"You're right on time. Everyone comes early when the Admiral comes, so we put the time at least an hour after when we want it to start." Harm smiled at her. "Celia's here!" Harm called out. "Everyone's down in the kitchen."

Celia watched as Harm took her coat and purse to the back room. Making her way down the stairs she noticed a warm fire already glowing in the library. A man with dark hair and blue eyes lounged in front of it on a large bearskin rug. Celia looked around for her brother. Finding him near Mac, who was setting out sodas and beer.

"Hey Vicky." She shouted over the group, hoping to take him down a peg in the company of his colleagues.

"Hey cellophane." He greeted.

"There will be no name calling at this party. There will be no claiming of people, i.e., my petty officer, my sister." Mac's voice cut through the laughter of the group. "And there will be no spilled blood and no spill beverages. You don't have to live with Harm crying over his precious floor."

"I heard that Mac." Harm came down the stairs with a blond woman and a large man following him. "Everyone this is Laura Wilder, my assistant, and her husband-"

"Almanzo?" Brumby's date called out. "Gosh I just loved those books."

The group rolled their eyes. Harm smiled blankly at the woman. "Sorry to disappoint you, but his name is Dave." Harm turned back to them. "You know Celia, that Marine in uniform over there is Celia's brother Gunny."

The group groaned. "Oh you're just full of it, flyboy." Mac came up to Harm and wrapped her arms around him. "His name is Victor Galindez. This is Bud and Harriet and their son AJ. Caroline Imes. Mic Brumby and his date." Mac rolled her eyes.

Harm continued. "And you remember Jingo from her stay in the office. And this is Mac."

Laura held out her hand. "It's so nice to meet you, Colonel."

Mac took it with a hesitant smile. "It's Mac." She took Dave's hand as well as Harm disappeared to answer the doorbell.

"The Admiral and the Mattoni's are here." Harm called over his shoulder.

"Dammit Rabb. Do you have to yell?" The Admiral's gruff voice carried into the kitchen. The group laughed.

@@

Laura looked around the kitchen, library and living room. No wonder Harm had been so open when he had come to the firm. All these people were amazingly honest with one another. Bud and Dave were having a conversation that dealt with government conspiracies, while Harm called them names from the stairs where he was holding Mac who was chatting with Harriet and Caroline about something.

"Laura, do you have children?" Harriet asked sweetly.

"No, not yet. We're still trying." Laura walked over to join the women on the stairs. Harm got up to join the men by the computer, where Harm was telling them Webb's role in the stealing of the Declaration of Independence.

"Bud and I are trying not too." Harriet smiled. "Don't get me wrong, Little AJ is perfect it's just, well."

"He's so little." Laura smiled. "My sister says the same thing."

"What are you all talking about?" Celia joined them.

"Children, lovers." Caroline said blithely.

"When were we talking about lovers?" Mac asked.

"Well I was about to ask how Harm was in the sack."

"Oh well then, I don't know anything about babies or lovers." The music reached a slow loll in the volume. Celia winced in pain, at the looks on the faces in front of her.

"Actually, the way you were kissing that guy today at lunch..." Laura trailed off as Harm made cutting motions with his hands and Celia hunched down as if in pain.

"Pipsqueak!" Victor Galindez thundered at his sister.

"Yes, Vicky?" Celia asked sweetly.

"Don't you Vicky me. I want to know who the hell was kissing my younger sister."

"It's none of your business." Celia replied standing up. "If I wanted to sleep with the entire Jag office, I could do it. And no one could stop me."

"No that's for Tiner's girlfriend." Caroline muttered under her breath to Harriet.

The Gunny turned on Harm. "Who was she kissing, Commander?"

"I don't know. I worked through lunch, I wasn't paying attention, and I didn't see anything." Harm said backing away, with his hands held up.

Laura was about to open her mouth when she felt Mac's hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Mac's imperceptible shake. Laura smiled at her.

"Webb. Wasn't that, that guys name?" Walter Avanaugh asked from one of the wing chairs in the library. "AJ, you said you were watching Webb sweat."

"You kissed that spook! Wasn't the petty officer low enough?" Galindez thundered.

"Enough! My home. my rules." Mac declared in her Colonel voice. "I don't care who Celia has slept with. We won't discuss it at my house warming party." Harm had slid over to the stairs and now stopped in pain as he realized what Mac had said.

"You SLEPT with HIM!"

"NO! And it's none of your business, dammit. I've slept with a guy before Vicky. I'm 27 not a child. Hell most of the girls I went to high school with are on the third marriages with 6 kids."

"Mom and Dad raised us better!"

"Oh yeah. How many women have you slept with GUNNY?" She called out in disgust.

"That's different." He replied smoothly. Harm hid behind Mac, not liking where any of this was going.

"Why cause you're a guy? Is it so wonderful that a guy has bedded sixteen million women? Is that why Harm here had to leave the Navy rather than bag that Captain like she wanted?"

"What? What does that have to do with it?" The Gunny asked.

"I don't know, it just sounded good." Celia said, the anger sliding out of her voice.

"I just wish you show some judgment, Celia. Sleeping with a spook is hazardous to your health."

"So is driving on the beltway, or racing old cars in the desert, but you don't have a cow about those things."

"Cause those aren't...aren't Webb!"

"Leave it alone, Victor." Celia growled. The tension in the room was palpable.

"Harriet, you said you brought some of the pictures from the office party?" Harm asked clearing his throat.

"What? Oh yeah, Bud honey could you hook up your laptop?"

"Sure honey, let me go get it real quick." Bud hurried out of the room.

"The Jag office decided that this year for the entertainment we'd give camera's to the staff and have them take pictures around the office, you know a kinda day in the life at Jag. Tiner volunteered to make CD's with all the pictures on it for everyone's gift." Harriet explained. "Not everyone has turned in their film yet, so this is just a preview."

Harm felt a hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Rabb. I think we should talk." The Admiral's voice was low and demanding.

"Of course, Sir."

"You feel like fresh air, don't you Mr. Rabb."

"Of course, sir." Harm led the way outside, into the dark cold starless night. "What did you need to talk to me about, Sir."

"I want to know if what she said was true."

"What?"

"Did Captain Krennick make unwanted advances towards you?"

"They weren't unwanted in the beginning, sir." Harm took a breath and looked out onto the quiet street. "I mean at first I was kinda flattered, and attracted. She wanted me, so that she could hold me; you know she wanted to control me. It felt nice to be that much of a threat, and even you must admit, sir. She was a beautiful woman."

The Admiral grunted. "Continue."

"It just never happened, Sir. Which seemed to piss her off. I mean sometimes, I'd dodge her, because I thought of regulations, sometimes it didn't happen because well I started to get serious about Diane and I was always busy." Harm smiled. "You can't believe how happy I was when you invited me to have a drink with that Marine sniper, Crockett. She wanted to go away for the weekend." Harm smiled.

"And this time?" The Admiral asked.

"She wanted me transferred so we could pick up where we left off. But this time, it wasn't flattering. I wasn't tempted. She threatened and I told her I'd leave."

Harm sighed, his hands slipping in her pocket. "I guess she didn't believe me."

"So you called her bluff, deep sixed your naval career because you didn't want to admit you didn't like her advances?" The Admiral asked his face grave with concern.

"Everything turned out for the best Admiral. I'm happy, I have Mac, a new home and a good job with the second best CO I've had." Harm smiled at the Admiral. "There was a phrase I thought of when I first resigned. Some dreams must end, but a new one will take its place."

"Kind of your life motto, isn't it Rabb?"

"Maybe, but I never thought about it til now." Harm said.

"Are you guys going to bond all night or are we going to show these pictures without you." Mac called from the front room.

"Keep your pants on Mac." Harm called as he opened the door. The Admiral entered the house. "Or better yet, don't." Harm muttered under his breath.

The Admiral turned back to Harm. "I didn't want to hear that Mr. Rabb."

"Yes, sir."