Hopefully, we can get most of our information that way."

THAT EVENING
HARM'S APARTMENT


"This is really good," Mac commented as she took another bite of the pasta.

"Yeah, it's not bad." Harm returned, reaching across the table to wipe a stray smudge of sauce from her chin.

"Thanks." She raised her own napkin to wipe her chin again, self consciously. "It was a good idea you had getting together for dinner so we could work on the Iverson court-martial, and to plan what we are going to try to do about Francesca.'

"My pleasure. I'm not too sure what we can do about the Francesca thing until we talk to Webb, though. He's taking this real personally.. He's at her hotel right now. When I spoke with him, he said he'd meet us there in the morning. So, for tonight, we'll just have to be content with Petty Officer Iverson's case.

"Apparently, somebody at the Pentagon is taking a big interest in Iverson. Do you have any idea why?"

"No, not a clue. It seems like a pretty straight forward case."

She got up and disappeared into the kitchen, only to reemerge with a plate full of bread. "More bread?"

"No, thanks. What's eating you , Mac?"

"What are you talking about? I'm fine."

"No, you are not fine. You've been distracted all evening. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Harm. I guess I'm just a little concerned about Francesca. This must all be hard on her. You know, she's kind of high strung, and all."

"She'll be fine. Her father won't let anything happen to her."

"Yeah, he's pretty adamant about that."

"He's just the way any father would be about his daughter. Any father in the world would want to protect his daughter exactly the same way."

"No, not any father."

"Oh, geez, I'm sorry, Mac. I didn't mean to open up your past again."

"That's okay. I don't want you to have to tiptoe around me."

When she stood to clear the table, he stood beside her and grasped her hand. "Why don't you come sit down over here and tell me about it. You can tell me what it was like, and how you felt. Then tell me how you feel now."

"No, Harm. I don't want to talk about it. I'm fine, really I am."

"Mac, if you keep things all bottled up, eventually you'll explode. That's not healthy."

She squeezed the hand that still held hers. "Thanks, Harm."

Then she returned to her task. This time, he helped her.

NEXT MORNING
EMPIRE HOTEL
DOWNTOWN D.C.


"More coffee, Major?" Marcella Paretti inquired of the younger woman.

"No, thanks," Mac sighed. "I believe I've had enough."

"How about you, Commander?" the hostess asked as she wielded the pot near his shoulder.

He held up a hand. "No, thank you, Ma'am.

A knock at the door of the suite, admitted Clayton Webb.

Webb looked at Harm and Mac. "I'm sorry that I couldn't meet with you yesterday. I needed to get some things taken care of so that I'd be able to devote my full attention to this case, and to ....Francesca." His eyes watched her appreciatively, as she entered the room.

"Ah, Mr. Webb. It's so nice to see you again," she gushed.

"You two know each other?" Harm asked.

"Yes," Clay informed him, "We met yesterday when the admiral brought me here to brief me on the situation.

He and Harm both rose to their feet, as Francesca entered the living room area of the suite and took a place next to Mac on the couch.

They all enjoyed morning coffee and small talk until Admiral Chegwidden arrived. The admiral stood in a corner, near the large window, as the group made plans for finding out who was responsible for the threats, and for keeping Francesca safe.

Marcella and Francesca helped Webb compile a list of all Vittorio Paretti's business contacts and personal friends. Francesca knew some names that her mother didn't, because her step-father had visited her often in Milan while conducting business there. Theses names were divided up into smaller lists that Clayton Webb planned to distribute among his operatives in southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

When they discussed the very practical matter of exactly how Francesca might be vulnerable to someone intent on hurting her, Marcella Paretti rose from her seat and moved to stand near AJ. Harm and Mac exchanged knowing glances as they both noticed the looks that passed between the admiral and his ex-wife, and how they briefly held hands on several occasions. Obviously, the welfare of their daughter was important enough to draw them closer. Of course, that had been the case before when Francesca had been kidnapped in Italy.

Francesca, for her part, was oblivious to her parents at all. She was concentrating intently on the instructions being given to her by Clayton Webb. She was to stay away from the windows and doors. She was to speak to no one, except the people in this room and the CIA guards, even on the phone. She was not to eat or drink anything until it had been approved by the CIA operatives. She was to report any strange noises or activities to her guards immediately. The list went on, and she listened with a genuine interest. Her interest, Mac noticed, seemed to be less in the rules and more in the man highlighting them. She stared into Webb's eyes and hung on every word out of his mouth.

At about noon, Harm suggested that they order in some lunch.

"No." Francesca insisted. "I'm tired of staying in this hotel. I want to go out to a restaurant to eat."

AJ caressed his daughter's cheek lovingly, "Sweetheart, I know you don't like to be cooped up like this, but we have to keep you here. It's the only way to make sure that you stay safe."

"But, Papa," She returned, "You are all my bodyguards. Surely if we all went together, it would be as safe as staying here."

"I'm sorry, but we can't take the chance of letting you out into the open. You'd be an easy target that way."

Harm and Mac were sitting on the couch with Clayton Webb by this time, looking at the schematic blueprints for the hotel. They exchanged a glance.

Harm knew exactly what she was thinking. She was fascinated by the concern and tenderness that a real father had for his daughter. Harm wished that she could experience the kind of love that a child ­ any child-- needed from a parent. Instead of saying anything, he smiled at her.

Webb announced that they were almost finished with the planning for Francesca's safety.

He sat up straight and addressed Harm, "Rabb, I expect to hear from my people in Italy later today. When we get their report, you and Mac can start piecing together the intell to figure out what Paretti had that these guys want."

"That might be like looking for a needle in a haystack." Mac lamented.

The admiral sighed.

"But we'll find that needle. Sir." Harm assured his C.O. "Won't we, Mac?"

"Of course, Sir." She pledged.

Francesca again asserted her desire to go out to lunch. Clayton Webb looked at the admiral, reading his frustration.

"AJ, why don't I take Francesca out to eat?"

"Webb, I hope you're kidding."

"No. I'm perfectly serious. We'll go out, just the two of us for lunch. I'll watch her like a hawk. I can guarantee her safety."

"Clay, it's not a good idea." Harm interjected.

"I think it's a beautiful idea." Francesca spoke up.

"No." AJ ruled. "It's not safe."

"What if Harm and I went along and sat at the next table?" Mac asked. "The three of us can surely watch everything to make sure it's safe."

Francesca looked at her father with large, pleading eyes. "Please, Papa."

"Okay, Sweetheart, but be very careful. Webb, I'm holding you personally responsible for this. Don't let anything happen to my little girl."

"It'll be fine, Admiral." Clay assured him.

"Well, if Francesca's going to be gone, I think I'll go out to do some shopping." Marcella Paretti informed them.

"No, Marcella." AJ stopped her, with a restraining hand on her arm.

"What do you mean, no." She countered.

"You may be in danger, too. It's not safe for you to be out alone. I'll come with you."

"No. It's no fun to shop with you, AJ. I'm not the one they're after. I'll be okay."

"Mrs. Paretti," Clayton Webb cut in, "I'm afraid the admiral may be right. If these people think you have what they want, you could be a target. You shouldn't go out without, at least, a bodyguard."

"I stay here, then." She concluded.

Mac and Harm sat across from each other at a table only a few feet away from the one where Clay and Francesca sat.

Harm searched his partner's eyes, "Mac, I know it's hard for you to watch how protective the admiral is of Francesca."

"No, that's ridiculous. I think it's great that they're so close.."

She cleared her throat before she returned his gaze and changed the subject, "Have you noticed how well Webb and Francesca seem to be getting along?"

He rolled his eyes, "Don't go there, Mac. It's none of our business."

"But they're cute together, Harm."

"Mac...."

"We should help them, if we can. Afterall, they are our friends."

"The best way we can help them is to just not get involved."

"You don't believe that!"

"Mac ...."

But she didn't let him finish. She just smiled at him.

An hour later, on the walk back to the hotel, Mac surprised Harm when she moved close beside him, and took his hand.

She didn't say a word, just walked with him, holding hands

At first, he wasn't sure what to make of it, though it felt comfortable. Soon, though, he realized that she was purposefully keeping him at a distance behind Clay and Francesca, so that they had more time to talk, privately.

He really had to smile. Yes, this was Mac ­ he knew her so well.

In front of the hotel, Francesca and Clay started across the street. Suddenly, from around a corner, a car came barreling down on them at high speed.

Mac gasped, tightening her grip on Harm's hand.

Harm made a move toward the street, but it was all over before he could get close to the action.

In an instant, Clay had pushed Francesca down, landing himself squarely on top of her to guarantee her safety.

The car sped by, but he wasn't able to get a good look at it. Quickly, he turned his attention to the woman on whom he lay. "Are you hurt?" he inquired.

She didn't respond immediately. At first she didn't even hear him. It was like a fog covered them. She looked up into his handsome face, and was captured by beautiful, expressive green eyes.

Harm and Mac hurried over to where they lay on the curb to help them up. Francesca stood up, but she still stared at her savior.

He appeared to have twisted his ankle, so she wrapped his arm around her neck to lend him support. When Harm tried to take her place, she stopped him.

The four of them made their way back to the suite.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER


"What happened?" AJ Chegwidden bellowed.

"Everything's all right, Papa. Clay saved my life." She looked at him with admiration in her eyes.

"Well, he wouldn't have needed to, if he hadn't taken you out and exposed you to danger in the first place."

When the news of the near-tragedy had been told, Marcella Paretti had moved close to the admiral's side. When Francesca showed the minor scrape on her elbow, from hitting the ground, she turned her face into AJ's chest, as if to hide from the bad news.

Harm, ever- observant, pulled Mac's arm so he could whisper in her ear, "Looks like we're working on the wrong couple."

She acknowledged, under her breath, "So, now we help two pairs."

He just rolled his eyes.

By evening, Webb brought in a large pile of folders filled with scads of information gathered by intelligence operatives in and near Italy.

During the hours that followed, the group went through this information, without any real gain.

Webb had a whole cadre of intelligence agents watching the hotel, inside and out, but they decided one of them should stay in the suite with Francesca and her mother for the night. Clay ended up volunteering, so the others left, promising to return in the morning.

When Harm let Mac out at her place, he declined her invitation to come up for a cup of tea, but said he'd be back to pick her up in the morning.

The next day, Clayton Webb and Francesca Paretti couldn't keep their eyes off each other. Mac tried to get Francesca to open up about what had occurred between them the previous evening, but Francesca only said that they had talked. She wondered what one talked to Special Agent Webb about.

A courier had delivered a new set of intell reports from Europe. Harm sang out when he found something that might have relevance.

Apparently, anyone with the right amount of cash could purchase a matching set of Soviet manufactured nuclear warheads from the Italian black market.

"That sounds like the kind of merchandise Paretti might have been interested in. We know that before he had dealings in Stinger missiles."

Webb got on the phone to operatives in Southern Europe, instructing them to trace where these items might have come from. And find out where they were now.

AJ Chegwidden closed the folder he'd been reading and dropped it carelessly onto the table in front of him. Standing, he addressed the younger man across from him, "Webb, we have to have more than this to go on. There's no way we can figure out what Paretti might've been into from this information."

"So far that's all we've got, Admiral. My people in Italy are convinced that what we're looking for is here, but they will send more information later this afternoon."

Marcella Paretti entered the room wearing a stylish silk pantsuit. She immediately caught the admiral's eye.

She came to stand beside him and suggested that he take her out for a walk.

"I'm busy right now, Marcella."

"Okay, then I go alone."

Convinced, he asked her to give him just 15 minutes more.

A knock on the door of the hotel suite, brought Harm to a standing position. He opened it to reveal a hotel delivery boy, carrying a long white box.

Harm handed the box to Marcella. "Delivery for you, Mrs. Paretti."

She smiled broadly. "It looks like flowers. AJ, you shouldn't have."

The admiral swallowed hard, as if he were a bit embarrassed. Quietly, he said, "I didn't." Then, very quickly, he grabbed the box away from his ex-wife.

Clay called out his name, and he tossed the box into the waiting CIA agents hands, who promptly took it into one of the bedrooms.

Mac and Harm were in the room with Clay, hovered over the box, almost before Mrs. Paretti had finished making a startled exclamation..

Webb instructed Harm, "Call the bomb squad."

Harm moved toward the phone, and Mac tried to steer a visibly shaken Francesca from the room.

Clayton Webb shot the admiral's daughter an unmistakably tender look, as he added his pleas to Mac's for her to stay away.

Back in the living area, Marcella was telling AJ that there was no reason why anyone would send her a bomb, unless it had been meant for Francesca.

"Marcella, I told you that you might also be in danger." He reminded her.

"AJ, I don't know what these people want, but I could just kill Vittorio for causing all this trouble."

The admiral very discreetly dropped an arm around her waist, whispering, "Vittorio is dead. I'm sure he never intended to put you and Francesca in danger. But, if he were alive, I'd kill him."

When the bomb squad arrived, Harm and Mac gave them information and assisted them. Webb and Francesca withdrew to her bedroom, where he attempted to calm her ­ and keep her at a safe distance.

The admiral and Marcella Paretti sat side by side ­and close together- in the living area.. She, having realized the full gravity of the situation, was alternating between crying on his shoulder and ranting passionately (in Italian!).

Surveying the situation, Harm reported quietly to Mac, "There's certainly a lot of passion between the couples in this suite.."

"Why Sailor, I didn't know you felt that way." She responded with a devilish grin.

He grinned back, but only stared deep into her eyes. He knew that they shared something far beyond the kind of passion he had been talking about.

A Sargent Wanchow, head of the explosives unit of the D.C. police department, announced that the bomb had been successfully defused. It was a simple, homemade model. It had been set to go off when the top was removed from the box. The fire power from this bomb was enough to have taken out this whole side of the building.

Marcella leaned close to AJ when she asked, "How did you know?"

"I didn't, he answered, "at least not for sure."

AJ looked around the room, searching for his daughter, "Where's Francesca?"

"Webb took her in the other room, Sir." Mac supplied.

The admiral moved to the door of the bedroom in just a few long strides. Quietly he opened it to reveal Clay and Francesca locked in a seemingly deep, passionate kiss.

He cleared his throat.

They moved away from each other before he asked, "Mr. Webb, what do you think you're doing?"

"AJ, Francesca has been very upset by this whole incident. I was just trying to help her calm down."

Francesca smiled broadly, as she moved past her father to exit the room. "And it worked. I feel much better. Thank you, Clay."

The admiral glared at Webb.

Harm and Mac exchanged an amused glance.

Later in the day, they discovered that CIA operatives had positively linked the black market nuclear warheads to Vittorio Paretti and his group of thugs. It was then easy to surmise that Francesca's would be assassins were looking for launching codes, which they assumed that Paretti's widow would have.

Marcella wished that she did have them. In her mind nuclear war was of little consequence when compared to her child's safety.

Harm and Mac prepared to leave for the office.. They had a few things to clear up there, then would return.

Marcella Paretti convinced the admiral to take her on a guided tour of his office, so Clay and Francesca were left alone in the suite.

On arriving at Jag HQ, Harm and Mac learned, from the maintenance chief, that the elevator wasn't functioning properly. "No, Commander. Everytime we make a test run, it gets stuck between floors. It takes at least a half hour to get it unstuck. I'd take the stairs if I were you two."

They started toward the stairwell, but Harm went back to talk to the mechanic. "Joe, the admiral and a woman will be here in just a few minutes. Don't tell them about the problem. Let'em take the elevator."

"But, Sir, they'll get stuck."

"That's okay, Joe. They need to spend some time together. It's in the name of love, Joe. I know you're a romantic guy.."

Mac's jaw slacked open.

Harm ignored her expression and steered her to the stairway.

AJ Chegwidden and Marcella Paretti entered the elevator and turned to watch the doors close. It rose with a jerk, then stopped.

"AJ, what's wrong?" she asked.

He pushed buttons, then sounded the alarm. "I'm afraid we're stuck." He informed her.

"That's not funny, AJ."

"No, it's not." He agreed. "Maybe it's just one of those coincidences, but this makes us sitting ducks, s stay back away from the doors."

"You don't think that somebody has tampered with the elevator?" she asked cautiously.

"We've got to consider that possibility." He pronounced.

The expression on her face betrayed her fear, as she moved closer to him.

He, almost instinctively, enclosed her in his arms.

She buried her face in his shoulder.

"Don't worry." He tried to reassure her. But the fact was that he was worried.

BACK AT THE HOTEL
AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER


Mac leaned over the table trying to make sense of several stacks of paper laid out before her. She looked up as Harm entered the door, carrying an armload of sacks containing all manner of food.

"Good, you're back." She said.

He handed her one of the bags, which bore the logo for the Beltway Burger restaurant.

As she began to unpack her dinner, he moved behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently rubbed them.

"That feels sooo good." She gushed.

He continued. "What are you working on?"

"The Braxton court-martial."

He sat down beside her. "Is the admiral back yet?"

"No, but they should have been out of the elevator long ago."

"Well, Major, our plans are working well today."

"Yeah, Clay and Francesca have been here together all afternoon, alone until I got here, and the admiral and his ex-wife were stuck on an elevator together."

"Mac, do you think that we shouldn't be doing this?"

"Harm, they're our friends. Besides, we're not forcing them into anything, we're just giving them the opportunity to discover things for themselves."

"You're right, and I'm sure they'd do the same for us."

She raised her eyebrows and gave him her "what are you talking about" look.

"...if we needed that kind of help" he continued.

Once again, she gave him a disbelieving stare. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Clay and Francesca, emerging from her room. They were holding hands and speaking softly.

"I just don't think so." He commented.

"But, Clay, I....."

"Your father doesn't like me." He concluded

While this exchange was taking place, Harm had carefully placed a hand on Mac's shoulder.

She reached up to cover his hand with hers.

"Oh, we're sorry." Clay acknowledged, apparently noticing them for the first time.

"No," Mac conceded, "we're the ones interrupting."

The phone rang. Harm picked it up, then handed it to Clay.

After hanging up, he warned the others, "Stay away from the windows. Our agents think they've spotted a sniper on a rooftop across the street."

"Can't they arrest him?" Mac asked.

"They're working on it." Clay answered. He took Francesca's hand and led her to the opposite side of the room.

The next time the phone rang, Webb announced that the suspect had been apprehended and everything was back to normal.

Within moments, the admiral and Marcella Paretti reentered the suite. They were laughing and talking.

The admiral stopped short and raised his voice, "Webb, I thought I told you to stay away from my daughter!"

"AJ, I...."

Francesca rushed to her father's side, grasping his arm, "Papa, don't!"

Marcella came to her daughter's defense, "AJ, calm down!"

"Neither one of you know this man like I do." He responded, shaking them off. "I won't have him leading Francesca astray, breaking her heart."

"If you don't want me to protect her anymore, ...." Webb began.

"Admiral, Sir," Harm spoke up, "Webb is the best chance we have of keeping Francesca and her mother safe."

Nobody noticed that during this interchange, Harm had slipped both his arms around Mac's neck. He hadn't even noticed himself.

His arms automatically moved, though, as the admiral turned to look in their direction.

Mac had felt a tingly sensation, but one that she was glad that Harm wasn't aware of. When his arms moved she experienced just a touch of cold.

She couldn't be sure when she had first become aware of his effect on her, but neither could she deny how strong that effect was. She was careful not to let him see it. After all, he only joked about the possibility of an attraction between them. He certainly didn't feel anything.

Clay and Francesca both looked directly at Harm and Mac, then exchanged a knowing smile.

After a few minutes, Clay announced that it was getting late, and that he better be going.

Francesca said, "Wait, I'll walk you out."

"No," her father corrected, "it's time for me to go too. I'll walk him out."

They left together.

Marcella brought in extra pillows and blankets for Mac and Harm, who had drawn the overnight assignment this time.

When Francesca and Mrs. Paretti had both retired to their rooms, Mac opened the balcony doors and stepped outside onto the small balcony, high above the city.

Soon, Harm was standing behind her. "Be careful of snipers, okay, Mac?"

"Harm, they caught that guy."

"Yeah, but I want to make sure he doesn't have a friend.'

"Look at the stars." She pointed up toward the heavens, "It's really beautiful out here."

"Yes, it is." He agreed, but his eyes hadn't strayed from her face.

"Mac, I, I..."

"Yes?"

"Aw, nothing."

He led her back inside, with the excuse that it was getting cold.

She picked up a file and sat beside him on the floor. They began reviewing the facts of the Braxton court-martial.

They discussed, then listed their arguments and counter arguments for about an hour, then she sighed heavily, and yawed.

"You okay?" he inquired.

"Sure," she replied, as she stretched her arms in front of her.

"Hey, Mac?"

"Yeah"

Instead of speaking, he turned toward her, and pulled her back toward him, so that her back rested against his chest.

He wrapped both his arms around her shoulders and held her securely.

"Harm, what.....?" she started to pull away.

He gently, but insistently pulled her back. "Just relax, " he told her. You're too tense."

It took several minutes, but eventually he felt her muscles begin to loosen up a little.

His chin rested on her head, and he was filled with the intoxicating aroma of her hair. One of his hands moved up to rest against her cheek, and she leaned into it.

When he was sure that she was relaxing, he softly whispered, "Okay, now, tell me about your dad and how that made you feel when you were a little girl, and how you feel about it now."

"Harm, why? Why should we drudge all that up now?"

"Because I want to understand why this is so hard for you. I want to know how you feel."

She relaxed even more, reveling in the strength of his arms.

For the first time in her life, she was able to really open up. To talk about how worthless her father had made her feel.

She could tell Harm about how she had often cried herself to sleep, wishing for a father who loved her. She could tell Harm anything, well, almost anything.

He encouraged her to keep talking, to get all her emotions out. And she did. They talked about everything, for a long, long time.

Finally, using the hand on her cheek, he turned her head toward him. He gazed deeply into her big brown eyes, then he lost himself.

After a moment, he lowered his head. Very tentatively, his lips met hers. He was prepared to have his face smacked, or to have her pull away, entirely. He wasn't prepared, however, for what actually happened.

Hesitantly at first, she responded to his kiss.. Her arms came up to encircle his neck and pull him closer.

When it ended, she initiated another, more passionate kiss..

Several kisses ensued, before his lips wandered down to her neck.

They suddenly stopped short, coming to a heightened alertness. The door of the hotel suite opened quietly. They could see a pair of legs moving steadily into the room.

Mac glanced briefly over the edge of the table, then returned to her position, reporting, "It's only Clay."

They watched as Clayton Webb entered Francesca's room without making a sound.

Harm once again pulled her down so that her back rested squarely against his chest. He whispered in her ear, "You're really tired. You should try to relax and get some rest.

She let herself lean against him, fully. Just as she was about to fall asleep, they heard the faint sound of the door opening again.

This time they watched as the admiral moved silently across the room and entered Marcella Paretti's bedroom. Both were thankful that the table in front of them hid them from view.

Finally, repositioned, Mac did fall to sleep.

Two hours later, she awoke to feel Harm's powerful arms still around her. It was a good feeling.

Her head lay on his chest. She could tell by the uneven nature of his breathing that he was not asleep.

She looked up to find him watching her.

She smiled at him, only to be rewarded by one of his patented grins. Mac turned, in his arms, so that she was facing him, almost lying on top of him.

She brought her face close to his, and kissed him.

He responded, pulling her closer.

"What happened to us, Harm?"

"I don't know what happened to you, Darling, but I fell in love with the most beautiful, wonderful girl in the world."

She looked deeply into his eyes, then said, "We thought that it was only natural that the admiral and Mrs. Pareti end up together and that Clay and Francesca end up together, but I think we got caught in our own trap."

He didn't say anything, instead he kissed her.

She continued, "I guess we're also the victim of Natural Selection. I love you, Harm."