"Alex..." was the only word from his strangled voice. He blinked and struggled to compose himself. "Eh, I have to go to Baltimore."
 
He began searching his pocket for the car keys, which Mac jiggled in front of him. She took in his distraught state and zoned out expression. He seemed a million miles away...no doubt thinking of this Alex. She thought it strange that an FBI agent would identify herself by her first name but then Harm had friends from all walks of life. What she did know was that she had to help Harm. He certainly wasn't in any state to help himself.
 
"Come on, Harm," Mac said leading them to the Navy-commisioned car. "Tell me where to go, I think it would be best if I drive." She tossed a glance to Bud. "Can you tell the Admiral that we're going to Baltimore, Bud? Tell him it was an emergency and we'll call him when we get there."
 
With that she slammed the car door shut and drove off, pondering what she and Harm would find in Baltimore and what role this Alex had in Harm's life.
 
                                           ****************************************************
Suburban Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland
1526 EST, September 3rd
The trip to Baltimore had passed in silence other than the occasional grunt from Harm instructing Mac where to turn. Every so often Mac would glance at him for a second to ensure he was okay but his eyes were glazed, not really quite with her. She couldn't help but wonder what thoughts passed behind his expressionless mask.
 
"Harm, how are you doing?" Mac asked, turning into another street. The directions he had given her had taken them into a very nice neighbourhood- the type with a backyard and white picket fences. "Are you okay?"
 
"Yeah, Mac, I'm fine," Harm, not sounding at all fine.
 
She hesitated for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"
 
Harm frowned at her. "What?"
 
"Who is Alex?"
 
Harm sighed and looked away. "The woman who was very nearly my wife..."
 
To say Mac was stunned was an understatement. She had to force herself from screeching to a halt. She wasn't sure what was more astonishing; the fact that Alex was a woman or the fact that she had an relationship with Harm that had at one time been close enough for him to broach the topic of marriage.
 
Before she could question him further, he scowled as he pointed to a modest looking house. "I-it's that one there."
 
It was not surprising Harm sounded so shaky, the house looked like it was holding a police convention. Marked and unmarked police cars blocked the streets, police officers crowded around setting up warning tape and keeping on-lookers and the press from intruding in their work, and the most ominous were the teary-eyed neighbours watching the activities from their homes. As a lawyer and a Marine, Mac had seen these scenes many times where crimes had taken place. The only question left was, what crime had taken place?
 
She barely had time to park the car on the road before Harm had jumped out to seek the answer to that apprehensive question. Mac followed him but left him to his thoughts. She wanted to know more about this Alex, however curiousity could wait. She had to be there for Harm if the answer he sought was bad. Immediately, they were halted from approaching the house from a young police officer until a blond-haired woman wearing an FBI issue jacket ran over. The woman's eyes were red rimmed and she looked pale.
 
"It's okay, officer, they're with me," she explained.
 
The police officer nodded then left the three alone in search of other trespassers. Harm and the FBI agent stared at each other for a moment, as if scrutinizing the other, then they smiled simultaneously. Mac watched as they embraced, but noted it was in many ways more like a sibling hug than a lovers' cuddle.
 
"Harm," murmured the FBI agent into Harm's chest, "it's so good to see you." She released Harm slightly and moved back so their eyes could meet. Mac saw the woman's lip quivering, tears pooling in her blue eyes. "I just wish it wasn't like this...Oh God, Harm, s-she's gone...She's gone."
 
"What do you mean?" Harm whispered, sounding like a little boy who knew the truth but didn't want to accept it. "How can she be gone? She's only thirty-two, Kayla, how can she be dead? What's going on?"
 
"Some asshole shot her...I-I found her this morning." The woman looked down, swiping her tears away. "She didn't suffer, that's a helluva lot more than I can say when I get hold of the son-of-a-bitch who did this to my kid sister." Her grief-stricken voice turned vicious as she uttered her vow of vengeance.
 
A tear rolled down Harm's cheek but he managed to hold onto his composure. "I...I don't know what to say, Kayla..."
 
The woman, who was now identified as the Kayla who had called Harm out, bit her lip. "Just know that she always loved you, no matter what had happened. You were the one who she trusted more than anyone else." She touched Harm's cheek softly. "Come, my mom's expecting us."
 
For the first time, Harm seemed to remember Mac was there. "Eh, Kayla, this is my partner, Sarah MacKenzie. Mac, this is Agent Mikayla Cameron. She's Alex's elder sister."
 
Not knowing who Alex really was, Mac smiled at Cameron as the two women shook hands. "Call me Mac," she said. "I'm sorry for your loss." She couldn't exactly say that Alex was a wonderful person since this Alex was a stranger, but her own experience of death made her realise the comfort of others could be a small help.
 
"In that case, you should call me Kayla. Only my mom and my kindergarten teacher have ever called me Mikayla." Kayla managed to muster up a sly smile, despite the grim and harrowing situation. "So are you two *partners* partners or just work partners?"
 
"Just work partners," the JAG officers said in unison.
 
Kayla just nodded- if it had been another time, a less desolate time, she would have been mildly amused- as she led them to her black SUV. "Leave your car here, no-one will touch it. I'll drive since I know the way."
 
Mac sat in the back seat to allow Harm and Kayla the chance to talk easily. This arrangement also allowed her the chance to watch them both; there was definitely a bond between them though purely platonic. If anything, Kayla seemed to dote on Harm like one would a brother, or was she just seeing what she wanted to see?
 
"Tell me Kally wasn't there when you found the..." Harm trailed off, unable to say the word 'body', but he was scowling now.
 
Was Kally another sister? Yet another part of the puzzle.
 
"No, thank God. The kids were at our mother's place last night. They weren't there at the time of the shooting."
 
"Kids?" Harm was rather perplexed, then understanding came. "Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that Alex had another child. How old is he- two, three?"
 
"Around..." Kayla's answer was noncommittal, nonetheless an odd look passed across her face for a brief second. "You'll just adore Kaiden, he's a terrific little boy."
 
"Mmm...How are the kids taking it? You *have* told them, haven't you?"
 
"Yes, Alex believed in always telling them the truth, how can I do any less?" She sighed. "Kaiden's too young to really understand fully. He knows his mom isn't coming back."
 
"And Kally? How is she coping?"
 
"Like any ten-year-old child, with difficulty. But she's tough, she'll cope."
 
Harm nodded grimly. "She is her mother's daughter after all. What's going to happen to them?"
 
"Eh...I dunno, we'll have to wait and see. You know how lawyers are, no offence." That strange look was back. Kayla drew the car up into the drive of a large bungalow. "Here we are. Mom will be pleased to see you, Harm. I know it's a lot to ask of you to come up but you were always like a son to her."
 
"And she was like another mother to me."
 
The two officers followed Kayla from the car into the house where they were met by a maid, who smiled sympathetically at Kayla and Harm. This intrigued Mac as it went further in showing just how close Harm was to this family at some point in his life and that closeness had not changed despite the passing of time.
 
"They're in the living room, Miss Kayla," the greying woman with an English accent.
 
"Thank you, Mary," the FBI agent said before proceeding on.
 
The living room was magnificent with oriental rugs shrouded over the wine coloured carpet and family portraits and professional works of artistry adorning the walls. Sitting on the black leather sofa was a middle-aged woman sandwiched between two young children- a girl that was aged around nine or ten and a little boy who looked about three.
 
The second the little girl set red-raw eyes on Harm, she ran into his outstretched arms. Harm caught her and lifted her up, holding her tightly as she cried softly.
 
"Harm...my mommy's dead," the child whispered, tearfully. "Someone killed my mom."
 
"I know, Kally, I know. But I'm here now and you're going to be okay, I promise no-one will hurt you."
 
"Who's that?" the girl asked, referring to Mac.
 
Harm smiled and replied, "This is my partner, Sarah MacKenzie. She's in the Marines. Mac, this is Kallinda."
 
"Hi there, Kallinda," Mac said to the child. "I'm sorry about your mom."
 
"Yeah, but Kayla will catch the bad guy, won't you, Kayla?"
 
"You can bet on it, Sport." From the tone of the FBI agent's voice, Mac started to fear for the murderer's life. She wouldn't want to be in his shoes if Kayla were to find him first.
 
Still holding Kallinda, Harm turned to the woman who must be Kayla- and Alex's- mother. The woman stood up and clasped Harm to her- Kallinda and all.
 
"Oh, it's so good to see you again, Harm," the woman said.
 
"I just wish it wasn't like this," Harm replied. "Ellish, this is Mac. Mac, this is Ellish Cameron." The two women shook hands as Harm smiled at the silent little boy. Setting Kally down, he slowly approached the boy, who was regarding Harm with wide blue eyes. He knelt down in front of the child. "Hey there, little guy. You must be Kaiden."
 
"Yes," the boy said, solemnly. He cast a curious look at Ellish. "Grandma, is he my daddy?"
 
Mac saw an expression, which was a mixture of amusement and bewilderment, cross Harm's face when he heard the toddler's question. An expression that instantly transformed into pure shock at Ellish's reply.
 
"Yes, Kaiden. This is your daddy."
 
                                           ****************************************************
"Four years! Four years you've all known and you never breathed a word. Four damn years! I've talked to you all, had lunch with Alex and Kally and not one of you mentioned the fact I had a son."
 
Kayla had always considered Harmon Rabb as the epitome of calm, he had a ceaseless supply of patience. He had met Alex nine years ago and was there to see Kally through her Terrible Twos with the competence of an accomplished father. He had put up with the stubbornness that ran through the veins of every Cameron woman and he had seen Alex in her most determined of moods. But today, Harm's eternal serenity shattered and rage took its place. Or more accurately, Harm was totally, utterly pissed off, and since Alex wasn't here to take the blame then Kayla and her mother were the focus of his white-hot anger.
 
Mary had taken the children to outside and Mac followed to give them some privacy. The two Cameron women did not want Kaiden to be present should his father try to call the boy's paternal heritage into question. As it was, Harm almost immediately accepted that the youngster was his son. Of course, it was obvious who Kaiden's father was. While Kally had Alex's blond locks and aqua blue eyes, Kaiden had Harm's dark hair and sharp blue eyes.
 
"Harm, please calm down," Ellish tried to appease.
 
"Calm down?" Harm repeated incredulously. "Calm down?! I find out you've been hiding my own child away from me for four goddamn years and you think I should calm down."
 
"You'll stress yourself out and the children need you."

"The children didn't need me four years ago," was the bitter reply. Harm sighed, sitting down heavily on the sofa and burying his face in his hands. "Why? Why didn't she tell me she was expecting our child?"
 
Kayla glanced at her mother then she turned her full attention to Harm. "She thought you wouldn't want him, that you weren't ready. Alex had some odd ideas, she thought having an unplanned baby would interfere with your career."
 
"Is that meant to make things better? That the woman who I thought knew me better than anyone thought I cared more for my career than I would my son. I adore Kally, did she think I would feel any less for my own?"
 
"I can't work out what Alex thought, maybe it had something to do with her bad times with Logan or maybe it was something else altogether. I could only stand by her, I had to. She *was* my kid sister. But Kaiden is a wonderful child and she has done a great job with him."
 
"That doesn't surprise me, she did well with Kally..." Harm hesitated, his eyes darting to one of the many photographs of the dark-haired, blue-eyed boy of four. "So what has she told him about me?"
 
"That you lived far away but loved him very much and would be coming back for him soon. Alex would never have told him lies, Harm, you know that."
 
"No, the lies are kept for me- the kid's father." Harm shook his head wearily. "Kaiden- what the hell kind of name is that for my child?"
 
"What is wrong with the name Kaiden?" Ellish asked with a hint of a smile. "I think it is a beautiful name for a beautiful boy."
 
Kayla's eyebrow just arched at this. "Harm, you're dealing with a woman named Alexia who has a sister called Mikayla, a brother called Brennen, a mother called Ellish and named her daughter Kallinda. Is the Scamp's name really any surprise? Just be glad Kaid wasn't a girl otherwise he'd have been named Sunflower Rose."
 
Kayla herself had nearly choked when she heard what Alex was naming the boy all those years ago. Kallinda was bad enough but Kaiden? She wasn't even sure if it was a name or not. When she had a child, she was determined to stick with the normality of 'Michael' or 'Lauren'. There would be no need for any of her kids to run off to the deed poll office the minute they turned eighteen.
 
There was a pause. "So what happens now? Which one of you will be taking care of the kids?"
 
Ellish and Kayla exchanged nervous looks, then Ellish spoke. "Eh...Harm, in the will Alex turned guardianship of both Kallinda and Kaiden to you. Legally speaking, you now have full custody of the children."
 
"What?!" They could have told him aliens from Mars had landed and he would have reacted with less shock.
 
"She always trusted you with Kallinda and knew how much you loved her, and you *are* Kaiden's biological father. It seemed right that you have them in the event of her...her death."
 
"What about you or Kayla or Bren?"
 
"Bren lives in Japan and his house is full with his own three kids. As for me, I am in my retirement- I don't have the energy for a ten-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy."
 
"And I barely have time to breathe," piped up Kayla, "I spend half my time flying across the States, I don't have the stability two little kids need."
 
The truth was Harm needed Kaiden as much as Kaiden needed Harm. Kayla had always thought that Alex was crazy to break it off with the Naval officer five years ago. Harm had been there for Alex whenever she needed him, he had loved her fiercely and had looked upon Kallinda as his own. Far more than any of the jerks Alex had seen briefly either before or after. It was tragic that Alex was not here any longer but Kayla hoped that would not interrupt Harm's relationship with the children.
 
"I...I can't take care of them..." Harm now resembled a bashful little boy.
 
"Why not? You're their father- or at least Kaiden's father. Look, if you want, arrangements can be made for Kally. She's not your biological daughter so there is no obligation on you. I just would prefer for the children to be together."
 
Kayla was more than willing to adopt her sister's children, she loved them like her own and would never want to see them in some kind of foster care, not that her family would allow that to happen. But in all honesty, Kaiden had a father- albeit a father who did not know he existed until an hour ago. A child belonged with his family, and since the children could never be separated then where Kaiden went, Kally would follow. Nonetheless, Kayla didn't really believe that Harm would not want Kally strictly because she was not his daughter, and as expected, her statement received a retort.
 
"That's not it, dammit. You know I love Kallinda. I just don't feel I can...I don't know, I just don't think I could take care of either of them. I'm single, living in a one bedroom apartment with a full-time job that requires a lot of travel. How can I look after two children like that?"
 
Ellish moved forward to sit beside him, she took his hand gently. "Like any new father, you'll learn."
 
                                           ****************************************************
Ellish Cameron's Residence
Baltimore, Maryland
1730 EST, September 3rd
Harm wandered over to the dining room window which overlooked the back yard where Kallinda and Kaiden playing with a ball. The innocent bliss of early childhood brightened Kaiden's cherubic features, a stark contrast to his sister. Kally's movements were half-hearted and her face was downcast, obviously only engaging in play for her young brother's sake. She had her mother's warm heart, always willing to cheer up others despite her own pain.
 
They certainly were beautiful children...*His* beautiful children. God, that still caused his heart to jump whenever he thought of that mind numbing reality. After Harm broke up with Alex five years ago, he made a point to still keep in contact with her and the then five-year-old Kally. He had a close almost father-daughter relationship with the child that he didn't want that to end just because he and Alex weren't seeing each other any more.
 
But this was not what he had in mind.
 
When Harm met Alex nine years ago, he had been in his junior year at law school and she was an already accomplished young lawyer who had come to give his class a talk on civilian law. When they met later that day in the cafeteria, they just hit it off. They spent four happy years together and everyone- including him- thought they would eventually get married. Then suddenly, Alex announced it wasn't working, that their relationship was over. Now he knew why- she was pregnant with Kaiden and some warped part of her mind assumed he would not want a child. She had always been very impulsive but that was taking things a bit far.
 
Ironically, Harm would have done anything for her and would have been ecstatic had he known the truth then. They could have been happily married if Alex had been honest with him, or in the very least he could have been there for his son from birth.
 
"How are you doing, partner?"
 
Harm turned to see Mac entering the room, coming to stand next to him. "Fine, though you should congratulate me, apparently I'm now a dad to two happy, healthy kids." At Mac's frown, he elaborated. "Alex wanted custody of the children to go to me."
 
"And Kayla and her mother are happy with this?"
 
"Happy? They're all for it."
 
"And you?"
 
Harm sighed, his gaze drifting back to the children outside. "I don't know, Mac...I don't know if I can be a good enough father for them."
 
Mac smiled. "No-one is born a wonderful father, they learn. I've known you long enough to think you'll do your best."
 
"What if that isn't good enough?"
 
"Doing your best is always enough." Mac looked down, her voice softer. "I was my father's biological daughter, he had me from the day I was born yet he was a lousy father to me. He was too selfish and immature to have a child. You, on the other hand, have to be the most unselfish person I know. You were great with Josh Pedry, you practically adopted Darlin Lewis and Chloe thinks you're 'neat'. As long as you're willing to love and look after those kids, then you'll be fine. Don't do this if you feel you owe a debt to your ex."
 
Harm snorted. "I think she owes me- Alex was the one who stole Kaiden from me."
 
He could just see the curiousity burning in her chocolate brown eyes. He couldn't blame his partner for being interested, after all they had all spoken about Alex and now this new unveiled secret, it was no wonder Alex must seem a mystery. But Harm felt Mac deserved an explanation, she did accompany him to Baltimore with no warning or questions.
 
"I guess you must have a lot of questions regarding Alex," he said as an opening.
 
Mac shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, I suppose I do...like for a start, who *was* she?"
 
He couldn't really explain in simple terms what Alex meant to him. She was everything; he wasn't even sure if he could ever look at another woman quite the same way he did with her. Maybe because she was his first true love, or perhaps because she was the mother of his recently discovered son, but they had something sacred and wonderful.
 
"She is..." He bit his lip at using the deceased woman's name in present tense. Time had left Alex behind and never again would she be described in such a way. "She was a civilian lawyer, dealt mainly in family law but did handle a couple of criminal cases. I met Alex when I was in law school and she came to give a talk. You know, I can honestly say that- including everyone, from little Kari-Anne in kindergarten to Jordan- that the love I felt for Alex was so fulfilling, so intense that she will always have a special place in my heart. I was never more ready to settle down than I was when Alex and I were together. Even after we broke up, we remained friends and often went out together with Kally."
 
Mac seemed surprised by the depth of his answer. "You two must have had something very special..." was all she could say.
 
Harm inwardly sneered. *Yeah, so special she hid my own kid from me.*
 
He couldn't believe that in all the times he had taken Alex and Kally to the mall or the zoo, she never once mentioned the 'little' detail that they had a son. A couple of times Kally mentioned Kaiden, he thought she was just referring to a friend. Then out of the blue, around three or so years ago, Alex casually announced she had a son. Since he hadn't seen her for some time, he just assumed it was a new-born baby, not a one-year-old. After that shock announcement, he didn't once see the boy- Alex only brought Kally to their 'dates'. It was only now Harm could see the lengths she went to keep Kaiden a secret from him.
 
But what was done was done. He just had to find the strength to rise above it and try to make up for the years he hadn't been there for Kaiden....and find it in his heart to forgive Alex.
 
"I should head back to DC and explain things to the Admiral. He's going to be pissed we were missing all afternoon. The day after tomorrow is Sunday so I'll come back up and help you with whatever needs done. I think you should spend some time with the children tomorrow. You lost an extremely close friend and they lost their mother, you'll have to be there for one another."
 
"Eh...Mac, don't tell Chegwidden about Kaiden, I want to tell him myself when it all sinks in. Just tell him that I lost a close friend. And thank you, you've done so much for me, more than a partner should."
 
Mac caught his hand and squeezed it gently. "We aren't just partners, Harm, we're best friends and don't ever forget that. And don't worry, you're going to be just fine, I know you are."
 
Harm watched her leave, grateful for her friendship and support. Then he rallied up his strength as he prepared for the hardest time of his life- spending time with his two prospective adoptees.
 
                                           ****************************************************
Ellish Cameron's Residence
Baltimore, Maryland
1920 EST, September 3rd
"How's it going, Kall?"
 
The ten-year-old was curled up on the sofa, morosely staring at the television screen with glazed blue-green eyes. Harm could see dried tear tracks on her cheeks. He came over and sat beside Kallinda, and after a moment's hesitation the little girl moved closer to him.
 
"I'm fine, Harm," replied Kallinda, her voice soft and listless.
 
"You're not fine, Sport," he said, indulging in her mother's favourite nickname for her- a name bequeath to Kally for her immense love of all sports and the great outdoors. "It must be difficult, I bet you want to yell and cry but you feel you have to hold it together."
 
"How did you know?"
 
"I felt the same when my dad went missing when I was five."
 
When his father went MIA in Vietnam, Harm was torn between screaming for all he was worth and being the little man in the house for his mother's sake. Kallinda was in much the same situation, feeling she had to be strong now that she was the key player in Kaiden's life. He hoped she would learn that she was still just a child and was not completely responsible for her younger brother.
 
He wondered who had the better deal. There was no 'good' way to lose a loved one but at least Kally had finality, she could eventually recover and move on with her life safe with the memories of her mother and the knowledge that Alex was in a better place. He spent thirty years wondering if his father was alive or dead, dedicating- and at times, risking- his life in pursuit of the truth.
 
Inevitably, Kally asked, "He went missing? Did you ever find him?"
 
"Yeah, he went missing in Vietnam, and yes, I did find him." At the girl's questioning glance, Harm sighed. "He was dead, he died ten years ago in Russia."
 
"How?"
 
"He was saving a young woman from being hurt by some bad men and they shot him."
 
"I want to kill the person who hurt my mom. I want to hurt them so bad," Kally said, viciously pulling at her jumper.
 
"I don't blame you." Harm dreamed of draining the life from the scum who had taken Alex's life. But he couldn't allow Kally to see his own vengeful thoughts. "You know if you were to kill this person- this animal- then you'll no better than him. Our conscience and justice is what separates us from his breed."
 
"I guess, but when they catch him I hope he gets put on the electric chair. That fries your brain, you know."
 
There no point in trying to dissuade her, the murder of her mother was too fresh to appeal to Kally's sense of control. Even a child could not be expected to forgive so easily, Harm would just have to ensure her abhorrence for the murderer would not fester.
 
Just then, a little voice piped up, "What are you doing?"
 
Kaiden sprinted into the living room and, upon seeing Kally sitting by Harm, he clambered onto his father's lap with no timidity or reluctance. He smiled toothily at Harm, who couldn't help but instantly feel the burst of pride welling up within him. Kaiden was such a gorgeous kid, as handsome as Kally was beautiful. And Harm was delighted at how quickly the boy accepted Harm and referred to him as 'Daddy'.
 
The boy pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Harm, who opened it out. The colourful childish scrawls depicted a poignant drawing of three stick figures standing under a cloud where a fourth halo-ed figure watched over them. Underneath the drawing were the words 'Mommy', 'Daddy', 'Kaiden' and 'Kally'.
 
"Mommy's in heaven now," Kaiden said, firmly. "She's an angel."
 
"That's right, Scamp," Harm replied, holding the child tighter.
 
Blue orbs met identical blue, as father and son's gazes locked.  "Are we going to live with you now, Daddy?"
 
Harm could feel Kallinda's penetrating stare bore into him as he paused over the question, unsure of how to answer. Hell, he didn't know if he was ready for this, it was all so sudden. Of course, he wanted a family but this was not how he intended it to be. Was it fair on the children if he took them on when he was filled with so much uncertainty?
 
Still, he found himself answering. "Yes...yes, you and Kally are coming to live with me."
 
Kaiden smiled but Kally blinked in surprise. "What's wrong, Kall?" Harm asked.
 
"I thought you might not want us," the girl admitted. "I mean, you're like Kayla. You always have to go places and stuff."
 
"Well, we'll all have to make changes and sacrifices. You and Kaid will have to go to new schools in Washington DC and I will just have to stop 'going places and stuff.' It's not going to be easy but I think we can manage."
 
The warm embrace from two pairs of small arms was more than enough for Harm to realise that some sacrifices were worth it. And as much as he hated Alex for her deceit and lies, he loved her for the gift she had left him. He would just hoped he could do his best to make sure her children had every chance in life now that their mother wasn't there to do so.
 
                                           ****************************************************
Alex Cameron's Residence
Baltimore, Maryland
1255 EST, September 5th
Mac had to suppress a shiver as she walked through the house of a dead woman. The actual scene of the crime was the master bedroom where apparently the intruder entered then point-blank shot Alexia Cameron in the head. She died minutes later for massive blood loss.
 
As promised, she returned on the Sunday to help Harm with his two new charges. He had decided to return to DC that evening so he could begin settling the kids into their new home while getting ready to tell his commanding officer of the change in his family circumstances. He hadn't even told Jordan yet, though Mac doubted the psychiatrist's opinion would make little difference.
 
For now, she and Harm were packing clothes and toys for the children, obtaining the police's permission to enter the house now that all the forensic details had been collected. Kayla wanted to come but she could not face going back to the house of her dead sister. Instead, she was at the FBI crime labs waiting for the evidence to be processed giving them some clue as to who had murdered her sister.
 
Harm was in Kaiden's room packing for his son leaving her to take care of Kally's things. Mac smiled wryly. The way Harm had talked one would think that just because she baby-sat for Chloe a few nights a month, she was an expert on ten-year-old girls. The first suitcase filled with pyjamas and underwear had been easy enough, but what clothes to pack for a kid she barely knew?
 
Gazing around the girl's room, it was clear Kally was a regular little tom-boy from the posters of baseball players and characters from video games which adorned her walls. There were several books on space travel and there was a large number of novels from the 'Goosebumps' series. The only vaguely 'girlie' items in the bedroom was a couple of stuffed toys and a few 'Winnie The Pooh' ornaments. That, and the fact the room was extremely tidy for a ten-year-old.
 
Mac smiled knowingly as she filled another two suitcases with jeans, jumpers and shirts. In a sports bag, she packed two pairs of trainers, a baseball uniform and a white Tae-Kwon Do suit. Maybe Kally could take up the sports in DC. Harm had the children write a short list of any toys they might want; quite a clever idea for someone who was a first-time father. Once stuffing the various toys of Kallinda's into a rucksack, Mac's eyes fell onto a large glass photoframe.
 
The frame held a few photos of Kally and her brother from their infancy to their present ages. It also included the children with a beautiful, fair-headed woman with a bright smile- she must have been Alex. There was one photo which caught Mac's interest. It was of a much younger Kally standing between Alex and Harm. They looked so happy and relaxed like a perfect family; it made Mac think what life might have been like had marriage been the next stage in their relationship. If having a family meant looking that happy then Mac started to think that she could overcome her fear of commitment and rejection just to feel that jubilation.
 
"Mac, are you finished?"
 
She looked up to see Harm standing on the landing surrounded by three suitcases and two sports bags. It was just as well they had brought the SUV and thought up the plan of her taking some of the luggage home in her Corvette while he took the rest of the bags and the two kids in his SUV.
 
"Yes," Mac replied, proceeding to drag Kallinda's things to the landing.

Finally, she grabbed a bag which she knew contained the girl's lap-top then the pair quickly transported the luggage downstairs and out to the car, thankful to be leaving the house.
 
                                           ****************************************************
Harm's Residence
Washington DC
1900 EST, September 5th
Kallinda's eyes roved around Harm's apartment, taking everything in. After her mother and Harm broke up, they still met together for dinner or to go shopping but they had never come to Washington DC before. Usually Harm came up to Baltimore or they met up at the mall.
 
The apartment itself was quite small, there was only one bedroom, but Harm had said that he would get  new apartment once they'd all become comfortable living together. Otherwise, it was a rather nice place. Her best friend's parents were divorced and one time Kally accompanied her friend when she went to spend the day with her dad. His apartment made a pig sty look like the White House. She was glad Harm appreciated cleanliness and tidiness.
 
"What do you think, Sport?" Harm asked, carrying the sleeping Kaiden into the apartment and laying him on the sofa.
 
"It's okay," Kally said, wandering around.
 
"Just okay?" Harm asked in mock outrage.
 
Kally smiled and relented. "It's neat."
 
"Would you like anything to eat or drink, Kall? You haven't eaten since lunch."
 
"No thanks, I'm okay."
 
The truth was food turned her stomach, making her feel queasy. Kally only managed to force down some food each day so that Harm and her grandmother wouldn't worry. It was bad enough that her mother was dead but she didn't want them to think she was turning into an anorexic. Maybe she would be able to eat again when the dull hole in her heart disappeared...but for that to happen, her mother would have to come back to them.
 
"Well, the fridge is right over there. Any time you feel hungry, just go get something. You live here now, Sport, there's no need to ask." He paused. "I suppose tomorrow we should go shopping and get some kid food, huh?"
 
"Yeah, that would be good."
 
"Right, you and Kaiden will be sharing my bedroom for a while. I know that you're used to your own room but it will just be until we get a new apartment. Come and I'll show you your lap of luxury."
 
Harm scooped Kaiden up and Kally picked up her rucksack then following him. In the bedroom, Harm placed Kaiden on the bed and spread the covers over the little boy. Kally looked around; it was a fairly big bedroom so it wouldn't be too bad sharing for a while. Besides, she was the older sister, she knew how to keep her kid brother in shape.
 
"It's quite spacious," Kally said, knowing Harm was waiting for her approval. "It'll be okay sharing, Kaid's not that bad for a kid."
 
Harm smiled at her, taking by the shoulders. "I know that this is hard, Kallinda, but I want you to know that I'll always be here for you and Kaid. We'll get through this, your mom would have wanted that."
 
Kallinda looked down then slowly met his eyes. "I know, Mom always liked you best out of the others. I did too."
 
The girl thought of all the freaks and jerks her mother had dated. There had been no-one before Harm, not since her natural father, but there had been about four after her mother had left Harm. First there was beady-eyed Jimmy. Then there was William who was surgically attached to his computer. After him came Scott who made odd noises when he was in the bathroom. Lastly there was weirdo Paul. None of those relationships amounted to more than three or four dates.
 
Personally, Kally had always liked Harm, he was so good to both her and her mom. She just wished her mother would have taken her Grandma's advice and married him.
 
Harm tousled her hair. "You get settled in and I'll go get the stuff from the car."
 
The minute she heard Harm exit the apartment, she dropped to her knees and began rummaging in her rucksack until she found the metal box she was looking for. Using her penknife to pry open the lock, Kally smiled faintly when the padlock fell to the floor. Glancing around, she carefully opened the box to reveal a revolver, the six bullets laid beside it.
 
She studied her brother's sleeping figure and thought of Harm. She had been too late for her mother but she wouldn't let anyone take Harm and Kaiden away from her.
 
Lightly stroking the gun that she had stolen from the top of her grandmother's wardrobe, Kallinda vowed, "I'll keep you all safe."
 
Carefully, she closed the box and slid it under the bed.
 
                                           ****************************************************
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
0910 EST, September 6th
Admiral AJ Chegwidden remembered his days as a young junior officer and he knew how tough things could get. Bearing those memories in mind, he tried to be an understanding and tolerant superior but there was nothing he hated more than blatant disregard of procedure. To say he was ready to throttle a certain commander, who just dashed off without explanation on Friday, was an understatement.
 
Chegwidden honestly liked Rabb, he was an excellent lawyer and a fine officer. However, his patience with the younger man was waning recently after first he decided to change designation to go back to flying and now he just runs off without notice. Major MacKenzie had tried to explain for her partner, saying he had family problems, but Chegwidden was not entirely taken in by that.
 
There was a knock at the door breaking off Chedwiggen's infuriated thoughts. *Speak of the devil...*
 
"Come in," he called, knowing exactly who it was.
 
Sure enough, Commander Rabb opened the door and stepping into the plush office, shutting the door behind him. His face was schooled into indifference but Chegwidden had been around long enough to tell when someone was slightly intimidated. Still, Rabb hid it well and that was what helped to make him a superb lawyer.
 
Rabb stood at attention at his desk. "You wished to see me, Sir?" he said, his eyes forward and his back stiff.
 
"Damn right I did," Chegwidden replied, tersely. "Sit down, Commander, I think we need to talk about basic decorum and conduct." Obediently, Rabb slipped into the chair opposite Chedwiggen's desk. "Well, I'm glad you've decided to grace with your presence, Commander Rabb. I know you took a little trip on Friday. Would you care to explain why you went off without first running it by me?" He kept his voice low but threatening.
 
Rabb swallowed. "I can explain that, Sir, and for that same reason, I wish to withdraw my request for change in designation." He sighed. "Actually, I've been thinking of maybe resigning for the Navy and maybe go into civilian law."
 
The Admiral's jaw nearly broke when it hit the floor. He thought he'd heard every excuse, every scenario in the world but this well and truly took the biscuit. He could almost believe MacKenzie quitting the Marines or Harriet deciding to take an extended leave of absence to spend with her new-born baby but Rabb was Navy through-and-through. What the hell was going on here?
 
"What would make you do something as stupid as that, Rabb?" he demanded.
 
He had spent much time preparing and grooming the young officer to one day be ready to take over as Judge Advocate General. He wasn't about to see his well laid plans shot to hell. He had ways to eventually weave around the flying thing but if Rabb were to quit then that would be it- finished! And deep down, Chegwidden actually cared for the young man like a surrogate son or a favourite nephew. He couldn't just let him go without a fight.
 
"Goddammit, have you even thought this through?!" Chegwidden ranted. "This isn't one of those stunts likeMacKenzie pulled, is it? Because she is not exactly an officer for you to base yourself on. Is this-"
 
Abruptly, Rabb broke into his rebuke. "I have thought about this, *sir*. I've thought about this long and hard and resignation is a possible solution." Far from his usual paragon of respect, Rabb's voice was burning with irritation.
 
"Oh really, a solution to what? What could possibly jusitfy you throwing away your entire career?"
 
Rabb's eyes skittered away as he worked up his resolve then he breathed in deeply, and looked at his superior officer directly. "The fact that I am now a father."
 
"What...?"
 
"I said, I'm now a father, Admiral."
 
Chegwidden assumed his morally-driven officer had laid someone up so to speak. "When was the baby born?"
 
Rabb smirked mildly. "There's two 'babies', sir, and one was born ten years ago and the other four years ago."
 
Stunned but immediately collecting himself, the Admiral frowned. "Are they both yours?" It wasn't really his business but this was so unexpected.
 
"The four-year-old is my son but I've known the older child since she was very young...Their mother died on Friday, she was murdered. I've got guardianship of the kids."
 
"Do they know who killed the mother?"
 
"No, the police are investigating and the FBI are assisting."
 
"Where are the children now?"
 
"Waiting in my office, I didn't have time to arrange a babysitter and I haven't found a school for them yet." Rabb looked at the floor. "They need me now, Sir. They just lost their mother and I have to be there for them."
 
It certainly was quite a situation Rabb had and Chegwidden didn't know how he would personally handle it. When Harriet Roberts gave birth to baby AJ, she had immediately took a sabatical to be there for the child. But then, Harriet was not an accomplished lawyer and she had always made clear her family came first- a decision Rabb had never had to face before.
 
He knew that Rabb had an unyielding loyalty to his family, his friends and to those he perceived as vulnerable, and he would do anything to protect those people. Yet, it was hard being a single parent; Rabb had no experience of fatherhood not to mention he held a full-time job. This was not an easy conflict for anyone to face.
 
"What are you going to do?"
 
"I don't know."
 
Suddenly the door swung open and a little dark-haired boy ran in, chased by an older blond girl. The boy halted in his tracks to stare openly at Chegwidden with wide blue eyes. Rabb stood up and walked over to the boy and girl, trying half-heartedly to look angry. When Chegwidden moved from behind his desk to approach the children, the little boy gasped and ran behind Rabb's legs. The girl just watched the Admiral with mild interest.
 
"I tried to stop him," the girl told Rabb, "but he just ran in."
 
"It's okay," Rabb assured. "He just got scared. Isn't that right, Scamp?"
 
The boy didn't answer, just peering around Rabb's legs sneaking a peek. Chegwidden smiled. He may seem like a gruff, daunting man to his subordinates, nevertheless he did like children. He adored young AJ Roberts and deeply regretted missing out on his own daughter's childhood.
 
Kneeling down, he tried to make himself less imposing to his little intruders. "Hello, what's your names?"
 
"I'm Kallinda," the girl replied, seriously. When the boy remained silent, she added, "And this is my kid brother, Kaiden."
 
The boy's eyes narrowed. "Are you my daddy's boss?" he asked.
 
"Yes, I am, Kaiden."
 
"Are you a captain? Y'know, like Captain Janeway?"
 
The older man had no clue who this Captain Janeway was, though the name sounded familiar from overhearing Bud's conversations. "No, I'm an admiral."
 
"Is that better?"
 
Chedwiggen's smile widened. "It *is* a higher rank," he admitted. He straightened. "Take a few days paternity leave, Commander, and we'll discuss your workload when you come back. We can deal with this."
 
Rabb blinked in surprise. "Eh, thank you, Admiral, I really appreciate that." He lifted Kaiden into his arms, saluting his senior officer.
 
Chegwidden sighed in regret. With all his problems and difficulties he would have to face now and in the future years, Rabb was lucky- he had the chance to watch his children grow up.
 
                                             ****************************************************
"How did it go?" Mac asked the minute Harm stepped out of the office and entered the bullpen, carrying Kaiden, with Kallinda walking alongside them.
 
"He was actually quite good about it," Harm said, setting Kaiden down on an empty desk. "I thought he'd be pis- peed off about it but he said we could work something out after I returned from leave."
 
Mac smiled at his slight slip which he quickly corrected when he remembered his young audience. "Leave? He must be in a good mood."
 
She knew it was incredibly selfish and callous of her but on some deep level she was pleased that Kally and Kaiden had come into Harm's life. That meant that Harm had to stay at JAG, his plans to go back to flying had to be put off permanently now. It sickened Mac to be thinking like that, especially since the children had lost their mother brutally nonethless that was the truth, a truth she could never share with Harm.
 
"So what are you going to do?"
 
"Oh, I have plenty to do- find a school for Kally, a pre-school for Kaiden, a babysitter for them both, a new apartment for us all."
 
"Who needs a babysitter?"
 
They looked to see Harriet entering the bullpen carrying AJ and a bag of baby supplies. She headed over to Bud's desk, giving him a peck on the cheek and handed him his lunch box from AJ's changing bag. It was when she turned she finally noticed the two youngsters standing beside Harm. Mac knew Harriet could not resist anything little and cute- both attributes possessed by the young siblings.
 
"Hi there," she gushed. "Are you kids lost? Where's your mommy and daddy?"
 
Kaiden, after carefully scrutinising Harriet, answered, "Mommy's dead and Daddy's here."
 
Harriet was surprised by the boy's statement but continued. "Where's your daddy, sweetie?"
 
"Right here," he said, pointing at Harm.
 
Harm took over. "Harriet, I'd like you to meet my son, Kaiden, and my..." He paused then smiled at Kally, "my daughter, Kallinda." At Harriet's stunned face, Harm looked down to the children. "Kally, why don't you and Kaid go into my office? There's a packet of Skittles in the top drawer and you can play Solitaire or Minesweeper on my computer."
 
When the children were out of earshot, Harm quickly explained the situation to Harriet. Of course the story was enough to turn Harriet to mush.
 
"It must be hard," Bud empathised. "I couldn't imagine AJ just suddenly dropping into my life...if you know what I mean."
 
"Yeah," Harm said, "I know, believe me, I know."
 
"Are you looking for someone to mind them while you're at work?" Harriet asked. "If you are then I could do it."
 
"Uh, I don't know, Harriet. They're very energetic and you're not used to older kids-"
 
Harriet interjected, "Sir, AJ's not going to be a baby forever, it'll be good experience to spend some time with older children. Please, I can do it. They'll be at school for most of the day so it won't be much."
 
"...Okay, but only if you're sure."
 
"I am, Sir."
 
Harriet seemed proud of herself. Mac couldn't blame her; Harm had been intensely protective of Darlin and that instinct was multiplied with Kally and Kaiden. It was no small feat to persuade him to give his trust; it would have been murder for him to find an outside babysitter with his paranoia and obsessive tendencies.
 
"Now what?" Mac asked.
 
"Now?" Harm smirked. "Now I have to introduce the kids to Jordan and break the news to my mother that she's now a grandmother."
 
"Good luck."
 
"Thanks, I think I'm going to need it."
 
                                           ****************************************************
Carlo DeMarco Restaurant
Washington DC
1830 EST, September 6th
The rest of the day had passed reasonably pleasantly. Harm had taken the children to the park then the library where he picked up a number of prospectuses for schools and pre-schools in the city. Leaving the children in front of the television in the afternoon, Harm poured over the various credentials and curriculums of several state schools, privates schools, boarding schools, single-sex schools and church schools. He didn't know there could be so many types of schools.
 
Harm wanted to also consider what Alex would have wanted when he decided on a school, she may not have allowed him the same opportunity but he valued her opinion and she was the children's mother. Boarding schools and single-sex schools were out since he was not going to abandon these kids now that they were just entering his life, nor did he want them to feel isolated from the opposite sex at such a young age. Harm knew that Alex was a Christian but would not want the kids to be pressurized into religion so that ruled out church schooling. Both he and Alex were against class division and a private school would just exacerbate such thinking in Kally and Kaiden. It appeared a state education was the best way to go for now.
 
Bartonwood Elementary School seemed to have an excellant record and not only was it not too far away but it also had a pre-school within its grounds. Harm knew that Kally and Kaiden were not ready to be completely split from each other so that inevitable dilemma was temporarily put off. So after contacting the principal, he enrolled the pair to start school on the Monday of the following fortnight.
 
However, choosing a school was apparently going to be piece of cake compared to introducing your kids to your girlfriend. They had not even sat down with Jordan yet Kally's cherubic features were darkened by a scowl that could curdle the milk.
 
"Be on your best behaviour now, kids," he warned.
 
"We always are," Kally said, sweetly. Kaiden just gave him a beatifically innocent smile.
 
Harm scowled slightly. "Please give her a chance."
 
Before Harm could caution her further, Jordan strolled into the foyer of the restuarant where they were standing. She bestowed a wide smile unto the youngsters only to be awarded with twin expressions of dubiousness.
 
"Hi, Harm." She kissed him; if looks could kill Jordan would have shrivelled away from the daggers Kallinda shot her. But blissfully unaware, she grinned at the kids. "And these must be Kallinda and Kaiden. They're so adorable, Harm."
 
"Aren't we just?" Kally muttered, low enough for Harm to pretend not to have heard.
 
Jordan reached to give Kaiden a hug but the toddler swiftly back-peddled out of her reach. "Eww, cooties!"  he exclaimed, his little nose scruched up in distaste.
 
Harm just sighed at the boy, then explained to Jordan, "He's four; he's allergic to most girls."
 
"I know, I have a little brother too and I remember what he was like at four."
 
As they were guided to their table, Harm was quickly reminded that eating out with children was quite an experience. Kally was a mature child, sitting down quietly to peruse over the menu. On the other hand, Kaiden required a cushion to prop him up and he fidgeted with the cutlery and the bread whilst demanding that Harm choose him something 'not sucky and yucky' from the kids' menu.
 
"Harm says you're a shrink," Kally said to Jordan. Her tone was innocent but she did not fool Harm. He had tried many a time to scare off his own step-father and so was more than aware of playing the angel when he was really consumed with devilish thoughts.
 
"That's right, honey," Jordan replied, pleased that the child was responding to her. "Though we prefer the term psychiatrist."
 
"Uh, do I resemble something sticky and sweet that has been produced by a bee?"
 
Now Jordan was frowning. "No," she said cautiously.
 
"Good, then can you please not call me 'honey'. It's demeaning."
 
"Okay...Kally?" The girl nodded in acceptance. Jordan looked lost for a minute but before Harm could jump in to, she then asked, "So, what's your favourite subject at school, Kally?"
 
Harm was sure that question would be a winner. From numerous conversations over the past few days, he knew that his new daughter enjoyed school. Unfortunetly, one could not bank against a ten-year-old's determination as Harm learned when Kally replied to Jordan.
 
"I like science, I can't wait until I go up to junior high and get to do chemistry."
 
"Chemistry is an interesting subject, isn't it?"
 
"Yes." Kally smirked satanically. "I find it thrilling to know you're actually working with chemicals that can sear through human flesh and blood right to the bone but unfortunately we don't get to use those great chemicals until high school. In science, we do get to learn about poisons though; it's amazing how quickly and efficiently some of them can kill a person. I read that some are even undetectable in an autopsy."
 
Shaking his head, Harm couldn't help but see the irony in the whole situation. This was probably his punishment for the way he treated Frank when he himself was a precocious little monster.
 
The meal itself thankfully passed pretty quietly with Kaiden filling in the conversation with his own little tales. When Kally did talk, Harm was once again surprised by how versed she was on a number of different topics. She was very articulate for one so young; no doubt Alex's influence.
 
"Can I go play in the ball pit?" Kaiden asked after dessert, his big blue eyes riveted on the ball pit built in the restaurant's conservatory.
 
"Okay, but don't go wandering off and don't play too rough," Harm said, wiping the sticky chocolate ice cream from the squirming tot's face. Setting the boy down, he knew all of his warning would go unheeded.
 
Kally stood up. "I'll go watch him," she said. As she walked off after her brother, she couldn't help but adding, "Try not to talk about us too much."
 
"Bright child," Jordan commented.
 
Harm snorted. "Is that another way of saying she's a brat?"
 
"Yes, well, kids can have interesting way of expressing themselves sometimes...How are they coping?"
 
"Okay, I guess. Kaiden's cried a couple of times but Kally is her mother's daughter. She's been pretty calm about it so far. She's a very strong child, always has been."
 
"Harm, that's not always a good thing. A child Kally's age doesn't know how to deal with grief, especially that of a parent. She may not be coping as well as you think. Maybe she may need some help in dealing with her loss."
 
"She doesn't need to be thrown into the loony bin," Harm retorted.
 
He hated it when Jordan slipping to 'psyche mode', especially when it involved him. It was not that he didn't appreciate her help but he was not a child. And now she was sticking her nose into how he was looking after Kally and Kaiden. He didn't need someone else telling him how to raise his kids, albeit he was admittedly new to fatherhood.
 
"I didn't say she was mad," Jordan said, in her infinitely calm 'psychiatrist' voice. "I just said that Kally may need someone to talk to about the death of her mother."
 
"She's fine." Realising he was sounding like a petulant child, Harm said, "Look, I know you mean well, Jordie, but believe me when I tell you that Kally is a strong kid and she has plenty of support and love not just from me but from her grandmother and aunt."
 
"I'm sure she does, but she's still hurting...When your father disappeared, I bet you didn't go to your mother in case you hurt her further."
 
Harm's eyes narrowed. "That's not fair."
 
"Well, it's true, isn't it?" At his silence, she continued. "All she needs is a few sessions to help her cope. I'm sure she's a tough child but even a tough child is still just a child."
 
Harm slumped in his chair. Jordan had to know she had him the second she brought up the old wounds of his MIA father. Sometimes, he wondered exactly who was it he was dating- Jordan or Doctor Parker?
 
"Okay, I'll bring her around to talk to you...but not until after the funeral."
 
Jordan smiled, victorious. Harm just sighed. It was all very well arranging for a psychiatrist but how the hell was he going to explain it to Kally and avoid her erupting with her temper that could rivel a volcano?
 
                                           ****************************************************
Harm's Residence
Washington DC
2045 EST, September 6th
"Are you ready to come out of the tub?" Harm asked of his young son, who was splashing happily in the bath (at the same time giving the carpet a bath too).
 
Kaiden held his fingers up to examine them then he shook his dark head resolutely. "Uh-uh, Daddy, I'm not wrinkly yet."
 
"Okay," Harm said, against his better judgement. He retreated from the bathroom, leaving the door open, only to bump into a scowling Kally. "What's up, Sport?"
 
"Why did we have to go to that sucky restaurant? Why couldn't we just have had pizza or a burger?"
 
"Because I wanted you to met Jordan and a restaurant was the best place for that."
 
"You could have introduced me to a cardboard box and I wouldn't have noticed the difference personality wise."
 
"Kally..." Harm said, with a distinct warning tone in his voice.
 
He had hoped her vehemence of Jordan would have faded as the evening wore on but there was no such luck. Kally was nothing if not set in her ways, he had the feeling that the girl still found it hard seeing him with someone who was not her mother. Of course, Jordan's condescending manner when dealing with Kally did not help matters. The 'gentle and comforting' act may have worked a treat with a docile and emotionally hampered child like Darlin Lewis, but Kally hated being patronized by adults. Alex had raised her children to understand that they were equals in this world and never to stand for someone treating them otherwise, no matter what the reason. It seemed Alex had done that job a little too well.
 
"You're going to make me see her, aren't you?" It was not really a question so much as an observation.
 
Harm's eyes widened slightly at her deduction. He shook his head. *God, Sport, you're too perceptive for your own good sometimes.* He didn't bother denying it, there was no point with this kid.
 
"Yes, Kall, I think you need to speak to someone about your mother."
 
"I've got you and Grandma and Kayla and I can e-mail Uncle Bren if I need to," Kally pointed our defiantly. "Who else more do I need?"
 
"You need to speak to someone outside of the family, Sport."
 
"I can talk to the lamp-post outside in the parking lot. Does that count?"

Harm knelt down, taking Kally's slender shoulders. "Can you do this for me, Kally? Please? If you don't like speaking to Jordan then you don't have to, but give it a shot."
 
He didn't want to pressure her but he felt it was important that she talk to someone. If not Jordan then a child psychologist, though he preferred the child was in the company of someone he knew. When his father disappeared in Vietnam, he was a pit of anguish and anger ready to explode but there was no-one to explode to. He was only six years old and even then he did not want to burden his mother or grandmother. He knew Kally had the same protective instincts of her loved ones. Maybe if he had someone to talk to he wouldn't have grown up to be so stubborn and hard-headed when it came to matters of his father.
 
Kally scrutinized him for a moment then sighed. "I'll speak to her just once."
 
"Good girl," Harm smiled. He stood up. "Why don't you get ready for bed? It's been a long day."
 
The little girl picked up her Gameboy from a shelf then ran off into the bedroom. Harm sighed. Fatherhood was certainly not for wimps. Just as he was about to drag Kaiden from his precious bath (that boy had to be the only four-year-old in the world who enjoyed getting clean) when the doorbell shrilled.
 
It was late, a little too late for either Mac or Kayla to be dropping by and he had warned Jordan not to make an unannounced visits until he had the chance to talk to Kally about their proposed sessions. However, when he opened the front door, he found the last person he ever expected to see. He was standing face-to-face with Logan Raine- also known as, Kally's biological father.
 
"Hello, Harm. I hear you're keeping my daughter here."
 
Raine was almost as tall as Harm, and certainly more muscular. His hair was as blond as Kally's but thankfully his beady green eyes were not inflicted onto his daughter's genes. Harm was aware he was more than biased when it came to his opinion of Logan Raine; when others saw the successful accountant, he saw an abusive, two-timing, selfish ass. Raine had been abusive to many of his ex-girlfriends and tried it on with Alex only to find it wasn't easy using an accomplished martial artist as a punching bag.
 
Although he hadn't been expecting him, Harm did not find it too surprising that Logan was paying him a visit. The man had tried once to gain full custody of Kallinda when he and Alex had split up. He had only backed down when Alex threatened to report his assault attempts to the police, however, she did agree to let him have limited access. That monthly visitation was cut-off when Logan disappeared with the then six-year-old Kally for two days. Logan just missed jail time but he did lose any contact rights he had to Kally after that stunt.
 
"What do you want?" Harm demanded, deliberately stepping out so the kids couldn't hear.
 
"I want to see my daughter," Raine replied, like he actually gave a damn about Kally. "Where is Kallinda?"
 
"She's in bed, you can't see her."
 
Raine smirked at this. "Can't see her, huh? I'm her goddamn father, I can see her whenever the hell I want. Still a lawyer, Harm?"
 
"Yes, so?"
 
"So you'll know that I have every right to Kallinda. I can have her back whenever I damn well please."
 
"I won't let you hurt her like you did Alex," Harm promised.
 
Raine snorted. "Why do you protect that bitch after everything she did to you? She kept your son from you, didn't have the guts to tell you." At Harm's surprised expression, Raine smirked. "Oh, yeah, everybody knew about the boy except you. What's the little guy's name? Kallum? Kaddy?"
 
"Kaiden," Harm muttered. He still couldn't get over the fact that this ass knew about Kaiden and he didn't.
 
Just as Raine turned to leave, he said, "Alex may have kept you away from your boy but Kallinda is *mine*. You can't keep a father from his child. Just you remember that, Rabb." With that, he was walked down the hallway without looking back.

Harm stepped back into his apartment when he heard Kaiden call for him to inform him, he was now 'wrinkly'. He looked in the direction of where the children were and made the vow he would protect his little family. He would never allow anyone to break them up.
 
                                           ****************************************************
"Mom, remember when you said you were desperate for grandchildren? Well, there's no more waiting for you, you're now the proud grandmother to two happy, healthy children...Mom? Are you still there?"
 
Kally grinned from the bedroom as she listened to Harm explain the circumstances to his mother. She had met Grandma Trish on many occasions so it was not like the woman would be totally shocked. Well, perhaps she would be when she heard that her mother was dead, had been murdered...
 
The girl swallowed back a choke. The last thing she needed was to be freaking out like a little kid; such behaviour was kept for night-time when no-one would hear her.
 
"It's been hard...but it's worth it." There was something odd in his voice. She had heard the doorbell ring half-an-hour ago and for some reason she had the distinct feeling that was what Harm was discussing, despite his pretence that it was nothing when she had asked who was at the door. But then, adults were always weird like that. "The kids are fine, they're settling in well."
 
Her gazed drifted from the doorway to her sleeping brother and she sighed in contentment. Oddly enough, Kally did find herself quickly adjusting to life with Harm. He made her feel like she was his real daughter right from the start and treated her with the same love and affection that he bestowed on Kaiden, his real son.
 
When Harm first met her mother, he looked to her like she was his own, so much so that, when younger, every Christmas afterwards she would write to Santa to make Harm her dad. But not even Santa could change genetics...Still, she had friends whose stepfathers were less paternal than Harm and the job of playing daddy wasn't really his.
 
"Mom, Jordan's a psychiatrist and she's arranged for Kally to come in for a few sessions. She'll be able to help her...Yes, Mom, she *is* a real doctor, I doubt the Navy would take on a quack."
 
Kally smothered her giggles with a pillow. Grandma Trish was right in asking about Jordan; the woman was strange. She reminded the girl of Miss Lawson, one of the counsellor's at her old school. Miss Lawson had no real life of her own as Kally and her friends saw it, so instead she went around harassing the pupils and concocting problems to deal with. Kally reckoned Miss Lawson- and Jordan- had the psychologist version of Munchausen's by proxy.
 
She was fine and it enraged her when this Jordan woman had just declared her 'disturbed' and deemed it necessary for her to have some sessions with her. She had agreed to go for Harm's sake- the guy was new to parenthood so he deserved a break- but Kally had her own plans to prevent these little sessions from progressing. If begging for Kayla's intervention did not save her then she would just give Jordan an overdose of her obnoxious ten-year-old self.
 
No longer interested in eavesdropping on Harm's phone conversation, Kally wandered over to the bedroom window. She gazed outside to the darkened street, and watched the shadowed figures of teenagers vandalizing a wall and young couple stepping into their car.
 
Her mother's killer was still out there, free to roam and enjoy life, while her mother was about to be buried leaving her a virtual orphan and Kaiden with memories that were already fading. Kally wasn't stupid, she knew her mother had died too soon and she was never coming back. All Kally had left was the hope that the killer would be found and made to pay, preferably in the most painful way possible.
 
"I'll find you," she vowed, in a barely audible voice. "I'll find you...and kill you."
 
                                           ****************************************************
Harm's Residence
Washington DC
0850 EST, September 7th
"Aaaghhh!"
 
Harm sat up so abruptly from the couch he was sleeping in that he fell off. His eyes darted around for a moment before he gathered his faculties, sprinting to his bedroom in a speed that would have put Linford Christie to shame. Expecting to find a knife-wielding psycho standing over his two charges, he slid to a surprised halt when he found Kally standing by the bed looking rather disgusted and a weeping Kaiden sitting in the heap of covers on the bed.
 
"What's going on here?" he asked, uncertainly.
 
"Kaid's wet the bed and peed all over me as well," Kally said, her nose wrinkled.
 
Harm took in the wet pyjamas and the little boy whose face was buried in a pillow. He sighed. He wasn't exactly sure if this was normal for a four-year-old boy who had been apparently potty-trained since he was two, but then this was a four-year-old who had just lost his mother. Determined to be careful with his son's fragile state, Harm tossed Kally a towel.
 
"Go have a shower, Kall," he instructed gently but firmly.

The girl glanced at her brother in a mixture of revulsion and concern then obediently left the room for the bathroom. When she was gone, Harm sat on the edge of the bed, pulling blanket-clad Kaiden onto his knee. The child would not meet his gaze, preferring to focus on the floor.

"Had a little accident, huh, Scamp?" Harm said, quietly. At Kaiden's jerky nod, Harm smiled and lift his chin to they were face-to-face. "It's okay, Kaiden, I'm not mad at you. You're a little boy and when we're little, we all have accidents sometimes. It's normal."
 
"Did you have accidents?"
 
"Well..." Harm remembered he was not talking to one of his rowdy Navy buddies, but a delicate child. He nodded. "Yes, when I was four I had accidents too." Harm shifted the boy. "Kaid, I know that it hurts that your mommy's gone and you don't really know me too well. But I'm your daddy and I'm here to take care of you. You'll be fine, I'll make sure you are."
 
"Mom's not ever coming back, is she?"
 
"No, Kaiden, your mommy's not ever coming back."
 
"Not *ever* ever?"
 
"No, but that doesn't mean she's not with us. She's in our memories, and I'm sure she's watching over us from heaven." Harm hoped he was answering these questions correctly. He had been expecting Kaiden to be curious and he just prayed he was handling the boy properly without further confusing him.
 
"What if you die too?" Kaiden asked, anxiously. "My friend, Jamie, was put in a children's' home like in 'Little Orphan Annie' when his mommy and daddy was deaded in a car crash. I heard the other kids at nursery say so."
 
"I won't die, Kaid," Harm reassured.
 
"You don't know that, you can't promise."
 
"No, I can't...But I can promise you this; if anything were to ever happen to me there are plenty of people here to take care of you, Scamp."
 
"Like who?"
 
"Like your Auntie Kayla, Mac, your Grandma, my mom, your Uncle Bren. You and Kallinda will always be protected, that I *can* promise." Harm stood up, holding Kaiden to him. "Come on, lets get you cleaned up."
 
"I'm glad you came home to us, Daddy," Kaiden whispered to him.
 
Harm smiled at him. A week ago, he thought the idea of fatherhood was a far away dream and now he didn't think he could let go of these children. The rush of love he felt for them was intense and unyielding. He would do anything for Kally and Kaiden, including giving up his career change of flying without much regret.
 
*Thank you, Alex,* he thought inwardly, eternally grateful for his ex-girlfriend's final gift.
 
                                           ****************************************************
The National Zoo
Washington DC
1215 EST, September 7th
Kayla smiled as her niece and nephew ran on ahead, Kallinda patiently reading the description of each animal enclosure to her brother. The children seemed to be in as good spirits as possible considering the circumstances and she was so glad that Harm was coping with them so well. These children were her sister's living legacy; it was vitally important to her that they were taken care of. Not that she doubted Harm for a second, he was a good man who made a great father.
 
She and Harm walked slowly a few metres behind the kids, watching the youngsters carefully.  The four of them had taken to spending more time together since the day of Alex's death and oddly, Kayla had begun to no longer see Harm as a brother and her sister's ex but as a good friend. She berated herself of such selfish thinking, she had no time to think of such things when she was hunting a killer.
 
"Are the kids ready for the funeral tomorrow?"
 
"We had a little accident with Kaid this morning, but you know how kids are. They're so resilient and brave. I do worry about Kally though, she's been far too emotionless about this."
 
"Yes, she's always been one to hide her emotions, too much like Alex sometimes. I heard that your girlfriend shrink wants to see Kally." Kayla was doubtful as she said this. She knew her niece and how stubborn the kid was when she didn't want to do something.
 
"Who told you?"
 
"Kally did." Harm gave an amused snort. "You do remember that our Kall is no prissy little girl. We are talking about a kid who spiked her mother's boyfriend's coke with Nytol and called my boss to tell him that her third grade teacher was on 'America's Most Wanted.' Can this shrink cope with her?"
 
"Of course she can," Harm defended. Kayla could tell after years of interviewing people that there was some kind of resentment behind Harm's words. There was obviously some issue going on between Harm and this shrink. "Is Bren coming over for the funeral?" It was a blatant change in subject but Kayla let it go.
 
"Yeah, he's flying in tonight with Laura and the kids."
 
It had been little over a year since Kayla had last seen her older brother and his family, it was still sinking in that it was the death of their baby sister that was bringing the family together. Their mother had just announced she was pregnant with Alex when their father was killed in a boating accident and it was her birth that brought them out of their grieving slumber; she and Bren were always pampering their kid sister.  Now they were burying her.
 
There was a few moments silence then Harm spoke. "How is the case going?"
 
Kayla sighed. "So-so, I suppose. We're going through all her previous boyfriends, tracking them down for alibis."
 
"Think you'll find anything?"
 
"I hope so, Alex did date quite a few weirdoes." At Harm's bemused expression, she reiterated, "Present company excluded, of course."
 
"What about Logan? Have you checked him out?"
 
Logan Raine, the name was almost enough to make Kayla vomit. The man was a self-centred, egotistical and arrogant jerk who had the disposition of a spoilt two-year-old toddler. Unfortunately, the man was also Alex's ex-husband and Kallinda's father. Alex had married just six months after meeting him, and then Kally made her surprise appearance. Logan was an asshole and, like most assholes, he was not ready for the joys of a new-born child, leaving all the parenting to Alex.
 
When he began to drift into adulterous ways, Alex applied for divorce. The man had the nerve to start getting violent but apparently he was soon reminded, one broken jaw and dislocated shoulder later, that he was dealing with a black belt in tae-kwon do and a lawyer. He found himself hauled into court and being ordered to pay a huge settlement to his ex-wife and then infant daughter. Needless to say, Logan was not a happy guy. He had tried in vain keep Kally but she wondered if that was just an attempt to spite Alex, who had no intentions of surrendering her child.
 
Nevertheless, as much as Kayla loathed this man, she didn't think he was capable of murdering Alex. In his own crude way, she honestly believed Logan loved Alex and Kally. He always sent Kally pretty flash presents and money for the girl's birthday and on Christmas, and he occasionally wrote to her. Why the hell would Harm think such a thing? Especially since Logan had not had any direct contact- that she knew of- with Alex or Kally for four years when the girl was just six and he tried to run off with her.
 
"He will be checked out but I don't think Logan could kill Alex...Why do you ask about him? What made you think of his name?"
 
Harm regarded her solemnly. "You don't think..." He hesitated slightly then inhaled deeply. "You don't think Logan would try to take Kally away from me. She *is* his daughter and he was always a spiteful son-of-a-bitch."
 
Now she was really worried. One minute Harm was settling in to life with the kids relative ease, and now he was panicking over custody. She put her hand on his upper arm, bringing him to a halt.
 
"What's wrong, Harm? Why are you so concerned about Logan?"
 
"He paid me a little visit last night wanting to see Kallinda."
 
"Did you let him?"
 
"No! Of course I didn't let him. Kally hasn't seen the man since she was six. I'm not going to just let him barge into her life like that. But..."
 
"'But' what?" Kayla urged.
 
"But, he *is* her father, Kayla, he does have legal rights when it comes to access to his own child."
 
Kaiden came sprinting over into Harm's arms. His father lifted the giggling little boy high up onto his shoulders. "Let's go see the lions. They're too cool. They remind me of Grandma's cat, Fudge."
 
"Okay, Scamp, we'll go see the lions."
 
"Then can we see the wolves?" Kally piped up. "They're cute. I want one."
 
"How about I get you some goldfish instead?" Harm teased the girl.
 
As they made their way to the lion compound, Kayla smiled strangely at Harm. Harm scowled questioningly at her, clearly wondering why she looked so thoughtful.
 
"What's wrong, Kayla?" he asked, ever the gentleman.
 
"Nothing, just don't worry anymore about Logan. I'll see to him."
 
"Don't do anything rash, you don't know what Logan is capable of if you piss him off."
 
"Oh, I'm not the one you have to worry about," Kayla smiled, beatifically innocent. Yes, she had ways to deal easily with Logan, although she didn't think Harm would approve. But then Harm was too honest sometimes, he couldn't see that the hard way was the only way to get through to people like Logan Raine.
 
                                           ****************************************************
Heart Hill Cemetery
Baltimore, Maryland
1225 EST, September 8th
It was fitting that the day of Alex's funeral it was bitterly cold with a chilling rain spitting down on the congregation gathered under the tent with the white casket, belonging to a once vibrant young mother of two, in the centre. The funeral was held cemetery by a small Methodist church that Alex had obviously attended in the years before her death. And, from the sheer number of people that were present at the funeral, it was clear that Alex was loved and cherished by many.
 
Mac glanced around the congregation. She had offered to come with Harm to provide him some moral support after he decided Jordan should not be there if she was to counsel Kally. Mac was all to happy to be there for Harm, this was a hard time for him and the children, and she wanted to be there for them. She wanted Harm to see her not just as his partner but as a friend...maybe even more.
 
Ellish Cameron stood near the priest at the top of the gathering flanked between her eldest son Brennen and daughter Kayla. It had been Harm who had introduced Mac to Brennen and his family, and the fact he knew the names of his wife and his three sons just attested to how close he was to the family. Brennen seemed to see Harm as a brother and his children greeted Harm as 'Uncle Harm'.
 
She had never shared such an attachment with any of her ex-boyfriends' families, not even with Chris', a man with whom she was actually married to. It burned her to know that Alex and her family was able to get close to Harm, to wiggle into his emotional defences and work past his demons. Harm did confide in her but never to such a level that he evidently did with Alex.
 
It was then that Mac came upon a realisation; she was insanely jealous of Alex Cameron, a woman she had never met before and never would meet. But that little detail did not prevent her envy and jealousy, that much was certain. She was jealous that another woman had managed to have a long-term commitment to Harm enough for her to bear his child as well as make him the surrogate father to her daughter...and jealous that her sister was now on the road to having the kind of close relationship she craved from Harm.
 
Mac watched Kayla standing close to Harm, one hand on Kally's shoulder and the other holding his hand. Harm was precariously holding Kaiden in one arm but still maintained the contact with the FBI agent. They looked so close, so intimate. Judging from the brief glances of Ellish Cameron to the couple, the older woman seemed almost pleased to see them together.
 
Forcing her gaze away from Harm and Kayla, her eyes came to rest on the two children standing near her. Kally was dressed in an adorable navy pinafore and white blouse whilst her brother wore a navy suit and a pale blue shirt. Kally sniffled every so often, especially at the poignant moments when Alex's friends spoke of her, but the child appeared determined to stand strong in public. Kaiden vacillated between resting his head on Harm's shoulder and playing with Harm's tie. He was too young to fully understand; all he knew was his mother was never coming back.
 
The priest ended the funeral with some closing remarks on what a wonderful light shone in Alex and how she would look over them all from her place with God. Kally appeared eager to run off but Kaiden possessed the morbid curiosity of a small child, it was obvious from his studious face and fascination at the coffin that the boy needed to ask questions.
 
As the casket was lowered into the ground, the gatherers threw in white roses then moved away to begin the short drive to Ellish's place where the wake was being held. Harm gently led Kally to the casket.
 
"Do you want to throw your flower?" he asked of the ten-year-old. He was so good with children, his consideration towards them melted Mac's heart. In some odd way, it was almost enough to make her yearn for a child just to see him grace his tenderness to her baby.
 
Kally stared thoughtfully at the casket, then tossed her rose into the grave. "Goodbye, Mom," she whispered.
 
Harm pulled her tiny form to him. "We'll all miss her, Sport, and we'll *ever* forget her."
 
"No..."
 
Tears that she had tried to valiantly fight back finally rolled down her rosy cheeks. She hid her face into Harm, shaking as she wept for her lost mother. Harm just held her and Kaiden clumsily patted his sister's head. After a few minutes, Kally pulled back and wiped her tears with her sleeve.
 
"Better?"
 
"Yeah."
 
Kayla came over, smiling weakly at her niece and Harm. "How's it going, Sport?"
 
"'Kay, I guess," Kally sniffed.
 
Kayla put her hand on the child's cheek. "You're freezing, Kall." She put her arm around the little girl. "How about we go find the car and get you heated up? David, Oliver and Toby are waiting for you."
 
Kally sighed, not much up to playing with her cousins but needing to be away from all the misery. Mac watched as Kayla walked off with Kally, after sharing a private look with Harm. That just reinforced Mac's jealousy. She wanted so much to be there for Harm and the children yet when she watched the three of them with Kayla Cameron, she felt as if she was losing Harm.
 
He was changing- children did that to anyone- but she had never witnessed such dramatic changes in Harm before. Hell, he didn't even seem that bothered when he announced that he was considering quitting the Navy to care for Kally and Kaiden. A few months ago, Harm would have collapsed at the thought of life without the Navy and JAG.
 
She moved back from Harm, giving him and Kaiden some privacy, but remained closeby. Mac watched as Harm moved closer to the grave, placing Kaiden firmly on the ground and squatting down beside the little boy.
 
The child regarded the lowered coffin for a moment, leaning over to get a good look. "Mommy's going in the dirt now," Kaiden said, matter-of-factly.
 
Harm blinked hard at his simple statement, trying to keep his own volatile emotions under wraps for the sake of his four-year-old son. "Yes, we've buried your mommy in the ground but her spirit has gone to heaven."
 
"Will we ever see her again?"
 
"One day...but not for a very long time, Scamp. Until then, remember that she's watching over us."
 
"Even when I'm at the toilet?" Kaiden asked, suspisciously.
 
"Well..." Both Harm and Mac shared an amused glance at the boy's worries, a much needed reminder of Kaiden's innocence. "Your mom will keep a guard over you and when she senses you need help or feel bad, she'll be closest. It's not so much she'll be watching you do everything but she'll use something...a bit like the Force in 'Star Wars' to know when you need her most or if there's something you want her to see." He had to carefully word what he said so he didn't give Kaiden the impression that his mother would return from the dead.
 
"So Mommy's like Luke Skywalker? She's got special magic powers."
 
"Yes, she's a bit like that now."
 
Kaiden nodded solemnly, satisfied with this explanation, and Harm scooped the boy up into her arms. Mac smiled inwardly as she studied the man and child- they looked like the model idea of a father and his young son. It made Mac ache all the more for a child of her own. Ever since she had held AJ Roberts in her arms, she had felt the urge that many a childless woman of her age felt when in contact with a child as loving and adorable as Kaidan. She had hoped that spending more time with Chloe would soothe her needs but watching Harm with his children made her realize that nothing could compete with having your own child.
 
Her thoughts were interrupted by Harm's soft voice. "Coming, Mac?" He held his hand out for her to take.
 
"Yeah," she smiled slightly, taking his hand.
 
As they walked through the rows of gravestones, Mac knew that being at the grave of his former lover had to be hard for Harm and it brought home the reality that Alex was dead. It had been the same for her; she was coping quite well with Chris's death until the day she visited his finally place of rest. That night she cried herself to sleep. Harm always was a sensitive person, moreso when people he loved were hurt. He needed some time to overcome this.
 
As the trio wandered over to where Harm's SUV was parked, Mac caught sight of a blond-haired man watching the funeral service from some trees. She was about to point it out to Harm when she saw that he too had seen the man. Oddly, he scowled then turned away and walked faster towards the car where Kally and Kayla were standing waiting for them.
 
"Who was that?" Mac asked.
 
"Kally's father," was the sullen response.
 
Mac just arched her eyebrow. She wasn't stupid; she could hear the agitation and anger in his normally placid voice. But she also knew now was not the time to question him on it.
   
                                           ****************************************************
Harm's Residence
Washington DC
0400 EST, September 9th
Harm jolted awake, sleepily blinking as he tried to figure out what had disturbed him. He had found that since having two young children in his house that he had been sleeping lighter compared to before. He had asked Harriet about it, since she was the only one he found he could identify with on such situations, and she smiled at him as she explained that these things happen when one becomes a parent.
 
A parent? God, he still could not believe it. He was meant to be the obsessive and sometimes reckless Navy officer, not a responsible father to two small kids.
 
Scrubbing his face with his hands, he rolled off the couch. He padded into the kitchen for a glass of milk then just as he was about to settle back to the couch, he felt the need to check on the kids. Creeping into what was previously his bedroom, he glanced around the room under the illumination of Kaiden's night light.
 
Kaiden was sprawled on the infant bed that Harm had brought in after his little accident. The tot looked so adorable when he slept, like a little angel. That thought made Harm bite back a snort of amusement since he knew the boy was anything but...He knelt down to tousle his son's hair, tucking the blanket around Kaiden's shoulders careful not to disturb the sleeping child.
 
Turning to Kally, Harm frowned when he saw the girl entangled in the sheets, her pillow on the floor. Gently, Harm readjusted the girl so she was lying in a more comfortable position. As he reached to retrieve the pillow, he was surprised to find it wet.
 
She'd been crying...
 
He just stood there stunned for a minute. Kally had been so strong and collected over the days following her mother's death and Harm had found it strange she had not shown emotions. Obviously she had, only she just felt like she had to hide her sadness whether it was from him or from Kaiden, he did not know. It wasn't fair. Kally needed her mother, she needed Alex to keep the monsters away and kiss her knees when she fell.
 
"Oh, Kally..."
 
Harm would gladly have laid his life down for the children, but suddenly he felt unable to give anything to them at that very moment. Stumbling back into the living room, he slumped onto the couch, burying his head in his hands and, for the first time since Alex's death, he sobbed for a woman taken too soon, his own lost chances of a family and two small children left without a mother.
 
                                           ****************************************************
Walton Accountancy Firm
Richmond, Virginia
1045 EST, September 11th 
Kayla stalked into the office of her most hated nemesis, Logan Raine. Not even bothering to knock or apologize for her intrusion, she threw a large envelope onto the man's desk then stood back a few paces to study him. Logan just sneered that smirked that seemed to be a constant companion to his lips. Kayla had always thought he was a sanctimonious bastard from the first time she had laid eyes upon him, and her opinion had changed little since then.
 
"To what do I owe this pleasure, Mikayla?" he drawled. "Oh, and you've brought me a present."
 
"Yeah, you could say that," Kayla said, her eyes slitting back. "A present to remind you of what you have to lose if you bother Harm and Kallinda one more time."
 
Logan eyed Kayla then reached to open the envelope. He scowled when he found it contained colour photographs of his ex-wife complete with bruises. Kayla smirked slightly, knowing he had not been expecting that. Alex had agreed not to press charges for assault on the condition that he pay maintenance for Kally and did not seek any form of custody over their daughter. However, Kayla used her years of training in the Bureau to ensure her sister always had a leverage in case things turned sour and she told Alex to photograph Logan's 'loving touches' for later use.
 
She just did not think she would have to use those photographs, especially for a reason like this. Logan had kept his promise then and Kayla was determined to see he would not take Alex's death as an excuse to barge into Kally's life after all these years.
 
"What the hell is this?" he demanded.
 
"Just a reminder for you to know that you're neither wanted nor needed in Kallinda's life."
 
"That kid is *mine* goddammit. I have a right to my own kid."
 
"*Had* a right, it's past tense. She's not yours any more."
 
Logan stood up, towering over Kayla threateningly. She was not worried, however. She had arrested animals ten times as psychotic and dangerous. Logan had learnt that night nine years ago that it wasn’t healthy to mess with the Cameron women.
 
"I hope you're not about to threaten a federal agent," Kayla said, as a reminder. She moved to leave the office. "Come near Kally again and I'll take those photos to your girlfriend, your boss and the police."
 
"You can't keep her from me."
 
"Watch me."
 
                                           ****************************************************
Harm's Residence
Washington DC
2140 EST, September 11th
"I got pizza!"
 
Kally and Kaiden dived onto the two pizza boxes Mac held. Grinning, the Marine watched the kids run to the living room area to scoff their treats. She was all the more amused at Harm's glare of disapproval. He tutted at her as they followed the children to the sofa.
 
"Mac, I'm trying to give them a balanced diet here and then you come ruining my plans," Harm lectured.
 
"Oh, Harm, stop acting like an old grandpa. Lighten up!"
 
"Yeah, Harm," Kally said, her face smeared with pizza, "lighten up." The girl rolled her eyes at Mac. "He hasn't let us look at a pizza or MacDonald's since we got here."
 
Harm snorted. "You can tell Oprah and Montel that you're both deprived kids."
 
Mac enjoyed watching Harm playing father to the kids, it was a far cry from the usually stubborn and all-too-serious JAG officer she knew at work. Harm was a great friend to her but sometimes she worried that he was too uptight for his own good. Just being with the children helped him to see there was more to life that his work and his dead father.
 
"So what did you guys do today when some poor soles had to go to work?" she asked jovially.
 
"Daddy took us to the movies," Kaiden reported excitedly. "We saw 'Sesame Street'."
 
Mac suppressed a laugh. "Did you enjoy the movie, Harm?"
 
"Oh yeah," Harm smiled tightly. "But I don't want you to miss out on the fun so I've told Kaiden that the next time, you and he could spend the whole day watching his 'Pokemon' videos."
 
"Gee, thanks, Harm," she muttered in light-hearted annoyance.
 
Suddenly there was a loud knock on the front door, and he moved to answer it. Mac could see his face light up when Kayla stepped into the apartment, her arms outstretched as the children launched themselves at her.
 
Harm grinned at the FBI agent. "What are you doing here so late?"
 
"Just have some things to discuss so I thought I'd pop by and see the munchkins as well," Kayla said, settling down in the living room with familiarity and ease.
 
"Time for bed, guys," Harm announced to the children.
 
"But it's only half nine and we ain't got school tomorrow," Kally whined, as Harm shooed her and Kaiden towards the bedroom.
 
When the children were safely in the bedroom, Kayla's eyes wandered around the apartment taking everything in and she winced. Mac had to agree with her. Harm's apartment was a bachelor's paradise with no extra room for clutter- it was not meant for an adult and two kids. The children's belongings had overflowed from the bedroom into the living room and the blankets in the corner indicated Harm's new sleeping place was the sofa.
 
"Wow, it's looks so spacious in here," Kayla said sarcastically. "Are you going to get a new apartment?"
 
"Yes, I've looked at a few places in Arlington, Georgetown..."  He glanced uncertainly at Mac. "...and I've considered even moving to Baltimore."
 
"Baltimore?" Mac repeated. "What about JAG? The Navy? You can't make a trip down to DC and back every day."
 
"Well, I don't know. Just now I'm not even sure if JAG is the right thing for me." Harm must have seen the shock in her face for he shrugged, "Mac, it's not something that I've really thought about yet...So, Kayla, what's new on the case?"
 
Mac couldn't believe the way Harm had dismissed the fact he was actually considering leaving the Navy. When he first mentioned it a few days after gaining custody of the children, she had assumed he was just talking out of panic and nerves. Now she could see he was being serious. And why shouldn't he be? A lawyer of Harm's calibre would be a gold mine in the civilian world. It was just she never thought that he would leave the Navy...How could someone change so much in the space of only a few weeks?
 
Kayla put a stop to Mac's flurry of thoughts when she pulled out a file. "I've gone through each of Alex's previous relationships and each of the men have an alibi. To be honest, I couldn't see them being involved, they didn't really know Alex all that well and they had no real reason to hurt her."
 
"Yes, but one of them could have flipped, couldn't they?"
 
"They could have but they do have good alibis. I don't see how they could have done it. Not to mention, they were all too moronic to have committed such a crime and left no evidence. The PD are also going over her former clients. Alex was in family law but she did take on a few criminal cases so there could be a motive there." She sighed, looking down dejectedly. "I dunno...I wish I had a better position in the case. What I'm getting is only second hand information- my AD has warned me away from investigating my own sister's murder and technically this is a police investigation."
 
Harm frowned, flicking through the file. He looked up at the FBI agent and gave her a reassuring smile, reaching to squeeze her hand. "You're doing the best you can, Kayla."
 
"It's not fair, I'm in the FBI- I get paid to risk my life and get shot at, and at the end of the day it's Alex who dies. She was a lawyer, nothing should have happened to her." Kayla closed her eyes to conceal her turbulent emotions. "It's just not fair."
 
"No, no, it's not...but it happened."
 
Kayla nodded. She swallowed then eyed Harm carefully with such intensity that Mac began to feel suspicious. "Harm...I don't want you to go out and do something that will get you in trouble...but there is one suspect that I since discovered."
 
Harm's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
 
"Logan." When Harm bolted up, no doubt to look for his gun, Kayla jerked him back down. "Harm, I didn't say it was him. I just said that he's now on my personal list of suspects."
 
"Why do you think that?" Mac asked. She had not really heard much about this infamous Logan Raine other than he was Kally's father and, according to Harm, the man was also an asshole.
 
"Well, when I went to see him about Kally, he seemed a bit too interested in her. He has always shown some interest in her but never like this, not since the abduction attempt."
 
"Abduction attempt?" Mac repeated, at a loss. There was so many secrets, so many events she was in the dark about when it came to Harm and the Camerons'.
 
"When Kally was six, Logan tried to kidnap her. He had her for two days before panicking when his face was splashed on the local news and he brought her back. After that, Alex made sure he never saw Kally again...Anyway, later on, I was going through Alex's phone records and there's about fifteen calls to his home and office line over the last couple of months. According to Alison Barker, who worked with Alex, Logan was re-newing his fight for access to Kally and he even considering going for full custody.  Alex obviously wasn't going to let him near the kid." Kayla looked up at Harm. His face was cold and he was grinding his teeth. "Harm?"
 
Mac didn't like his hardened features and the low, harsh whisper of his voice did little to appease her.
 
"You know if Logan was the one who hurt her after all he put her through when she was alive, I *will* have to kill him." His hand tightened into a fist and his eyes met with Kayla's. "You know that, don't you?"
 
Mac would have felt better if he had sounded manic or hysterical, but at that very moment, Harm's tone was cool and calculated. It was a vow he intended to see through, if Kayla's suspicions turned out to be accurate.
 
                                           ****************************************************
"Kally? Kally, what are they saying?"
 
"Shut up and sleep," Kally scolded, pressing her ear harder to the door to block out her brother's whines.
 
The girl knew the adults were discussing her mother, she could tell from Harm's voice. Kally didn't see why she shouldn't get to hear since it was *her* mother who was killed. She wasn't some little kid like Kaiden and she had a right to the truth, especially if she intended to personally kill the person who had hurt her mother.
 
She froze when Kayla mentioned Logan. She pulled away from the door and sank into the corner, hugging her knees to her chest. Kally couldn't believe that Logan could be involved. She had known since she was little that Logan was her father- her mom had never hidden the truth from her- but although she did accept him as her father, she could never bring herself to call him 'Dad' and so instead the father and daughter agreed she should call him by his christian name. Still, she had spent some time with Logan during her early childhood. That all stopped when she was six because Logan nearly took her to Mexico without telling her mom.
 
Logan had no contact with her since she was six years old, other than a few letters and birthday and Christmas presents ...until that day four months ago when he met her outside her school back in Baltimore. She had been stunned at first but she promised him she would not tell her mother what had happened- she would have been spewing if she knew.
 
Kally stood up suddenly, ignoring Kaiden's anxious stare. She had remembered how Logan had said that a father and daughter should be together, how right that was. But she could not comprehend the fact that her father could have killed her mother.
 
"No..." she murmured, reaching for the mobile phone he'd given her for their 'secret' talks.
 
She threw it to the ground and bashed it hard with her baseball bat, shattering it. She battered it again and again, feeling good as she saw it shatter under her strength. If Logan had killed her mother, then this would be what she would do to him- regardless if he was her father or not.
 
"What's going on in there?" Harm called from the living room.
 
"Nothing, Daddy," Kaiden shouted back, glancing nervously at his sister. He padded over to Kally. "You have to stop or Daddy will see you. Kally...? Please..."
 
His cries broke through her hysteria and the girl threw the bat onto the bed as she sank back down into the corner, sobbing quietly. Kaiden just watched her until she gradually calmed and regained composure.
 
"Kally?" Kaiden regarded her, solemnly. "Are you okay?"
 
Kally wiped her tears with her sleeve then smiled weakly at him. "Yeah." Sometimes, he was such a good kid to have as a brother. He reminded her of Harm so much.
 
"Good. I take care of you now."

Her brother's impish face was still creased with worry so Kally held out her arms, inviting him to join her. Kaiden grinned widely and dashed to sit beside her, enjoying being encircled in her arms. Kally smiled inwardly, for such a little twerp he could be the best comforter in the world.
 
                                           ****************************************************
Bethesda Naval Hospital
Bethesda, Maryland
1745 EST, September 12th
Harm felt as if he had walked straight into World War Three when
he entered Jordan's office. The psychiatrist was sitting behind her desk,
rigidly, while Kally was slouched in the chair opposite. The office was
silent and the atmosphere was tense, immediately setting Harm's teeth on
edge. What had began as a simple session with Kally had obviously gone
downhill the minute Harm left the girl alone with Jordan. Further augmenting
his dubiousness was Kally, who had a faintly smug expression smeared across
her cherubic features.
 
"Hi," Harm greeted, uncertainly. "How did things go?"
 
Jordan's eyebrow raised a notch as Kally turned to smile at him.
"Just great. I feel so much better."
 
"Kally, please be honest," Jordan said. She looked up at Harm. "She
played her GameBoy for the entire session."
 
Kally's eyes narrowed. "My name is Kallinda, please do me the courtesy
of using it."
 
Wincing inwardly at her cool tone, Harm knew the session did not
go well. He was not too concerned since Kally had made it clear that she
had not wanted to do it in the first place, only conceding because of Harm's
anxiety. And quite honestly, what could he do or say? Threaten the child
into speaking with Jordan? No, they had tried it Jordan's way and it had
not worked; it was time to allow Kally to heal in her own way.
 
"How was it, Kally?" Harm asked, feeling Jordan's stare boring into
him as she seemingly expected him to intervene. "Why did you not speak
to Jordan, Sport?" He ensured his voice was neither condemning nor demanding.
 
"I asked her if *her* mother was dead, she said no. How can
I expect her to understand when her mom's still alive, huh, Harm?" Kally
glared at Jordan. "She just expects me to spill out my emotions like a
good little girl, but why should I? She's a stranger, I don't have to tell
her nothing."
 
"Right then, Kall, why don't you go wait outside?" He waited until
Kally was outside the office before turning back to Jordan. "Well that's
that, she obviously doesn't need counselling, Jordan, and I can't force
her to do something she doesn't want to do."
 
Jordan withdrew from her desk and came around it to face him directly.
"Harm, how can you say that? Kallinda is obviously a confused child who
needs help to define her emotions."
 
"I think she has her emotions defined, Jordan, and one of them include
anger at having to see you."
 
"Maybe she is a little angry but she still needs counselling. It's
very hard when a child loses a parent and she needs help in coming to terms
with that. And I find it very irresponsible of you not to see that."
 
Harm was beginning to lose his temper now, his usual unflappable
nature fraying. He was sick of Jordan always assuming she knew best. Kally
was right when she said Jordan did not have a clue when it came to the
bereavement of a parent, she still had both parents alive and well. And
now she had the nerve to think she knew what was best for a child she was
not even close to. Not to mention for all the good she did him when Palmer
was stalking him.
 
"Look, Jordan, she is *my* child and I will be the one who
decides what she does, not you." Jordan's eyes widened at his rough
voice. "And maybe some kids *do* need counselling but Kally is not
one of them. Now will you please allow me to make sure she comes to terms
with this in her own way. And the best way for her to do that is not to
have you around interfering with my every decision when it comes to my
kids."
 
Jordan frowned, taking a step back. "What are you saying? That you
want us to split up?"
 
That wasn't what he had initially intended but perhaps that was
what he wanted. Jordan continually wanted more from him, more than he was
able to give. He wasn't ready to commit, at least not to her. He did love
Jordan but his feelings for her amounted only to friendship, nothing at
all what he felt for Alex. It was time to face that.
 
"Maybe...maybe that would be for the best." Harm sighed and looked
away. "Kally and Kaiden need me to be there for them, and I can't have
myself worrying over what you think when I'm looking after them. Jordan,
I just don't love you in the way that you want me to."
 
"What you really mean is that you just don't love me as much as
you loved Alex," she guessed.
 
Harm chewed his lip then nodded. "I...I...things have changed for
me over these past few weeks. I need time to think about these changes."
 
"Harm, are you coming already?" whined Kally, peering from behind
the door.
 
"Coming. Just wait out there a minute." Harm sighed. "I should go
now, I'll see you around, Jordan."
 
Outside the office, Harm found that the break-up did not bother
him as much as he thought it would. The only emotions he really felt was
guilt for causing Jordan pain. He didn't want to hurt her but he also knew
that this was the right thing for both of them. His priorities had changed
since the children had come into his life.
 
Walking alongside Harm, Kally realised something had happened when
he and Jordan were in the office alone. "Are you okay?" she asked, cautiously,
unable to analyse his mood.
 
"Yes, Kally, I'm fine. And don't worry, you won't have to see Jordan
any more."
 
"Good, 'cause Connor Ross said that people who see shrinks are nutcases and
hypochondriacs." She studied him. "Did you break up with Jordan because
of us?"
 
Harm suppressed his amusement. "Eavesdropping is the height of bad
manners, young lady," he chided. "And no, it wasn't because of you or Kaiden.
It's been coming for a while; you kids just made me see clearly what had
to be done."
 
                           *********************************************
Madison Park
Washington, DC
1010 EST, September 16th
Holding her baby son on her lap, Harriet smiled as she watched Kally
and Kaiden kick a football around the grass. They really were delightful
children and surprisingly easy to baby-sit for. She still shuddered at some
of the brats she used to look after during her high school days. Initially,
she had worried she was taking too much on considering she had just given
birth six weeks ago and had a demanding new born infant to contend with.
As it was, these two had a wonderful disposition and were often eager to
lend a hand with baby AJ.
 
"Come and have something to eat, kids," she called, pulling out
some sandwiches from her hamper. When the children ran over and sat down
beside on the rug, Harriet handed them each a sandwich and a can of juice.
She noticed Kaiden watching AJ with an inquisitive intensity. "Is there
something you want to ask, Kaiden?"
 
"He's very small. When was he borned?" the four-year-old asked,
not taking his eyes off AJ.
 
Harriet smiled. This boy reminded her so much of Commander Rabb-
they both shared the same insatiable curiosity. "AJ was born six weeks
ago, he's still a very little baby. Do you like him?"
 
"Hmm, yeah, he's okay but babies smell," Kaiden announced. "They
gotta wear diapers and those smell."
 
Kally snorted. "Eh, Kaid, I hate to tell you this but up until a
year or so ago *you* were still wearing diapers."
 
"Shut up!"
 
Harriet half-listened to the children bickering with AJ gurgling
happily. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled as she had the distinct
feeling of being watched. She glanced around the park, uncertainly, and
was not encouraged to note that their little picnic area was relatively
isolated and sheltered. Nearby, a bush rustled and a twig broke under the
weight of something- or *someone*.
 
She gasped when she felt a hand on her arm, and she whirled around
to find Kally watching her. "Are you okay, Harriet?" the girl asked.
 
Not answering, Harriet shoved AJ into his pushchair and hauled the
older two to their feet. "Come on, we're going now." She didn't want to
stay here a minute longer, the joy of a few seconds ago lost to fear.
 
"But, Harriet..." moaned Kaiden.
 
"NOW!"
 
It wasn't until she was in the safety of her car with all three
kids accounted for did she relax easier, blissfully unaware that a few
cars behind her, a black Ford Taurus was following.
 
                           *********************************************
Harm's Residence
Washington DC
0945 EST, September 20th
It was the children's first day at school and Harm was nervous.
What if they were bullied (though with Kally's expertise in Taekwon Do
that possibility was slim) or had difficulty making friends? He had always
sworn that when he had kids he wouldn't be one of those parents blubbing
at the school gate upon a child's first day of school, but now he could
empathise with those who had problems letting their children enter the
Big Scary World of elementary school.
 
He too was due back to work later that morning but for now he occupied
himself with the files of Alex's clients that he had Kayla bring over a
few nights back. He wanted to play some part in finding Alex's killer-
he *needed* to. It would be good for the children, in particular
Kally, if they knew he helped find their mother's killer, but not only
that, this was a way of extinguishing the loss of a lost love. Harm had
never dismissed the idea of one day getting closer to Alex once again,
and he had the feeling she felt likewise...Now those possibilities and
hopes had died with Alex.
 
Harm sighed heavily. Most of Alex's clients were just normal people
who were forced into court to fight for either their children or their
property after a messy divorce. Nothing to indicate a motive for murder.
Before feeling too discouraged, he gathered the files and shoved them into
a briefcase to take with him to work during his breaks.
 
Just as he was about to leave for the office, the home phone rang.
Glancing at his watch, Harm decided he had the time to take the call. He
grabbed the receiver and balanced it between his cheek and shoulder so
he had free hands to flick through some paperwork as he talked.
 
"Hello?" There was no answer. "Hello?" He could hear someone breathing
in the background. "Who is this?" Harm scowled then slammed the receiver
down. There were too many kids with too much time on their idle hands.
 
                           *********************************************
Jungle Jim's Treehouse
Washington DC
41345 EST, September 25th
Mac's idea of the perfect day was a nice restaurant, catching the
latest romance at the cinema then relaxing at home with a box of chocolates
and a mug of coffee. It certainly did not involve immersing herself in
a pit of sponge balls with a hoard of tiny toddlers for company nor did
it involve snacking on greasy French fries and ice cream packed with enough
additives to fuel the entire continent.
 
And yet she had never enjoyed herself so much. There was something
to be said for letting go of one's adult inhibitions and simply taking
delight in life. Behaving like an over-grown kid in the indoors adventure
playground was great and she felt she was having as much fun as Kaiden,
who had cajoled her into joining him in the first place.
 
Mac had thought that by babysitting for Kally and Kaiden would not
only be a favour to Harm but would also give her the opportunity to spend
some time with the kids. For some reason, it was important for her to be
close to them. She was Harm's best friend and in turn she found herself
transferring affection onto his children. As a result, Mac was getting
as much from their growing relationship as the kids were.
 
"I'm bigger than you!" giggled Kaiden, jumping up and down on the
climbing frame platform.
 
"Oh yeah?" Mac scooped the laughing little boy into her arms and
spun him around before depositing him into the ball pit. At this point,
the Marine's hair was sticky with sweat and she was completely drained.
She could not understand where Kaiden received his never-ending supply
of energy. "Scamp," Mac called, "I'm going to sit right over there with
Kally, okay?"
 
"Okay, Mac," the toddler replied, already dismissing her now that
his attention was on a new activity.
 
Kally was seated at one of the tables catering for the more reserved
parents who preferred to wimp out by just watching their children rather
than joining in on the many games and equipment in the area. Although tastes
for every age- from the tots to teenagers- were provided, Kally sat within
view of Kaiden reading a book like a little old grandmother. She was the
only child sitting back and she looked so out of place stuck with the adults.
 
Mac sighed in a mixture of pity and admiration for the girl who
had grown far older than her ten years over the past few weeks, a girl
who had to face her mother's sudden and violent death as well as living
with a new and inexperienced father. Compared to Chloe, Kally seemed so
much older and wiser than a ten-year-old had the right to be. Mac wondered
if the feelings of preserving Kaiden's innocence and providing her brother
with some sense of protection had conspired to rob the girl of her own
childhood.
 
"Whatcha reading there, Kally?" Mac asked the girl, as she took
the seat opposite.
 
"'To Kill A Mockingbird'," Kally answered, not taking her eyes from
the book.
 
'To Kill A Mockingbird'? Hell, Mac had been sticking to 'Winnie
The Pooh' and 'Green Eggs And Ham' when she was ten. To her, any book that
had words bigger than 'a' and 'the' was too complex.
 
Kally stared at her disconcertingly from over the novel. "Don't
worry, I'm only reading it 'cause it's my mother's. It belonged to my grandfather
who died before Mom was born. She took it to remind her of him and I've
taken it to remind me of her. Usually, I read 'Goosebumps' and neat stuff
like that. I'm not a complete freak."
 
God, there was no getting past this kid. Kaiden may genetically
be Harm's son and he might have possessed his physical attributes but Kally
was Harm's offspring emotionally. That same intensity and almost empathic
sensitivity was almost enough to make Mac wonder about Kally's paternity
if she didn't know any better.
 
"I don't think you're a freak, Kally," Mac admonished. This child
might have been intelligent and perceptive but she was certainly no freak.
"You know, when I was fifteen my mother ran off. And even though she abandoned
me, I kept a small brooch of hers so I could remember her by. Your mother
loved you and Kaiden very much and of course, you should remember her by
whatever means helps you."
 
Kally blinked in what appeared to be surprise. After a moment's
silence she broke into a small smile. "Well done, I thought you were going
to analyse me like Jordan. I really hated it when she acted like I was
some kind of wacko just 'cause I wouldn't tell her stuff."
 
Mac felt a surge of pride that she was able to help Kally open up
where Jordan- the so-called expert- had failed. "Anyway, Sport, just think;
when you get to high school and all the other kids have to read 'To Kill
A Mockingbird' for school, you'll be able to relax since you'll have already
read it."
 
The girl's smile widened. "Yeah, that's a great idea."
 
"I was always the master when it came to skipping out of schoolwork."
 
"Hey, Mac, did you hear that Harm broke up with Jordan?" Kally didn't
try to hide her smug smirk. "I'm glad, I didn't like her. She had these
eyes that seemed to probe your brain."
 
Mac tried to conceal her own smile at the child's observations.
"She's a psychiatrist, Kally, it's only natural for her to...be curious
about people's minds even when she doesn't mean to be intrusive."
 
"Well, I think Harm's better off without her, she's too weird and
hanging out with her all the time can't be good for his mind." Kally regarded
Mac with an almost cunning scrutiny, which instantly put the Marine on
her guard. "Hey, would *you* like the position instead? I think
you and Harm would be okay together."
 
"What makes you say that?" Mac asked, in amusement though she was
interested in the girl's perceptions of a prospect she herself had considered
many a time.
 
"You both like the same stuff and you have the same jobs so you
understand each other and you're friends. Not to mention, me and Kaid like
you, which is a big plus, and you're not a flake like Jordan. Yeah, it could
definitely work." Kally nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe Harm and I need to
have a talk, give him some ideas on sorting out his love life."
 
"Ah, I don't think who Harm dates is something for you to worry
about and he wouldn't be pleased to find out it was something we talked
about."
 
"It'll do him good to have a girl's point of view in his life, he
can be so clueless sometimes. Me, you and Kaiden could help him relax and
have more fun, I mean Harm didn't even have a TV until we came to stay.
Anyway, I'm just glad Jordan's gone- good riddance to bad rubbish. She
treated me like I was a child."
 
"But, Kally, you *are* a child." Mac ensured she spoke the
truth not like an accusation but a simple statement. The last thing she
wanted to do was offend Kally.
 
"I'm *not* some helpless little twerp, I can take care of
myself."
 
The sullen response reminded Mac so much of herself as a child.
She had grown up in an abusive environment where she continually witnessed
her father beat up her mother in a drunken rage. Slowly, she had come to
see any form of help as a sign of weakness, it was only until her Uncle
Matt- and later Harm- came along did she learn different. Kally may have
thrived in the love her mother provided, but now Alex was gone, the child
was forced to grow up for fear that someone would try to take her brother
away from her. These fears and uncertainties had left Kally much like the
mind of an old woman trapped in the body of a little girl.
 
Mac reached across the table and took the girl's hand. "Kally, being
young doesn't mean you're helpless and weak, it's not an insult on your
intelligence. It just means that sometimes you need to let someone else
do the worrying."
 
"You want me to be like them?" Kally waved her hand at the laughing
children around her. "Look at them, Mac. Playing and laughing like everything
is a big joke. Well, it isn't."
 
"No, it isn't, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself sometimes.
It's okay not to be so grown up all the time, you're a kid, have some fun.
Do you think your mother would want you to be too serious?"
 
"Mom doesn't want anything, she's dead."
 
"Yes," Mac conceded, "but if she was alive, I'm sure she would want
what's best for you and Kaiden, and part of that is for you to realise
that not everything is your responsibility. That includes Kaiden."
 
"But he's my brother, I have to look out for him."
 
"And you do, Kally, you look out for him so well. But that's just
it- you're his *sister*, you should be playing with him in the playground
and choosing toys together. Let Harm be the parent...to both of you. And
it's your job to be the kid." Not letting go of her hand, Mac moved around
the table and knelt down in front of the girl. "Even adults can't stop
people from dying, Sport, no-one can. I know you love Harm and Kaiden but
behaving grown-up won't protect them. If something is going to happen,
then it will."
 
"But I can try-"
 
"No, you can't. Believe me, kiddo, bad things happen sometimes for
no reason. You're not responsible for the world."
 
Kally sighed. "It's so hard, I just wanna help."
 
"I know you do, and the best thing you can do is just be a little
girl. Let us do the worrying. Trust me on this one, kiddo, this is the
best time of your life." Mac gently pulled Kally to her feet and towards
the adventure playground zone. "Let's take the first steps back to childhood
together, huh?"
 
Stuffing her book into her backpack, Kally stared in distaste at
the playground. Instead, she eyed the arcade where several kids were practically
merged into different computer games. "Hey, Mac, ever played 'Tekken Three'?"
 
                           *********************************************
Bartonwood Elementary School
Washington DC
1035 EST, September 28th
Logan Raine watched the school gates meticulously, waiting for the
perfect moment. He had been sitting in his Ford Taurus for close to an
hour for the recess bell to ring and allow him a moment with what was his
own. He smiled as the children streamed into the playground, shouting and
laughing their exuberance. God, he remembered how great it was to be young.
 
It hurt to know he had missed a great deal of his daughter's life-
hell, he had lost practically all of her toddler development and most of
her elementary years. His baby girl was nearly a teenager. Logan cursed
that bitch of an ex-wife every day for what she took away from him. He
never wanted Kallinda out of his life. He loved that kid and would do anything
for her and, despite what Alex thought, he would never have laid a hand
on his own child.
 
However, truthfully, although he was no big fan of Rabb's, Logan
didn't blame the man at all for his role in Alex's theft of his daughter.
God only knew the man had himself lost his own son thanks to Alex and Rabb
had only heard Alex's side of the story, she no doubt casting him as the
deranged father with no regard to Kallinda's welfare. No, Logan was willing
to leave him be if the other man just let him have what was his.
 
Logan grinned when he spotted Kallinda playing baseball with a group
of around twelve other boys and girls. He marvelled with pride as he watched
her strike the ball with precision and grace than any boy, her competitive
streak not squelching one ounce despite dealing with her mother's loss.
Alex may not have liked it but he and Kallinda were more alike than his
ex-wife would ever have admitted.
 
Strolling to the school gates, Logan slowly dropped his pace to
a halt when he saw Kallinda stiffen as she notice him. The girl left the
ball game and cautiously wandered over to him, scowling. Logan had never
lied to his daughter, she had known the truth about what had happened between
him and Alex from the moment she was able to understand, but he had never
seen the look of barely concealed fear and loathing in his own child's
eyes before. What had Rabb and Kayla told her about him?
 
"What are you doing here?" Kallinda demanded, stopping about five
meters away from him. "You're not allowed to be here. Harm and Kayla said
so."
 
Logan just smiled at her. Insulting her guardian and aunt would
not go down well with his ever-temperamental daughter. "Harm is not your
father- I am, and I can see you whenever I want." He moved closer to her
until there was only a small gap separating them, and he cupped her cheek.
"We share the same blood, the same genes...Nothing can keep us apart, Kallinda."
She didn't answer. "I've been trying to call you on our 'private' line
but I  keep getting the engaged tone. What happened to the phone,
Sport?"
 
"It had an accident," was the sneered reply.
 
"Okay, how about I get you a new phone? I mean, I've always enjoyed
our little talks together, Kallinda, and I know you did too."
 
Kallinda pulled back. "You shouldn't be here. Don't come near us
again or I'll..." She trailed off, her eyes darkening at whatever was going
through her mind. She shook her head then darted back into the playground.
 
As much as he wanted to follow her, Logan knew he could never be
that obvious and walk into the school- even if it was his own child's school.
What lies had that damned Rabb and his equally damned former sister-in-law
been feeding her? Whatever they had said, he would make all them pay for
trying to brainwash Kallinda against him.
 
                           *********************************************
Payton's Coffee Bar
Washington DC
1255 EST, October 1st
Kayla had arranged to meet Harm at a coffee shop since she was in
DC for a conference anyway. It gave them both an excuse to further discuss
Alex's case and the children. She cared a great deal for her young niece
and nephew and although she knew they could not have a better parent in
Harm, she still worried for them. They were only small children and had
gone through so much.
 
She saw Harm enter the cafe and waved him over. "So, how are the
kids?" she asked, when he was seated opposite her.
 
She missed spending time with them like she had when Alex was still
alive. Even though Washington DC wasn't a great distance from Baltimore,
it was enough to prevent her from being with the children as often she
would have liked. Harm seemed to sense this and encouraged her to visit
and phone the children frequently.
 
"Good, Kally's decided to re-start her Taekwon Do here in DC and
Kaid's on at me to get a dog." Harm tried to sound disapproving but she
could hear the paternal pride in his voice. "I think I'm starting for fall
for those big blue eyes now since I agreed Santa might bring him a dog
for Christmas maybe."
 
"Things are sure going to get cramped in that little apartment of
yours."
 
"Yeah, I'm still looking around. I think I might lease a bigger
place for a few months before considering buying a house. I want our house
to be perfect so the kids feel comfortable and secure."
 
"Have you thought any more about moving to Baltimore?"
 
The thought of Harm and the kids living was more gratifying than
Kayla would ever admit. She adored Kally and Kaiden, and it would be wonderful
having them so close to both herself and her mother. Not to mention, that
her friendship with Harm was changing so dramatically over the past few
weeks.
 
When Harm had been with Alex, she had always seen him as a good
friend. Kayla had just been glad Alex had found someone who was decent
enough for her baby sister. The years with Alex transformed her view of
Harm from that of just a friend to a brother-figure. Even when he and Alex
broke off, they all remained on good terms with one another but still she
did not see Harm as anything more.
 
So why now was she starting to think of Harm as more than a friend?
 
She inwardly sighed as Harm answered, "I don't know. It would be
nice to give the kids some familiarity- I mean, Baltimore is the only home
they've ever known. But a move like that would definitely mean leaving
the Navy."
 
"That's not something you've thought of?"
 
"No, it's not...but things have a habit of changing when you least
expect them to." He had it damned straight there. Harm reached for her
hand across the table, and smiled warmly at her. "Kayla, I want to thank
you for everything you have done for myself and the kids. I know I would
never have accepted custody had it not been for you and Ellish giving us
support and encouragement. I would never have known my own son."
 
Kayla shared in his smile. "Harm, I always knew you'd make a wonderful
father and I think had it not been for the mess with Logan, Alex would
have seen that too."
 
"Still, you've been so supportive of me and the children; I don't
know if I'd have coped without you." His voice was now a whisper.
 
He gazed at her with his deep blue eyes, and their eyes locked.
The buzz and chatter of the cafe droned into the background and Kayla felt
as if they were the only ones here. There was a sudden tension between
herself and Harm; one that had never existed before.
 
They both moved forward, almost hesitantly. Kayla gently lifted
her free hand- her other hand still interlocked with Harm's- to smooth
over Harm's cheek. All her awkwardness and tentativeness flew out the window
as her lips grazed over Harm's...
 
                           *********************************************
Mac parked her Corvette in the closest parking place for easy access.
She didn't have a long lunch break until she was due back in court but
had decided belatedly to accept Harm's offer and meet him and Kayla for
a coffee. With the hours that had both been keeping lately, she had not
seen as much of her partner as she would have liked and she wanted to try
to get back in the routine of sharing lunch together.
 
She had to admit, however, that she was spending an increasing amount
of time with Harm and the kids on the weekends and the occasional evening.
It was hard not to enjoy the innocent glee and joy of the two children,
and watching the normally solemn Harm reverting back to childhood when
he was in their presence. Kally and Kaiden may not have had a planned role
in Harm's life but just by seeing him with them, Mac knew they were doing
her partner good.
 
And they were also doing her good.
 
Mac had found herself mellowing when in the company of the children,
taking delight in the lighter side of life. She was growing particularly
closer to Kally, who reminded the Marine so much of herself at ten years
old. In order to give Harm more time with the son he barely knew and save
him from dealing with the more awkward areas of raising a pre-adolescent
daughter, Mac was the one who regularly accompanied Kally to her Taekwon
Do classes and clothes shopping.
 
Ironically, Mac had always presumed her mothering days would end
with the few babysitting sessions of Chloe and little AJ Roberts. Hell,
she had never thought she could make children a priority for a good few
years. But now, watching Harm go through both the turbulence and exhilaration
of parenthood made her realise she was more than ready for kids.
 
As she neared the cafe window, she planned to tell Harm of her idea
to take Kally and Chloe to a shopping trip in Boston over the Christmas
vacation. The girls were almost the same age and both had lost their mothers
to sudden death. Mac thought it would benefit them both if they met.
 
At first, from the window, Mac couldn't see Harm in the cafe. She
began to think he might have gone to a different cafe or left already.
But no, he was there with Kayla...And the pair looked very cosy together.
In fact, Harm was warming Kayla's lips with his own.
 
Shocked, Mac backed away before they saw her. Of all the things
she had expected to see, Harm kissing the FBI agent was not one of them.
Oh, she knew they were close- sharing their pain at Alex's loss and an
interest in Kally and Kaiden- but this re-defined the term 'just good friends'.
 
Blinking back tears of lost moments and envy, she ran back to her
car not waiting to see what would happen next.
 
                           *********************************************
Harm and Kayla pulled back at the same moment- both utterly stunned
at what they had done. Squirming in his seat, Harm swallowed nervously,
unable to make eye contact with Kayla. He couldn't believe he had actually
kissed her- she was Alex's sister for God's sake! It was an unwritten rule
not to make romantic gestures to the sister of one's dead girlfriend. He
hadn't being seeing Alex as anything more than a friend for years but still
it didn't feel right to him.
 
"Um...I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, trying unsuccessfully to compose
himself.
 
Kayla just inhaled a deep breath. "Er...I...I have to get back to
the office. Call you soon."
 
"Sure thing."
 
Harm watched as she practically race out of the cafe as if the office
would collapse if she didn't arrive there that very second. Pleased for
the privacy, his gaze drifted to his cooling coffee as he pondered over
what had just happened.
 
There had been a chemistry between himself and Kayla developing
over the past few weeks. They had so much in common it was hard not for
anything to occur: Alex, the children, their interest in law, their determination
to ensure justice always won out. One could almost say Harm and Kayla were
more compatible than anything Harm and Alex could have. But it was so much
more intricate than that.
 
Mac...
 
Harm hadn't resolved how he felt about his partner- was it friendship
or was there more? There were times when Mac seemed to want more from him
yet there were other times when she blatantly threw Mic Brumby's attentions
in his face. And how did *he* feel about her?
 
He sighed heavily, dropping his head down into his hands. God, why
did his life have to be so damned complicated?!
 
                           *********************************************
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
1310 EST, October 4th
Harm stuck his head around the door of Mac's office. "Hey, Mac,
want to go grab some lunch? We've been stuck in here all morning, we deserve
a break."
 
He really wanted to find out what was bothering his partner. She
had avoided him in court on Friday and had not come around to visit that
weekend, which in itself was unusual since they had loosely planned to
take the kids to the movies on Saturday. Now, on Monday, one could almost
come to the conclusion Mac was pissed with him for God knows what reason.
She had steadfastly ignored him in the elevator that morning and her tone
was cool when he tried to speak to her.
 
"I'm not hungry," Mac replied, not looking up from her paperwork
and quickly proving Harm's point.
 
"Come on, Mac, I know you. You must be going into burger withdrawal
by now."
 
It was not just Mac's odd mood that Harm wanted to discuss. Over
the past couple of days, he had the distinct feeling he was being followed.
A feeling that intensified when he took the children to the park and the
bowling. At first he had put it down to his own paranoia but he couldn't
shake it off...
 
Mac looked up from her desk to pin him with a deathly cool glare.
"Harm, I'm not a child, I don't need to be told when to eat and when not
to eat. And I'm telling you now, I'm not hungry. Why don't you go have
lunch with Kayla?"
 
Harm now stepped fully into the office and shot Mac an equally piercing
stare. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? I've already told you that
Kayla and I are just good friends."
 
"Yeah, sure, whatever."
 
His previously placating tone vanished at her sarcasm. Harm was
still confused over his feelings for Kayla and that Mac was sitting here
provoking him just incensed him all the more.
 
"What is wrong with you, Mac? Don't be so coy, just come right out
and say whatever is on your mind. It's not like you've been shy before."
 
"Okay then...have you ever considered the possibility that Kayla
killed her sister? She does seem to be infatuated with you. I mean, you
seem to think she's 'Little Miss Innocent Super Sister and Aunt' but maybe
she killed Alex to get to you and the kids."
 
That was it, his already precarious temper erupted into full-blown
rage. "I can't believe you'd stoop that low. That you don't think I am
capable of rational thought. I have been there for you whenever you needed
me, Mac, I have given you support without expecting anything back. Lord
knows, I was understanding over the lies you told about Farrow and Chris.
But the times I've needed your help, you've always found a way to fault
me, to undermine me. If it isn't my 'obsessions' then it's the fact that
my children's aunt and godmother killed their mother...And for your information,
Kayla was on a case in Seattle during the time of the killing. She was
with six other agents and did not return until the morning *after*
Alex was murdered."
 
Before *he* was the one arrested over the murder of a certain
Marine, Harm stalked out of Mac's office slamming the door behind him.
It felt good about airing his feelings over Mac and Jordan. He had always
been raised to be courteous, sometimes to a fault, and it was refreshing
being able to get mad for once, a change for all the times Mac had exploded
at him.
 
                           *********************************************
Mac watched Harm go, on one hand wanting to shout for him to stay
and the other wanting the elevator cable to snap while he was in it. She
hadn't planned to behave so bitchy around him, after all Harm was a fully
grown, consenting adult and what he did with Kayla was none of her business.
Besides, it wasn't like they were making out on the cafe table. It was
just so galling to see the two of them in a position she yearned to be
in for longer than she cared to admit.
 
So much had changed since Russia, *they* had changed. Harm
had grown distant and she reciprocated his attitude instead of forcing
him to talk about it. Mac knew his problems rooted from not once considering
his father might be dead after years of searching, that in order to deal
with that he had to find new and different ways to distract him. Such as
Jordan and flying...It took two small children for Harm to forget flying
and finally let go of his father.
 
Mac was eternally grateful for the happiness Kally and Kaiden brought
into Harm's life, and for the hole they were able to fill in his heart.
They had helped Harm to put aside his obsessions with both flying and his
father. But she had hoped they would help Harm to settle down...settle
down with her.
 
For as long as they had known each other, their friendship had been
based on devotion, loyalty, humour with an ever-present dose of sexual
tension that she hoped would lead to something more as time wore on. It
had been over a year that Mac had become aware that her feelings towards
Harm was more than that of just simple, platonic friendship. She wanted
a relationship with him, one with the love and intimacy that he had obviously
shared with Alex at some point.
 
It took much resolve not to confront Harm with something that he
was not ready for but Mac had managed to keep her mouth and her feelings
shut. It was easier before since, despite being one of the most solemn
men she had ever met, Harm often appeared to have the emotions of an adolescent
boy. Mac suspected that was because he had spent his actual adolescence
obsessing over his father and his studies for joining the Navy that he
didn't have time to be just a boy and he was catching up now. However,
now that he had matured up for the sake of the children, it was she who
was acting like the damn teenager.
 
Mac thudded her forehead on her desk. God, when did her life get
so damned complicated?!
 
                           *********************************************
Bartonwood Elementary School
Washington DC
1455 EST, October 6th
"I'm glad that you were able to make this appointment on such short
notice, Mr Rabb, as there is a matter of great urgency that I need to discuss
with you before the school decides to proceed."
 
Harm squirmed in his chair, wondering why even as an adult he was
reduced to feeling like a naughty school boy when visiting the principal
of the children's school. However, Mrs Spencer had an approachable and
understanding manner and had a reputation amongst the parents as being
an inspired principal teacher of Bartonwood Elementary; a vast improvement
from his own former principal, a sour woman who had a scowl that could
curdle the milk.
 
Still, that did not change the fact that obviously one of the children
had done something- one was not called to visit the school for the sake
of it- and Harm had the distinct feeling it was Kally. The girl could be
quite a handful with her forward attitude which come across as cheek or
insult if an adult was expecting an average ten-year-old. Of course, this
meeting could concern Kaiden. The boy was rather shy and often did not
come out of his shell unless he was with an adult he knew. Kaiden had made
some improvement but he was still carried himself with more reserve than
most four-year-old boys.
 
The suspense was starting to make Harm restless and he decided to
take a leaf out of Kally's book and be up-front. "Okay, Mrs Spencer, which
one is this about? Kally or Kaiden?"
 
The middle-aged woman smiled slightly. "There's no need to be so pessimistic, both the children have settled in rather well given the circumstances...No, I've asked you hear to discuss a far more serious matter than disobedient youngsters. Mr Rabb, do you know anyone who would be...watching your children, for want of a better word?"
 
Harm's eyes slit back and he straightened. "What?! What are you
talking about?"
 
"I've had a couple of parents report a black Ford Taurus sitting
rather suspiciously near the school gates."
 
"What? Have you notified the police? Maybe there's a paedophile
in the area." He paused. "Wait, what has this got to do with *my*
kids? I mean, I take it you aren't having this discussion with every parent
in the school. What did you mean when you said, 'watching' my children?"
 
Mrs Spencer sighed. "Well, these reports date back to when your
daughter and son first attended Bartonwood...and there is the fact, that
a couple of the older children say they saw your daughter speak to a man
driving a black Ford Taurus."
 
Now Harm was enraged, perhaps even more than when he had discovered
the lies surrounding Kaiden's existence. "I can't believe this. My child
has been seen speaking to some pervert out on the streets and no-one has
done anything about this. Especially since there's some freak loitering
about. What the hell kind of school is this? When I put my kids here I
thought they'd be supervised and safe."
 
"Mr Rabb, there's close to one hundred and fifty students in this
school- we can't watch them every minute. And also, I don't believe your
children were in immediate danger."
 
"How can you say that?"
 
"Because, from what one of the children said, we have reason to
believe it was Kallinda's natural father." At Harm's quizzical stare, she
continued, "Would he have reason to be watching her?"
 
Oh yeah, Logan was the type to take the law into his own hands.
He had taken Kally once, and he could so easily do it again. Not to mention,
he was spiteful enough that custody of his daughter had been granted to
a man he hated. But Kally was by no way an innocent party in this if she
had actually spoken to him behind Harm's back. If that was so, then this
was not a school matter but one that he had to deal with as both Kally's
guardian and, since Alex was here, as her substitute 'mother' figure.
 
Harm stood up. "I'll speak to Kallinda myself," he said curtly.
 
                           *********************************************
Harm's Residence
Washington DC
1525 EST, October 6th
Kally knew the meeting with Mrs Spencer can't have involved discussing
'happy' issues. But whatever the principal had said, was enough to turn
Harm's normally easy-going demeanour sour. As it was, the ride home was
terse and fraught with Harm driving in a rigid manner so unlike the man
she was accustomed to. Kally had tried asking questions and brightening
the atmosphere but she was met with a cool silence and even Kaiden, as
young as he was, was quieter in response to Harm's mood.
 
When they finally reached the apartment, she didn't have time to
dump her schoolbag before Harm sternly sent Kaiden to their room. The boy
may have had his own stubborn streak but he wasn't stupid and quickly obeyed
the order. The minute her brother was out of earshot, Harm turned to Kally
pinning her with a hard stare.
 
"Kally, I'm going to ask you a question and I want an honest answer,"
he said.
 
"Okay," was the girl's meek reply.
 
Kally swallowed uncertainly, not liking wherever this was heading.
She tried desperately to think what he was going to ask but could not come
up with one situation where she had been in serious trouble. Since her
mother died, she had managed to be on her best behaviour so Harm wouldn't
think that her and Kaiden were some problem kids who belonged in a foster
home.
 
"Have you been seeing Logan recently?"
 
How she dearly wanted to lie, to say anything but the truth. "Yes,"
Kally muttered, her shoulders slumping and her head dropping to her chest.
 
"How often?"
 
"He came to the school once and..." Should she go on? It was so
easy to just stop now, but Kally had the misfortune of being raised too
honest. "...and he gave me a mobile phone a few months before Mom died.
He calls me sometimes until I kinda wreaked the phone." When she mustered
the courage to meet Harm's steady gaze, the chill that she had deeply disappointed
him churned within her. "I-I'm sorry, Harm."
 
"Sorry isn't going to cut it, Kallinda."
 
If his tight tone, concealing carefully controlled anger, had not
alerted her to his rage then his formality did. Damn, he had referred to
her as 'Kallinda' to her face. Harm only ever did that when he was truly
angry at her, and even then there had only one occasion when he had cause
to do so- the time when she was five years old and ran out onto the road
without looking.
 
"But-"
 
"No, Kally, it isn't that you saw him that bothers him but it's
the fact that you hid it from me. I'm responsible for you now."
 
"I know," Kally mumbled.
 
"You know, huh? Well, I know you also know what Logan did to your
mother then."
 
How the hell could she forget? She might have been only two years
old at the time but she still remembered her mother crying as Aunt Kayla
drove them to the hospital. What was really infuriated Kally now was the
fact that Harm was behaving like she and Logan were planning to runaway
together. Is that what he thought of her? Did he think she would just dump
Kaiden and elope with some guy that was only her father by blood?
 
Kally's eyes narrowed, Harm's seething anger becoming infectious.
"Yeah, but he never touched me," she spat back. "And you're not my goddamn
father! You can't say who I see or don't see."
 
Harm glowered at the girl. "You're in my custody now, Kally, and
yes, I do say who you can and can't see."
 
"Yeah, well, guardianship can be changed, you know."
 
Unable to stay in the same room as him, Kally screwed up her face
and ran out of the apartment before she exploded. She kept running, not
even sure where her feet were taking her. All the anger and rage that had
been festering since her mother died had just bubbled to the top. She had
to get away- away from Kaiden, away from her mother's memories, away from
Harm...away from the calm, collected Kallinda she had tried to so hard
to emulate.
 
                           *********************************************
Harm's Residence
Washington DC
1845 EST, October 6th
It had been more than three hours since Kally had stormed out of
the apartment and now Harm's wrath had melted to worry. It was getting
dark, and the streets of DC were no place for a wandering child. Hell,
he didn't even know why he had been so incensed with the girl, usually
he could keep his temper under tight rein, but lately the smallest things
ignited his smouldering anger.
 
"Daddy?" called a little voice.
 
Harm turned to find a wide-eyed Kaiden regarding him cautiously.
He was looking for guidance from his father, a man who up until a month
ago considered himself a single man free to do whatever he wanted with
his life.

It had only been a month. God, that was nothing. Kally had spent
the whole decade she had lived with her mother providing all the security
and love that a child needed, things she now looked to Harm to give. They
had both expected so much, too much from each other in that one measly
month.
 
"Daddy, did you and Kally have a fight?" the toddler asked guilelessly.
 
Harm hoisted his son into his arms so they were eye-to-eye. "Yes,
Kaiden, we did."
 
"Don't you like Kally no more?"
 
"Of course I like Kally," Harm assured, holding the boy closer,
"I love Kally and you, you're both my children. Kaiden, just because two
people have an argument doesn't mean they don't love each other. Kally,
you and I are a team now and nothing will come between that, okay?"
 
Kaiden nodded. "Kally is comin' back then?"
 
"Yes, of course, she is. Why do you ask?"
 
"Oh, it's just 'cause once Kally's friend had a fight with her Daddy
and she runned away to New York."
 
That little story did not instil confidence in Harm's heart. Kally
wouldn't run off on him, would she? Surely, she knew their little tiff
was not something to skip town on. But then little kids were not known
for their logical thinking- he could remember himself at ten, planning
to escape to Canada the time his mother had grounded him for fighting at
school. Kally was so much more streetwise compared to himself at the same
age, but she was still so young.
 
Harm smiled with a confidence he did not feel. "Don't worry, Scamp,
Kally wouldn't do anything like that."
 
An hour later he packed Kaiden into his SUV and scoured the neighbourhood
searching unsuccessfully for his wayward daughter. Three hours later, he
called the police.
 
                           *********************************************
28th Precinct (DCPD)
Arlington, Washington DC
1245 EST, October 7th
When Harm had called her at three o'clock in the morning, Mac wasn't
sure what to think but when he told her that Kally was missing, she instantly
forgot her grievances with him and rushed to assist in any way she could.
While Mac took Kaiden under her wing, feeding and dressing the boy then
driving him to nursery, Harm attempted to distract his anxieties by running
through the phone list of Kally's friends again and combing the local area
as well as the play parks Kally frequently visited.
 
It was obvious to Mac that, despite hiding his pain from Kaiden,
Harm was not coping well with Kally's disappearance, and why should he?
Kally was a little girl lost and alone, even the hardest of hearts had
to wrench at the possibilities of what could happen to a missing child
in a world full of many evils. Not to mention, Harm was still so new to
the whole fatherhood gig, the last problem he had expected was for one
of the children to run off.
 
And now there was this latest development...
 
A neighbour had reported seeing Kally enter a black car the previous
evening leading police to arrest Logan Raine of suspicion of kidnapping.
It would have been a gross understatement to say, from the way he was cracking
his knuckles and glowering in barely contained rage, Harm was not managing
the news well. But, against her better judgement, he finally persuaded
her to drive them to the police station so he could have a 'chat' with
Raine before he was indicted.
 
It was a decision Mac was beginning to sorely regret. The minute
Harm laid stormy blue eyes on Raine, the tension in the air was tangible
to the most ignorant. He marched over to wear Raine sat, handcuffed and
looking rather bedraggled compared to the image of self-assured accountant
Mac had been expecting.
 
"Where is she?" Harm demanded, his large steps reaching Raine before
Mac had even time to locate the man. "What the hell have you done to her?"
 
"I didn't think a father could kidnap his own daughter," Raine taunted,
a huge mistake on his part.
 
Harm lunged at the other man, grabbing him by the shirt collar and
slamming him hard against the wall. "If you've so much as touched one hair
on Kally's head, I will make it my personal mission in life to have you
fried. Now tell me where you've hidden her!"
 
Mac and the nearby police officers rushed to pull Harm off but,
apparently regain his senses, he allowed Raine to shrug himself free. "I
never took her. I don't give a damn what that bitch Kayla thinks about
me but I would *never* hurt Kally in any way and I wouldn't take
her if she didn't want me too."
 
"Then where is she?"
 
"How the hell am I suppose to know? She has a new damn father now,
*you* were meant to be taking care of her."
 
Harm reached for him again but this time Mac anticipated his intents
and kept a restraining hand on him, tugging him back gently in an effort
to remind him now was not a good time to lose his temper. She too wanted
to pull Raine's arm off and beat him with it for his thoughtless remark,
a remark that was rather presumptuous coming from a man who hit his wife
and tried to run off with his confused six-year-old child.
 
"Harm, just let it go," Mac murmured softly. "He's not worth it."
 
Eyes locked on Raine's, Harm sighed and stepped back. "You're right."
He smiled grimly at Mac. "Let's get out of here."
 
When certain he had come to the conclusion of how pointless it was
antagonising Raine in a police station, Mac watched her partner retreat.
She turned to follow, halting one moment to glance back at Kally's father.
In a barely audible voice, low and harsh enough to be solely heard by Raine's
aural senses, she warned, "You better not have anything to do with this
because if you have, next visit he might just demonstrate to you just what
combat training is given to a Navy officer."
 
Outside the police station, Mac found Harm sitting on the concrete
stairs, his head buried in his hands and looking for all the world like
a little boy who'd just found out that Santa Claus was a myth. She had
never seen him so despondent; infuriated, yes, and even heart wrenched
to the point of tears and exhausted to the point of near collapse, but
Harmon Rabb never resigned himself to anything. *Never*. The sun
might explode and the Earth about to be sucked into a black hole and still
Harm would remain optimistic. It hurt to see him so defeated.
 
He must have sensed her presence for, in a low whisper, he said,
"I can't do this again, Mac."
 
She didn't have to ask what he meant by 'again'. The pain of a three
decade search for a lost father only to find the elder Rabb had passed
away ten years previous was never far from Harm's heart and she desperately
prayed that history wouldn't repeat itself. If, God forbid, the worse did
occur, then Mac knew she would lose not only a little girl she had come
to love dearly but also her best friend. Harm would just give up on life
for even the strongest and bravest had their limits.
 
It was one thing mourning for a dead man who had enjoyed a decent
portion of life, however, no matter how tenacious Harm was, he would never
forgive himself if Kally was snatched away from him too. For all intents
and purposes, she was just a baby in the grand scheme of life.
 
"Kally is going to be fine, Harm," Mac said firmly, kneeling down
beside him and placing a comforting hand on his arm. "You have to believe
that. She may be a kid but she's got more strength and stubbornness than
any adult I've met."
 
"She's so young, she must be so scared. Raine was right, I should
never have let her go in that state."
 
"Don't do this to yourself, Harm, this is not your fault. These
things happen to the most experienced of parents, don't burden yourself
with this. Kally will tell you that when we find her but just now she needs
you sane and whole, and Kaiden needs you too."
 
Closing his eyes trying to compose himself, he nodded wearily. "I
know, I know." He stood up. "I better go, Kayla said she had some things
to talk to me about the search. You should probably get back to the office
before the Admiral sends out a search party for you."
 
Mac felt a flare of resentment flood through her at the thought
of Harm going to meet Kayla but she forced it down. The woman's niece was
missing, most likely kidnapped, she had a right to be involved in any search,
more so than Mac did.
 
"Do you want me to pick up Kaiden from nursery?" she offered. "I
can keep him the night if you want."
 
"No, it's okay, Harriet will keep Kaid for the evening and I kind
of want him at home at night, I need to see him."
 
"I understand."
 
They both walked to where Harm's SUV was parked, and Mac was about
to step into the front passenger seat when Harm called to her. She met
his gaze over the top of the car, their eyes meeting- his dulled blue and
her concerned brown.
 
"I really appreciate all you've done," he said, a small smile tugging
at his lips despite all his anguish. "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't
here."
 
She allowed a smile to grace her face. "You're my partner and my
friend, I'll always be here for you, Harm, no matter what." Those words
weren't just a platitude but a vow, and Marines never broke their promises.
 
                           *********************************************
Harm's Residence
Washington DC
2145 EST, October 7th
After finally settling Kaiden down to bed, Harm collapsed on the
sofa. His son may only have been four years old, nevertheless, he was astute
enough to sense his sister was not just away to summer camp or anything
so mundane. And in response to the apprehension of the adults, Kaiden was
clinging to Harm more than usual, afraid to let his father out of his sight.
He ached for the little boy, too young to understand what was happening
but old enough to feel Kally's gaping absence.
 
He glanced at the clock; almost ten o'clock, his daughter had been
missing for more than twenty-four hours now. Harm wasn't completely obtuse
to the rules of civilian law enforcement, he knew what thoughts would now
be concluded by the police. The first twenty-four hours were the most important,
if the missing person, a child or an adult, had not been recovered in these
golden hours, then the abductee's prospects would become bleaker with each
hour that passed after.
 
No, not his kid, dammit! He wouldn't leave any stone unturned, would
hunt down this sick psycho his entire life if that was what it took but
he *would* bring Kally home. That much was certain.
 
Still, it was hard to hold onto his optimism in the midst of Kayla's
negativity. Of course, she never once came out and spoke of her fears for
Kally's fate but Kayla was like an open book to those who knew her, and
now her waning hopes were giving way too what she saw as the inevitable.
However, Harm didn't blame her for losing faith, Kayla was an FBI agent
who, like him, found it hard to switch off her training. She had read the
files, worked the cases and was all too aware of those conventional statistics
about the poor recovery rate of missing children, and it was her instinct
as a FBI agent to believe them.
 
A stark comparison to Mac, who managed to bolster his spirits with
her adamant confidence in the belief that Kally would be found alive and
well. She had never been very encouraging when it came to his father but
she understood this was different and Harm would be forever grateful to
the support she had shown to both him and his son.
 
It was at times like this that Harm would briefly wonder if anything
could bloom between him and Mac. It was probably a ridiculous suggestion
but, for all their differences in attitudes and backgrounds, at the core
they were more alike than unlike. In fact, the friendship he shared with
Mac was without a doubt as staunch and steadfast as what he had once shared
with Alex. Hell, she had even managed to break through Kally's inner wall
and form a close 'auntie-niece' relationship with the girl.
 
Nonetheless, it was moot point considering such a thought. Harm
was a single father to two sweet but troubled children, Mac didn't deserve
to be weighed down by his baggage. Even then, she had never shown any interest
in him other than seeking a platonic friendship.
 
Now was not the time to be worrying over Kayla and Mac though, not
with Kally out there lost in the cold, harsh world. Just as he retrieved
his mobile phone from the coffee table with the intention of calling the
police for an up-date, there was a soft knock at the door.
 
Harm instantly jumped up and dashed to the door, swinging it open
with the hopes of finding his daughter standing there contrite after an
failed runaway attempt. Instead, his hopes shattered into a mix of dejection
and puzzlement at seeing a timid woman uncertainly shifting from foot-to-foot
before him.
 
Before he had to chance to speak, she whispered, "Is it your daughter
that's been taken?"
 
His brow furrowing deeply in suspicion, Harm nodded curtly. "Why
do you ask?"
 
"My name is Isabel Farmley, I think we need to talk." Evidently
sensing his dubious mistrust, Isabel persevered, "It's important, I have
some information which I think may help you find your daughter."
 
Reluctant to allow this strange woman into the home where his other
child was sleeping, Harm grudgingly opened the door further for Isabel
to enter. In the few moments of awkward silence, Harm took the opportunity
to study the woman. She couldn't have been much older than him but her
eyes were weary and her dark hair turning ash, whatever upheaval troubling
her draining her youth. Something he could empathise with.
 
"You said you had information about Kally," Harm prompted after
a minute.
 
"Yes, yes...Your wife, Ms Cameron, was my attorney during the custody
battle for my two sons." Harm didn't bother correctly her mistake over
Alex being his wife, instead nodding her on. "It was a messy divorce, I
had to fight my ex-husband Simon for it after months of living with his
violent moods and when I finally got it, he was determined I would never
get the kids. But you have to understand, Simon wasn't always bad."
 
Yeah, sure, Harm had met many a batter woman like Isabel, oppressed
yet determined to justify their pitiful husbands. Any other day and he
would have been the first to help Isabel see sense, point her in the way
of counselling for herself and her poor kids, but today all he was concerned
about was Kally.
 
"Simon was always a great father- always right in there playing
and messing around with the kids. He was like the perfect father, so much
better than a lot of men out there. And as much as he loved the boys, he
worshipped our eight-year-old daughter Divia. She was his little princess,
our youngest and our only daughter."
 
Harm was getting impatient, eager to hear about the link between
Simon Farmley and his child- a link that was obviously connected to Divia
Farmley as well.
 
"Three years ago, when we were driving back from a shopping trip
in a blizzard, the car slid and hit a tree. The boys, myself and Simon
were lucky to escape with only bumps and scrapes...Divia had been trying
to reach her book that had fallen to the floor when we skidded, she had
taken her seatbelt off...She had no chance, she went right through the
windscreen."
 
"I...I'm sorry, it must have been terrible for you," Harm murmured,
not really knowing how to comfort this woman. It was only in recent weeks
that he himself was learning the joy of parenthood and he couldn't contemplate
losing neither Kally nor Kaiden. "But what does this have to do with my
daughter?" he asked, after giving Isabel a chance to compose herself.
 
"I'm sorry, it's been a while since I've talked to anyone about
this...Simon changed after Divia, he drank, gambled and eventually his
business went under. It was hard for me but Divia was his favourite, the
boys and I always knew that. I put up with him, hoping he'd get better,
until one day he hit me. He also become heavier handed with the boys so
I finally filed for divorce. Simon was mad, he was determined he would
get the boys just to spite me and when I hired Ms Cameron to represent
me in the custody hearing for my boys, his hatred for me spread to your
wife."
 
"Did he ever threaten Alex?"
 
"Yes, on more than one occasion. She said he used to leave filthy
messages on her answer phone and send her threatening email. It was typical
of him, he behaved no better with me when I stopped him seeing our sons."
 
"But she never went to the police," Harm concluded, exasperated.
He had come to expect such behaviour from Alex; when it came to the category
of obstinacy he had wondered who was more so- Alex or Mac?
 
"No, she wanted to use family mediation and counselling as the route
to resolving things. I guess, she felt sorry for Simon, she'd seen him
with the boys and how much he did love them. That's why I liked her so
much, she always cared for us even when she could have made more pushing
the matter through court."
 
"That was Alex for you...You think he killed her, don't you." It
wasn't really a question, he knew where this was going and he cursed his
former love. Alex was always one to do things her own way paying no heed
to the possible consequences. And look where it took her now; she was dead
and her children motherless.
 
"I...I think it's very possible. Simon doesn't think straight any
more."
 
"Did he take Kally?" Harm demanded, inhaling deeply in a vain attempt
for calm.
 
"He phoned me yesterday to tell me he had found Divia," the woman
sighed. "That Ms Cameron had stolen her and he had her back."
 
It took every measure of self-restraint to keep from hyperventilating
and resist the urge to shake Isabel until she spilled everything in full.
Some psycho had his kid, and God only knew what he would to do her if Harm
didn't find them soon.
 
"So he thinks Kally is Divia? Where the hell did he get that idea?"
 
Isabel reached into her handbag and took out a small framed photograph,
passing it to Harm. He frowned at what he saw- the girl in the picture
was aged around eight or ten years old and while her hair was cornsilk
blond compared to his daughter's darker sandy locks and her eyes were a
lighter shade of blue, the girl bore a passing resemblance to Kally. The
girls could easily have passed for sisters and, considering the mind of
a sociopathic man, it didn't take much to come to the conclusion of what
Simon Farmley made of the similarities.
 
"Your daughter was a beautiful girl..." Harm gave the photo back
and pined Isabel with a gaze which might have left any cadet quivering
in fear. "Where could he have taken her? I need to know."
 
Isabel handed a card to Harm. "Here are the addresses of Simon's
warehouses, when I threw him out I think he stayed up at one of them. He
might have taken the girl there. I should have gone to the police, but
he was my husband and I still love him, he's my sons' father."
 
"Thank you, I know coming here must have been hard for you."
 
Showing Isabel out, Harm took a moment to recollect himself. He
considered phoning the police or at least Kayla with this new information
but Alex's influence was rubbing off on him and he felt this was something
he had to check out for himself. There would be plenty of time for the
police later, the last thing Kally needed was a bunch of gung-ho, trigger-happy
cops bursting into a situation they knew nothing about.
 
Moving to his desk, he reached into the bottom drawer and pulled
out a metal box unlocking it to reveal his service issued firearm. Harm
gently pulled it out, feeling its weight in his hands. It had been some
time since he had last had cause to use it but it had never let him down
before.
 
Holstering the weapon, he took the time to scribble a note before
stalking into his bedroom to retrieve his son. He loathed waking the boy
but Harm couldn't leave him without first talking to Kaiden first, explaining
what he planned to do. While Harm, in most circumstances, attempted to
put his faith in always hoping for the best, if the worst *was*
to occur the he could at least be secure in the knowledge Kaiden would
know his father would gladly lay his life on the line for the sake his
children.
 
                           *********************************************
Mac's Residence
Washington DC
2305 EST, October 7th
Mac lay sprawled on her bed, a book in hand giving the pretence
of reading. But she found her mind too tightly wound up to concentrate
on an activity as reading no matter how enjoyable the novel was. She kept
drifting back to the whole situation with Kally, and the fraught relations
between herself and Harm.
 
She had to admit a part of her burned at the thought of Kayla being
the one to comfort Harm. Maybe she was being juvenile but, as she watched
Harm acquired much depth and sensitivity as he juggled his new role of
being a father, she wasn't expecting her emotions towards him change into
something more than simple friendship. She had always been attracted to
Harm, there was no denying that, however in the past she knew he was not
ready for a serious relationship what with the search for his father and
his almost obsessive dedication to his work.
 
It was always said that fatherhood would change a man and this philosophy
could certainly be applied to Harm. He was more considerate and willing
to let go of the obsessions which had driven him before in order to care
for the children. And as he adapted to parenthood, the love Mac felt towards
her best friend developed into something much more. She hoped Harm would
reciprocate with a confession of love so to see him grow closer to Kayla
was heart wrenching.
 
Nevertheless, Kally's disappearance had forced Mac to see how petty
she had been the past few days with Harm. All her animosity towards him
and Kayla seemed so inconsequential when compared to a little girl's life
and it was Mac's responsibility as a friend to support Harm in his time
of need regardless of her childish burst of jealousy. And maybe it was
time for her to come to terms with the possibility that she and Harm were
never meant to be more than friends, that some things just weren't meant
to be.
 
Forcing herself to turn her attentions away from depressing thoughts,
she was surprised to hear the doorbell ring at such a late hour. Moving
from her bedroom to the front door, she opened it to the last person she
thought it would be. Harm smiled back at her sheepishly, and he was not
alone. In his arms was a sleeping Kaiden, who was dressed in 'Pokemon'
pyjamas and clutching a stuffed Pikachu (at every opportunity Kaiden had
educated her into the names of each of the cartoon characters; she was
fast becoming an expert on 'Pokemon').
 
"Harm? What are you doing here?" she asked. Not wanting to appear
rude, she stepped back from the door. "Eh, come in." Closing the door after
Harm, she reach to ruffle Kaiden's soft dark hair. "Want me to put him
down in the bedroom?"
 
"Yeah, okay, he'll probably be sleep easier there, God knows he
needs it."
 
Taking the boy from Harm and shifting him into a better position
in her arms, she smiled when Kaiden stirred briefly then wrapped his tiny
arms around her neck with a soft murmur. It was as he nuzzled his face
into her neck that Mac noticed tear streaks staining the toddler's rosy
cheeks. "Has he been crying?"
 
Harm shrugged, if she didn't know any better he seemed uncomfortable
at the question. "We had some tears earlier."
 
Sensing that Kaiden's crying was not the result of a typical four-year-old
tantrum and there was more to the story than Harm was admitting, Mac regarded
her partner frankly. "So, what *are* you doing here?"
 
He followed her into the bedroom and drew back the quilt on the
bed so she could lay Kaiden down. Carefully placing the child onto his
stomach, Mac patted Kaiden's back affectionately before tucking the quilt
securely over his tiny form. She took a moment to gaze at the sleeping
boy, a rush of love welling up within her and a yearning which cried she
was more than ready to have children in her life. Straightening, Mac caught
the small smile of mellow amusement brightening Harm's face.
 
"What?" she asked, defensively.
 
"Nothing, just thinking..." He sobered. "Look, Mac, I know this
is a huge favour to ask, especially at this time of night, but I was wondering
if you could look after Kaiden for a few hours. I would have asked Harriet
but I don't want to disturb what little sleep she gets what with the new
baby."
 
"Of course, I'll baby-sit for you, Harm." She frowned politely. "Can
I ask where you're going?"
 
"Kayla wants to show me something and FBI labs are not the place
to drag an exhausted child around. Kaiden's got enough to deal with."
 
There was something in his tone which immediately aroused every
suspicious bone in Mac's body. Despite his deep sense of honour and being
a passionate pursuer of the justice, Harm could be an accomplished liar
when need be; he was a lawyer after all. However, two years of friendship
had allowed Mac to be one of the few who managed to become close enough
to know the real Harm and all his mannerisms.
 
And this was one of the times where she could feel Harm was not
being one hundred percent honest with her.
 
"Harm, is there something you want to tell me?"
 
Harm seemed as if he wanted to say more but he imperceptibly shook
his head. "Just...just I need for you to keep an eye on Kaiden. You know,
you're one of the few I would trust with him." He sighed wearily, reaching
over to smooth his son's hair. "God, I wonder what Alex would say to all
this? She must be looking down and damning me for losing one of her babies.
Raine may be an ass but at least he always knew where Kally was...I'm a
terrible father, these kids deserve so much better."
 
"I think the problem is Kally is too much like you sometimes, she's
got a too keen sense of responsibility. It's hard enough for an adult but
for a ten-year-old, it was only a matter of time before she cracked under
the pressure." Mac moved around the bed to stand by Harm's side, gently
putting a hand on his forearm. "Don't ever doubt yourself, Harm, you're
a *great* father, the kids adore you and I know you would do anything
for them. Alex must have known you had the strength to be a father otherwise
she never would have left her children in your care."
 
Harm smiled weakly at her. "Thank you," he whispered.
 
She didn't know what possessed her, it felt as if she almost had
lost control of voice, but Mac could hear the words coming from her before
she could force herself to purse her lips closed. "Harm...could
have you gone back to Alex? Given what you know now with Kaiden, I mean."
 
His eyes widened in surprise at the sudden askance and Mac instantly
opened her mouth to retract the question, cursing herself for being so
thoughtless. The last thing on Harm's mind was romance and it was insensitive
of her to bring up such a painful subject at an inappropriate time. Nonetheless,
she kept quiet when Harm frowned in contemplation, silently praying he
would give the answer she so hoped for.
 
"No..." he said finally, completely unaware of the mix of relief
and uncertainty whirling through Mac's all-too-active mind. "I did love
her and part of me always *will* love her, she's my son's mother
and my first true love but I think too much time has past. The knowledge
that she had so little trust in me that she thought I wouldn't want Kaiden
is something I can never really forget. I lost the four most important
years of his life and Alex can never give me them back."
 
Mac couldn't help herself. "And Kayla?"
 
This time she was the one who was surprised when Harm responded
with a laugh. "Kayla and I? I like her, she's been great helping me with
the kids but I'm not sure anything between us could work, not for very
long anyway...We're just too much alike, it's not good in a relationship
to be too compatible, takes away the fun of things." He eyed her carefully.
"Can I ask what brought this on?"
 
"Yes, but then I'll have to ask what you're really up to."
 
Harm nodded, a faint smile gracing his features. "You drive a hard
bargain, Marine." Harm knelt down to brush the hair from Kaiden's eyes
and softly kissed him. Mac watched mesmerised at the father and son, the
scene so touching. Abruptly, Harm stood up to face her. "You'll take care
of my boy?"
 
"With my life."
 
"Well, I'd better go."
 
As she showed him to the door, Mac called to him. "Harm?"
 
He turned. "Yes?"
 
"You take care, you'd hate to have a Jarhead come rescue you."
 
He grinned. "I'll be fine, you know me." He waved her off and carried
back down the stairs.
 
"Yeah, that's exactly why I'm worried," she muttered, at his retreat.
 
Stepping back into her apartment, Mac locked and chained the door
after his departure then retrieved her service weapon from her bureau to
tuck in the waistband of her trousers. She was always an adamant believer
in preparing for emergencies and making provisions for the worst case scenario;
such thinking had served her well throughout her life.
 
And, with Kaiden entrusted in her care, it was better to be safe
than sorry. Not to mention, Mac was more than aware Harm was off on some
little personal assignment, which when she found out where exactly he (and
Kayla?) had gone, would probably leave her questioning his intelligence.
She only hoped his 'quest' wasn't too suicidal or dangerous otherwise Harm
was going to face the full wrath of a pissed-off Marine, and the result
would not be pretty!
 
                           *********************************************
En Route To Farmley Productions
0015 EST, October 8th
Driving his SUV at speeds which could easily have put Michael Schumacher
to shame, Harm was just pleased the roads were clear at this time of night
since he doubted he had the strength of mind at the moment to avoid other
cars. His only goal was to find that damned warehouse and bring his daughter
home where she belonged.
 
Now that he had taken the time to think, Harm suspected Farmley
had been following his family around for days, if not weeks. There was
the prank phone calls, the fright Harriet received some weeks ago when
she was at the park with the kids, the fact that Farmley coincidentally
managed to be around to kidnap Kally at the exact moment the girl was unsupervised.

This did not bode well; it did not take a genius or even an exceptional
psychologist to conclude on the mental state of Simon Farmley.
 
Harm was anxious over what this all meant for Kally. God only knew
what an obvious psychopath would do to a scared child. And then there was
Alex to consider...His blood boiled as he tried to come to terms with the
thought of his former love being murdered for no reason other than a madman's
fantasies. Harm had always seen himself a relatively peaceful person who
wasn't much of a follower in the whole 'an eye for an eye' ideology yet
he would gladly tear Farmley limb-by-limb to pieces if he had the chance.
 
Alex didn't deserve to die in vain, it wasn't fair nor was it a
fitting death for a woman who so dearly loved her children and had strove
to up hold her principles. Harm's only consolation was, if it was the last
thing he would do, he would see to it that Simon Farmley would be locked
up never to see the light of day again. No other family would ever again
suffer at his hands, Farmley's own family included.
 
Until then he could only hope and pray he would reach Kally before
she too came to the realisation of her abductor being responsible for her
mother's death. Harm could only imagine what he would have done had he
come face-to-face with those who had murdered his father, and the rage
he envisioned himself to have felt had to be multiplied ten-fold when it
came to his precocious daughter under similar circumstances.
 
Harm pressed his foot harder onto the accelerator, a deeper desperation
urging him to hasten his movements and retrieve Kally as soon as possible.
It was difficult enough to anticipate what a psychopath such as Farmley
would do to a scared child, but it was incomprehensible to know what a
psychopath would do with a unco-operative, apoplectic child...
 
                           *********************************************
Mac's Residence
Washington DC
0020 EST, October 8th
She had fallen into a light doze when a persistent banging startled
Mac awake. She glanced bleary around her bedroom, her internal clock reminding
her of the late hour. Beside her, Kaiden lay sprawled and she carefully
re-adjusted the quilt back over him. Mac had attempted to wait for Harm
to return but exhaustion had caught up with her and she wasn't surprised
she had collapsed into slumber whilst standing guard over her little charge.
 
Just as she was allowing herself to drift back to sleep, the banging resumed and, now alert, she realised it's source was someone knocking on her front door. Kaiden whimpered softly at the disturbance but rubbing his back reassuringly hushed him back to sleep. Once certain her little charge was calmed, Mac sat up from the bed and made her way from her bedroom to the front door, hoping her late-night visitor was Harm returning and perhaps with Kally in tow.
 
Instead, there stood the last person in the world Mac expected to
see on her doorstep...none other than Kayla Cameron.
 
"Eh, hi," was the only response Mac could frame. It sounded a great
more polite than the 'what the hell are you doing here?' she was thinking.
After adjusting to the shock of seeing Kayla, Mac reasserted the ability
to think rationally and, not wanting to seem rude, she invited the other
woman inside.
 
Truth be told, while Kayla had always been courteous to her and
obviously doted on her little niece and nephew, Mac could not adhere herself
to the FBI agent.  It wasn't hate or anything so profound, she just
wasn't too fond of Kayla. Under different circumstances, the two women
could probably have been good friends, however neither had really made
any attempt of friendly salutation. Kayla's concerns lay with keeping her
family together whilst one of Mac's greatest fears of losing Harm was becoming
a very real possibility.
 
Determined to stop acting like an resentful schoolgirl and behave
more accommodating to the children's aunt, Mac smiled wearily at Kayla.
"Have you just got off work?"
 
"Yeah, work never ends," said the other woman, "you know how it
is."

"Only too well." She sighed. "I take it you and Harm never had much
luck."
 
Kayla frowned. "What do you mean? I came here hoping to find Harm
and the Scamp since they weren't home."
 
All her fortitude for new friendships and an improved easy-going
attitude drained away at Kayla's puzzled statement. Visions of Harm's previous
unease pervaded her mind as realisation hit her; he had taken off on another
one of his quests and as per usual he didn't have the sense to take back-up.
Mac would have liked to believe Harm wouldn't be so crazy and dense to
do something so fool-hardy now he had responsibilities to both his children
but she knew him only too well.
 
Had he not considered what would happen if he was hurt, or even
worse, killed? It was hard enough for Kaiden to cope with his sister's
disappearance but to be orphaned in the space of a few weeks would leave
the child devastated. What made matters worse was the fact Harm knew damn
well what he was doing otherwise he wouldn't have skipped off quietly behind
both her and Kayla's backs'. Mac calmed her temper with images of wringing
Harm's neck once she figured where he was and how to bail him out.
 
Judging by Kayla's equally incensed features, Mac had more than
a distinct feeling she had come to the same conclusions and the FBI agent
did not look in the least bit amused. A certain Naval commander was going
to have his ass kicked all the way to the moon and back.
 
Before the two women could compare their suspicions, little feet
could be heard padding around in the bedroom then Kaiden, holding a tight
grip on his stuffed toy, came bounding into the living room throwing himself
straight into his aunt's outstretched arms. For the dead of night, the four-year-old
certainly was ever-energetic and had the circumstances not been so dour
Mac would have spared a moment to just enjoy his innocence.
 
"It's quite late for you to be up, Scamp," Kayla said, lifting the
child into her arms.
 
"I'm a big boy, I don't need much sleep like babies," Kaiden replied,
matter-of-factly. He glanced at the two women then frowned. "Is Daddy gone
yet?"
 
Mac and Kayla exchanged knowing looks. "Do you know where has your
Daddy's gone, Kaiden?" Mac asked, gently so as not to alarm the toddler.
 
"Mm-hmm, Daddy's gone to get Kally and bring her home."
 
"He told you that?" Kayla said, smouldering anger tainting her voice.
 
"Yeah, he said to give you the letter when he was gone."
 
"What letter?"
 
Kaiden pulled his Pikachu toy closer and in the pouch located in
the stuffed animal's back was a scrunched up paper, which he handed to
Mac. "Here you go, it's from Daddy."
 
Mac skimmed through the letter, obviously scrawled in hastily in barely legible writing so unlike Harm's typical orderly style of handwriting. Just as she and Kayla had suspected; it explained that he had a tip-off relating to the identity of Kally's possible abductor and also he had the nerve to leave instructions for Kaiden's upbringing should events take a turn for the worse. Evidently, Harm hadn't considered the emotional repercussions for the boy if he were to lose his father too. Still, at the very least, Harm had enough sense to leave a contact that they could track down for an address as to where Kally might be held.
 
Seething, Mac passed the paper to Kayla. "Sometimes I wonder if
Harm's intelligence has occasional drops to the single digits."
 
"I just can't believe he would be so stupid as to go alone," said
Kayla, incredulously.
 
"I'll kill him this time," Mac stated, calmly. "I've warned him
before not to go off on his own and it's time I give him a more forceful reminder."
 
"You'll have to wait in line, it's been a while since my sidearm
has seen any action."
 
"You're going to kill Daddy?" Kaiden exclaimed, slightly startled
at the proclamation.
 
"No, no, Scamp," Kayla quickly assured her nephew, "Mac and Auntie
Kayla would never kill your daddy." She dropped her voice so it was only
audible to Mac. "I've always felt death is too merciful anyway." In a normal
pitch, she continued, "I'll get someone to take care of Kaiden then I think
it's time to find this Farmley woman and her psycho husband then retrieve
our boy. Let me tell you one thing, when I do, things are going to be...shall
we say, uncomfortable for him."
 
Mac was ready to whole-heartedly agree when Kaiden's lower lip quivered
slightly. "You're going away?" he asked, in a tiny voice so unusual from
the confident little boy they knew.
 
The kid was scared. Of course, why shouldn't he be? He was a motherless
four-year-old whose sister was missing and his father away on some personal
testosterone-induced quest. And so, as much as she wanted to be involved
in the search for both her wayward partner and Kally, Kaiden needed her
also and Mac had to put him first before her own needs and desires. Today,
she had learnt one of the first lessons in parenthood.
 
"You go ahead," Mac said to Kayla. "Kaiden and I will guard to fort
here."
 
The other woman regarded Mac dubiously for a moment before a smile
crept across her lips, a gesture which suggested that they were on their
way to finding common ground in friendship after all. Kayla transferred
her nephew into Mac's arms not before giving Kaiden a soft kiss.
 
"You be a good boy for Mac."
 
"I will, Auntie Kayla," the child promised, earnestly.
 
"I know you will, Kaid. And," This time her words were for Mac.
"I'll call as soon as I hear anything."
 
"Try to bring them both back safe," Mac said.
 
Kayla nodded curtly. Sparing one last smile for her young nephew,
she was gone leaving Mac alone with one now wakeful but confused toddler.
She was just grateful Kaiden seemed reasonably comfortable under her care;
there were no tears or temper tantrums at being left alone with someone
other than his father or aunt.
 
"Are Daddy and Kally coming back?" Kaiden asked, watching Mac with
his guileless but attentive eyes. She wondered if these were the enchanting
eyes Harm's mother had to look into when the young Harm no doubt asked
the same question about Rabb Senior.
 
"Yes," Mac said, firmly while internally berating her partner for
allowing his son to feel these insecurities, "yes, your Daddy and Kally
will be home soon."
 
"That's good 'cause I kinda miss them. Do you promise?"
 
Mac paused. "Yes, I promise." Kaiden smiled broadly and the Marine
felt awful for making such promises to the boy. "How about we try to get
some sleep? Then we'll be all fresh for when your Daddy returns." And all
the more capable to teach Harm the meaning of his nickname. "Isn't that
a great idea?"
 
Kaiden was not very impressed. "Hmm...I'm not very tired." The immortal
words from any four-year-old determined to avoid the dreaded bedtime.
 
His intermittent yawns belayed his declaration but Mac decided to
play along. "Okay, Scamp, how about we do something first? Watch some cartoons
or play a game?"
 
The toddler brightened at the suggestion. "Will you read to me and
Pikachu so the Monster doesn't come? A big, *long* story works best."
 
Judging from his mischievous grin, Mac highly doubted Kaiden actually
believed there were monsters lurking around. However, she pretended to
fall for his ruse. What was one story when the child was coping with the
disappearance of his family?
 
Tucking Kaiden back in her bed, Mac lay beside him, leaning on the
head post of her bed with the boy cosying against her. She opened the first
page of 'The Little Prince', the only book she possessed that was vaguely
suitable for young children, but before she could begin, Kaiden turned
up to gaze at her solemnly.
 
"You smell, y'know." Mac blinked, unsure of how to respond, when
Kaiden continued. "It's a good smell; you smelled like Mommy does. Kally
said it's 'cause you prob'ly both weared the same perf'oome but...I think
it 'cause you're both good and nice to us."
 
That was sweetest compliment Mac had ever received from a man before,
even if that 'man' was only four years old. Settling Kaiden back
down, it took only a few pages until he was once again soundly asleep and
safe from all the turmoil around him.
 
Taking in the small form she held in her arms, Mac felt a terrifyingly
intense surge of protectiveness towards her best friend's son. It was then
that she realised just the depth of the love she felt towards both Kaiden
and Kally...and she knew it would not just be Harm who would have difficulty
falling into the abyss of depression and hopelessness should anything happen
to Kally.
 
                           *********************************************
Farmley Productions
Warehouse 8
Fifteen Miles From Baltimore
0015 EST, October 8th
The first sensation Kally became aware of was the heat then, as
her senses gradually focused on her surroundings, she was puzzled by the
tranquillity of Harm's normally boisterous apartment. It was just as the
girl cracked her eyes open in groggy curiosity, everything came flooding
back to her in sharp clarity; the argument with Harm, running away, the
man asking for directions...being forced into a car similar to Logan's.
 
After that, her memories were blurred and hazy. She could vaguely
remember a strange smelling cloth being placed over her nose and mouth,
a man whispering platitudes to her. It didn't take Kally more than a brief
few seconds to realise what had happened- she'd been kidnapped and was
alone in the hands of some freak.
 
Kally might only have been ten years old however she wasn't stupid,
she knew what happened to kidnapped little girls. She had watched the late
night news and overheard Kayla discussing her cases with her mother enough
to know things were never pretty for such children. It was a sad fact but
the majority of children these days could give definitions for words like
'rape', 'paedophile' and 'molestation' and Kally was no exception. Her
mother had always warned her about evil men could do to little girls, Kally
usually tuned out the sermons thinking such things would never happen to
her.
 
Why was this happening? She'd already lost her mother, why was she
being punished further? She didn't want to die, not like this.
 
Now fully awake, the girl's heart pounded in pure, unadulterated
fear. Her eyes swam in tears of self-pity and panic, her throat choked
and terror twisting her stomach. Kally bolted up in the bed she lay in,
pushing aside the fleece blankets placed over her, only to have her attempts
to move away from the bed thwarted by a tug on her left wrist. She glanced
down to find her wrist shackled to the bedpost by a pair of handcuffs,
pulling futilely at the restriction.
 
"Okay...okay..." she breathed, attempting to calm herself.
 
Once in a more collected, if understandably jittery, state, Kally
surveyed the room, soaking in every detail. Oddly, the walls were painted
in candy pink with 'Barbie' motifs pasted here and there. A 'Barbie' duvet
cover had fallen to the floor and matching curtains hung from the moss-encrusted
window. On the surface of a cheap desk perched several 'Barbie' dolls,
already put to play Kally's trained eye noticed, and a silver-framed photo
of a smiling blond girl, who couldn't have been much younger than Kally
herself, mounted on a horse with a blond man standing by her.
 
Was it some sort of shrine? Did this psycho create all this to taunt
Kally, to show off his previous victim? Kally didn't recognise the photographed
girl from any news reports but Kayla had once said the FBI sometimes didn't
reveal information to protect victims' families. Maybe she'd been kidnapped
by some kind of serial killer.
 
It was the door, which caught her attention though. Even from the
bed, she could see the keyhole indicating she was locked in however, the
door seemed to be rotting away and the handle and lock looked to be rusting.
If she could free herself from the handcuffs, she might be able to push
the door open through sheer force. And if she could find her backpack,
the backpack, which also contained her grandmother's gun, the scales might
be tipped to her favour.
 
Completely immersed in her plans, Kally almost missed the sounds
of heavy footsteps approaching her room until shovelling could be heard
directly outside the door. Any courage she might have possessed flitted
away into nothing leaving behind the core of a frightened ten-year-old
child.
 
She slid up against the headboard, bringing her knees up to her
chest, as the door unlocked and the handle turned slowly. She inwardly
pleaded for it to be Harm or Kayla or Mac- *anybody*- coming to
tell her this was all a big mistake and she was safe yet she knew happy-endings
only occurred in fairytales and sugary Hollywood movies. Her life was anything
but a fairytale.
 
The girl blinked against the bright light, which poured into the
dim room, and she swallowed her screams of terror as the silhouette of
a tall, stocky man stood in the doorway. Kally tried in vain to choke back
her tears- she was damned if she was going to let this freak see her as
a weakling- but despite her effort, she couldn't prevent a soft whimper
escaping and a single tear from pooling over.
 
"Come now, Divia," the man murmured, in a surprisingly tender tone,
"why are you crying?"
 
It was then, as he stepped further into the room, Kally realised
this was the same man from the picture by the bedside. But why was he calling
her 'Divia' and why was he being so nice?
 
"W-who are you?" the girl asked, forcing the words past her frozen
throat.
 
"Don't you recognise me, Divia? It's Daddy."
 
If there was one certainty Kally could be sure of, it was PsychoMan
was most definitely *not* her father. Her mother might never have
always had good taste in men but she certainly would never had dated, let
alone bore a child with, someone who so obviously belonged in a room with
padded walls.
 
The question was, did she really want to shatter her kidnappers
fantasies and risk the consequences?
 
"I...I think you, uh, have the wrong kid, I know who my dad is and
you're definitely not him."
 
Suddenly, before Kally could react, PsychoMan grabbed her by the
shoulders and shook her as he spoke. "Those are lies, they want to take
you away from me, Divia. But you're mine."
 
"Lemme go," she struggled vainly against him, "you're hurting me."
 
He released her, stepping back. "You're mine," he whispered, "you're
mine. Your bitch mother tried to keep me from you but you're mine, no-one
can take you from me. No-one."
 
Kally could hear the mania in his voice, this man was not what one
could describe as stable. However, she was still suffering from the raw
grief of losing her mother and couldn't control her own impulsive anger
at hearing him dishonour her even if the child knew it wasn't really *her*
mother he was insulting.
 
"My name isn't Divia, you freak," the girl scowled, her eyes narrowed.
"And you're not my father! You're *NOT*!"
 
"No!" The man howled in rage, swiftly sweeping the trinkets of the
desk to the floor. Kally jerked back, pulling herself tighter in fear of
being struck but instead he calmed almost as quickly as his tempter ignited.
Slowly, his breathing still gruff, he bent down to pick up the photoframe
and set it back down. "*I* am your father, do you hear me?! I am
your father and no-one, not your grandparents or your devil mother, will
take you away from me."
 
He grabbed her harshly, holding in place by clutching her chin.
"Until you can learn to respect me and forget what brainwashing your mother
was trying on you, you're staying in here. Tomorrow morning I'll be taking
you up to my dad's old cabin in the mountains, your mother will never find
us there and we can be together forever."
 
He shoved her back down, stalking out the room and slamming the
door with such force Kally jumped in fright. Only when she heard to door
locking and PsychoMan retreating, did she draw her knees up to her chest
and cried for all she was worth, full gut-wrenching sobs, which shook her
whole body. She knew if the police didn't find her within the next few
hours, there was a definite chance she would never see Kaiden or Harm again...
 
                           *********************************************
Farmley Productions
Warehouse Estate
Fifteen Miles From Baltimore
0145 EST, October 8th
It had taken just under an hour to finally trace the remote warehouses
belonging to Farmley's firm and Harm found he still had the daunting task
of locating exactly which of the eighteen warehouses Kally was being held
in. In a way, that was blessing in disguise; he needed to work off his
homicidal urges and think with a cool head. If he just barged into whatever
situation Farmley's twisted mind had concocted, Kally could be put in further
danger.
 
Harm forced himself to inhale a deep, calming breath then shoved
his sidearm into his belt holster and fitted the small gun and holster
from his glove compartment around his ankle. He hadn't had the time to
requisition a kavlar jacket, not to mention it would have raised the suspicions
of Chegwidden if he had, but his own safety was secondary to him.
 
He just hoped that when Mac and Kayla did finally have their hands
on him, while they might never forgive him if he let his head be blown
off, they would understand his heart was in the right place. That, everything
including his life, was of little consequence when the life of one of his
children was at stake.
 
                           *********************************************
Farmley Productions
Warehouse 8
Fifteen Miles From Baltimore
0225 EST, October 8th
Despite her convictions, Kally fell into a light slumber as the
exhaustion of staying up so late coupled with her intense fear and anxiety
caught up with her. But somehow, even in her restless sleep, she
was disturbed by an instinctive feeling. When she roused back into wakefulness,
she jolted back in fright as she came face-to-face with her kidnapper,
watching her not five metres away.
 
PsychoMan was sitting on a small stool, his stare boring into her
and his face contemplative. Kally held her breath, uncertain how to proceed.
The ball was in his court, as much as she wanted to scream, she knew her
fate was entirely in his hands.
 
Finally, he spoke in a soft paternal voice. "I thought you might
be hungry, Divia, so I cooked up some supper. It's your favourite, Southern
Fried Chicken and fries."
 
So he was still caught up in his fantasises. Kally decided now
was not the time to let him know chicken did not rank high on her list
of enjoyable foods. No, if she wanted PsychoMan to bring down his guard
then she had to play along with his madness.
 
Instead, she slowly sat up, when hiding her distaste she glanced
at the food. "Mmm, smells great."
 
Her voice was stilted and lacked any real joy but it was enough
to mollify her kidnapper. "I spent ages trying to make it just the way
you like it," he grinned.
 
"I'm sure it'll taste good." Kally strained to sit in a comfortable
position with her hand still handcuffed to the bed. Noticing her struggles,
PsychoMan reached forward and lifted her into place, the girl hoping he
wouldn't sense her disgust at his touch.
 
"Tell you what, if you promise to be a good girl for Daddy, I'll
take these handcuffs off. Do you promise?"
 
Kally's mind was working overtime at this prospect. "Yes," she quickly
answered, holding in her eagerness, "I promise." For extra coercion, she
added, "I'm sorry I was bad earlier, it was wrong and I'm sorry."
 
Upon hearing those words, PsychoMan smiled like a proud father.
"I knew you would get better, I knew it!" He lunged forward to bestow the
girl with a tight hug, his actions so swift she had no time to recoil.
"Oh, Div, no-one could come between us," he prattled as he fished for the
key in his pockets then proceeded to unlock the cuffs from Kally's thin
wrist. "Not even that damned nosy lawyer woman. I know she was in it,
she was working with your mother to keep you from me. But I saw to her,
I did. Soon we'll get your brothers back and we'll be a family again. Yes,
we will."
 
"What lawyer woman?" Kally asked slowly, already anticipating the
answer.
 
"That bitch who worked with your mother in the divorce, the one
who made them take the boys from me. She pretended you were dead but I
knew she was just keeping you for herself, your mother was in on it all.
But I took care of that lawyer, she won't be coming between us ever again,
not from where she is."
 
As he continued to chatter his repetitive nonsense, the full ramifications
of his former statement hit home. The man...the psycho was the same person
who had killed her mother, who had entered their house and shot her beloved
mom in cold blood all for some warped fantasy concocted by his deluded
mind.
 
For the first time in her young life, Kally recognised the true meaning
of hate. A deep-seated, soul-enveloping hatred. She wanted to hurt this
man, make him suffer every pain and torture possible. She wanted to grab
him and bash his head until his skull was little more than a shattered
goo of bone and blood.
 
But instead, she remained motionless, numbed. Kally was no position
to escape let alone hurt this man like he had hurt Kaiden and herself.
She could only allow her intentions of revenge and retribution fester in
her mind, her vivid imagination more than providing her with scenarios
of how to bring PsychoMan to his knees.
 
Oblivious to the viciously murderous thoughts of his victim, PsychoMan
ranted on completely unaware that every insult and slur he hurled at Alexia
Cameron's memory was fuelling the brutal rage of her daughter. How
she wanted to kill him.
 
Kally was picking at her dinner, her eyes dark and contemplative,
and her captor was talking about reclaiming her 'brothers' when a piercing
wail filled the air. The girl frowned as PsychoMan started up to his feet,
his eyes darting around and instantly turning from loveable father to unstable
maniac in the space of a few seconds.
 
"W-what is it?" Kally whispered, uncertain if she wanted to voice
such a query when he was obviously descended into an unfit state of mind.
 
"The intruder alarm," was the curt response, "someone's come to try
and steal you." He reached down, his hand digging into her shoulder tight
and painfully. "But I won't let them, you hear, I'll kill any*body*
that comes between you and me."
 
Kally said nothing. Inwardly, she wondered if the police SWAT team
were the ones who had tripped the alarm, or perhaps her Aunt Kayla. She
couldn't just sit here while this lunatic hurt a police officer or, worse,
killed Kayla. She wasn't going to let him come near her family again, even
if she had to strike him dead herself.
 
PsychoMan reached to replace the handcuffs but Kally quickly hid
her hands, "Please don't, those things hurt." She put on her most innocent,
sweet little girl voice and pleaded, "I won't do anything...I promise,
Daddy." It sickened her to associate the word 'Daddy with this *thing*
but it had the expected effect.
 
"Oh, you really do love me, don't you?" he smiled, all anger gone
from his voice. He seemed thoughtful. "Okay, I trust you, Divia, and I
won't tie you up. Don't let Daddy down."
 
Kally nodded with a tight smile. "I won't."
 
"Now stay here, Daddy's going hunting." He grinned fiendishly, pulling
a gun from his belt.
 
The girl managed to keep a watery smile pasted on until he marched
off, when the smile fell into disappointment as she heard the door lock
behind him. Damn, she'd hoped he would have had more trust in her. Kally
wasn't going to be so easily disheartened. She quickly leaped from the
bed to the window.
 
Although the glass was of a cheap, low-grade quality, her plans
to smash the window and climb or jump out were dashed when she saw her
room was located on at least the second or third floor, and she wasn't
so desperate to risk breaking her neck quite yet. Just as Kally moved to
the door, a car parked in the distance caught her eye. It was a good few
hundred metres away yet the shape was unequivocal- the vehicle was most
certainly a dark-coloured SUV.
 
Kally gasped, her brow so furrowed that it hurt. There had to be
millions of SUVs in the area, surely it wasn't...No, it was completely
absurd to think Harm would come after her, he didn't even have a clue who
would take her. She assumed the police would have instantly moved in on
Logan when Harm reported her disappearance, especially since he had tried
to kidnap her once before.
 
But she remembered Harm *was* a lawyer and a great one at
that. And then there was that abused kid Mac had told her about during
one of their sleep-overs when she had pestered her for stories. If her
adoptive father was willing to risk his life for the sake of a kid who
wasn't even his, she could only imagine what extents he would go to in
order to protect her and Kaiden.
 
However, the question was, if he was alone or had the back-up of
the police and FBI. Mac had mentioned, in aggravated disapproval, all the
times Harm took matters into his own hands. Only this time, Kally worried
if he would under-estimate his enemy, would think just because he was a
civilian that he wasn't too dangerous. That he wouldn't take PsychoMan's
unbalanced but determined mind into consideration.
 
If so, would he pay for such a mistake with his life leaving her
brother an orphan?
 
"No," Kally murmured.
 
It was difficult to stay afloat, to not let the abyss suck her in,
after her mother's death. Kally knew she wouldn't be able to cope if she
lost Harm, the only man to ever shower her with the love and security of
a father. And he was her father, maybe not by the simplicity of DNA and
genetics, but in her heart Harm was more her father than Logan could ever
be.
 
With this in mind and her resolution renewed, Kally darted over
to the door and set to work. She would kill PsychoMan for taking her mother
and threatening her father, if it was the last thing she did, she would
be the one to confine his miserable hide to the depths of hell where he
belonged.
 
                           *********************************************
Creeping into the eighth of the fourteen warehouses, Harm immediately felt the hairs on back of his neck prickle and his well honed instincts putting him on alert. While all the previous seven warehouses were freezing, this was the only one that was heated. He cursed the fact that he wasn't wearing a Kavlar vest or armed with a more powerful weapon but one couldn't exactly check out an MK-47 from the Naval armoury without good reason.
 
Slipping back to his training still fresh even after years of working behind a desk, Harm surveyed the large ground floor of warehouse. There were hundreds of neatly lined rows of merchandise, now all musty with months of neglect. Furthermore, it was hardly the place to hide a kidnapped child.
 
Spotting a small corner office in the back, Harm stealthily made his way through the rows of boxes, never once lowering his guard. The office was locked but a had shove against the cheap, rotting wood sent door swinging open, the locking device snapping from the doorway. Somehow, he was not surprised to find the room lit.
 
The state office itself made the shameful tip the kids had made with his bedroom look like Buckingham palace. Papers were piled on the desk and floor, files were sticking from the filing cabinet and there, amongst the sea of papers on the desk, was a cup of coffee. Harm moved forward, feeling the cup.
 
It was still warm.
 
And it was there, lying on the chair, was what caught his eye. A small sports rucksack, so very familiar given he had packed Kally off to school with one just like it the very day she disappeared. Harm manoeuvred around the desk to the chair, picking the bag up meticulously so as not to ruin any potential forensic evidence.
 
Sure enough, on the rucksack's identification tag, in Alex's precise print, were the words 'Kallinda Cameron, Cordell Elementary School'. He hadn't thought to update it yet. But all he was concerned about was the fact Kally was here or had been here.
 
Suddenly, the office and the entire ground floor was plunged into pitch darkness. Harm lurched into renewed vigilance, lifting his sidearm up, pointing it into the black shadows before him. It was a futile defensive tactic though, he couldn't see a foot ahead of him let alone track a perpetrator. He was, for all intents and purposes, a sitting duck.
 
Just as Harm considered a strategic retreat, a heavy force rammed into him at such a speed and impact both tumbled to the floor. His sidearm now lost in the scuffle, Harm reoriented himself in the dark when he realized his enemy's advantage; the flash of luminous red light much like the drug runners at the Texas air base four years previously. Farmley had infrared goggles.
 
"You're not getting her," Farmley screamed, hysterically, "she's *mine*!"
 
"You son of a bitch, you better not have hurt her."
 
Harm struggled against Farmley, striving to pull the goggles from him, but the nutcase had the upper hand from the start. Then the blast of a gun echoed through the warehouse, loud and hollow.
 
At first he wasn't aware he had been hit until a gnawing, gut-wrenching pain exploded in his left shoulder and he felt a numbness instantly travelling down his left arm to his fingers. For what seemed like an eternity, Harm's breathing sounded thunderous to his own ears and a lull seemed to calm his surroundings. He had never been shot before. It was surreal, like he was floating...
 
The violent brutality of Farmley soon brought him back to reality as the other man shook him harshly, Harm's teeth rattling in the process and his injured shoulder agonizingly painful as shards of fire ripped through it. He was shocked at how weak he had been rendered in a short pace of time. And as much as he desperately wished to give in to the enclosing darkness of unconsciousness, he knew if he let go now then he wouldn't wake up again.
 
Kally needed him...He wouldn't let her down even if Farmley pumped him full of lead.
 
Harm managed to sneak his right hand up and gouged his fingers into Farmley's throat with all his energy. Then he felt a cold, hard metallic object shoved under his chin, stilling his movements. His hand fell to his side. Farmley cocked the gun.
 
"No-one's going to take my daughter from me," Farmley whispered resolutely to Harm.
 
There was nothing he could do; he just prepared himself for what was surely coming. He was in God's hands now and readying himself for whatever path death would take him.
 
Without warning, the lights abruptly flashed to life causing Harm to wince as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. Farmley shrieked, hurling the goggles from his face, blinded as the infra-red vision frying his eyeballs. Seeing his captor distracted, Harm struggled to muster enough energy to move, escape, anything.
 
A shadow stepped into his line of vision, standing above he and Farmley. With an feral growl of rage, the shadow heaved something down hard against Farmley. All Harm heard was a sickening thud as the sociopath fell to his side, clutching his head with a muffled groan, and the clatter of the gun when it fell from Farmley's grasp. As his sight cleared and adapted to the unexpected light, he was surprised to find Kally standing over him, a two-by-four plank dangling in her hand.
 
She might have been in better health than he, nevertheless, his first concern was for her safety.
 
Despite his pain, Harm managed to find the strength within himself to utter, "Run, Kally, run!"
 
Only Kally made no move to escape. She stepped back a few paces until she now stood over the fallen revolver. Swiftly, the girl reached down for the gun lying by her feet. As Farmley rolled on the floor, still reeling from the force of the assault, his eyes widened in shock when, with careful precision, Kally lifted the gun and aimed it directly at Farmley. There was confusion in her eyes, as if she wasn't in full control of her body, but her actions were rigid and determined and her features were devoid of emotion. To Harm, it seemed so unnatural seeing a deadly weapon in such small, innocent hands.
 
"D-divia...? What are you doing?" Farmley stuttered, as if truly stunned that the child would pull a weapon against him.
 
Harm ignored Farmley, focusing all his attention on Kally and everything else melding into the background. "Kally," he said softly, trying not to frighten the girl further, "give the gun to me."
 
Revenge seemed such a sweet option, especially to a grief-stricken child. But Harm knew he had to prevent Kally from killing this man, no matter how much either of them wished to see Farmley rotting in hell. There was little to deny the feelings of retribution would soothe Kally for a brief period, and no court in the world would convict a ten-year-old, in such circumstances, for shooting the man who murdered her mother.
 
However later on, when events died down, the guilt of taking the life of another would consume Kally, haunt her all her life. Harm couldn't allow Farmley to ruin his child's future more than he had.
 
"He killed my mom, Harm, he killed her."
 
"Please, Kally...give me the gun." In a sterner voice, he said, "Kallinda, now."
 
The girl shook her head in a quick fashion. "Mom always said you gotta save the people you love."
 
"Your mom wouldn't want you to do this for her, she wouldn't want you to hurt any more because of this scum. Please, Kally, don't let him hurt our family any more, give me the gun."
 
Pursing her lips, Kally frowned in uncertainty, her eyes darting from the gun to Farmley. Harm wondered what she was thinking. For a moment, alarm rushed through him as Kally's finger stroked the trigger then she exhaled heavily, a sigh filled with more weariness than a ten-year-old child should know.
 
"There's a gun in my schoolbag," Kally said, her voice on the verge of breaking. "Take it out and then I'll put this one down."
 
Harm didn't even take the time to question how a gun managed to make its way into the schoolbag of his daughter. Instead he hastily grabbed at the rucksack and opened it, fishing for the named gun. He was briefly surprised when he located the small revolver, tucked away in an interior side pocket, but that was a lecture for another time.
 
Once he was in position, stoically guarding over almost catatonic Farmley ready for the slightest movement, Kally inched past her kidnapper to Harm's side where she relinquished her weapon without hesitation. With Kally's now muted assistance, Harm secured Farmley with some plastic ties lying around the office, sello-taping his mouth shut for good measure.
 
Only when Farmley was no longer a threat and he moved Kally out of the office, did Harm have the chance to take a good look at the girl before him. Kally's normally soft, shining hair was limp and her eyes were dulled. He never thought he had seen the child so despondent.
 
Sliding down against the wall, drained and his adrenaline rush extinguished as the pain and blood loss of his injured shoulder caught up with him, Harm pushed back the distinct throbbing and held open his right arm.
 
"Oh Kally..." he murmured.
 
A choked sob escaped the little girl as she threw herself in Harm's arms with such force he grunted softly as his shoulder was jostled. He ignored the flare of pain and slide his unencumbered arm around Kally, rocking just as he knew Alex would do with her crying daughter. She wept heavily, cleansing  sobs as the weeks of suppressed emotions poured out at last.
 
After some time, Harm wasn't sure exactly how long had passed, Kally calmed and her hold on him relaxed. She remained encircled in his arm but sat back.
 
"I...wanted to kill him, Harm," Kally mumbled. "Does that make me bad?"
 
"*No*, no, that doesn't make you bad, Kally," was her vehement reply. "You did nothing no other person would do in your position, only some people may not have had the courage to put the gun down."
 
"I hate him, I hate him so much." She glanced down, ashamed at this admission.
 
"That's fine, it's alright to hate him." Harm lifted her head up so they were eye-to-eye. He was always amazed at how when he looked at Kally, he saw Alex. And today, the child had proved just how she carried the mother's integrity and honour within her. "It's your right to hate, but if you *ever* feel that hate is bubbling and you're having problems dealing, I want you to tell me. I'm your father and it's my job to look out for you. You understand?"
 
Kally nodded. "It's okay now, I feel better. I'm glad I know who hurt Mom, that I helped bring him down."
 
"And I'll see that justice will be served for you and Kaiden, I'll make sure I do."
 
"Yeah, Mom always said you were the best."
 
Farmley was unlikely to face the execution, but Harm would see to it that he would never see the outside world again. Knowing that the psychopath who had obviously tormented his family and stolen a good woman from the world deserved no less than a life behind bars. And yet, had he lost Kally like Farmley had lost his daughter Divia, Harm wasn't one hundred percent sure he would have coped any better?
 
Uncomfortable with such thoughts and unwilling to jinx the happy outcome, Harm just tousled Kally's hair. "No, I think that title belongs to your mother, she would do anything to see a wrong turn into a right." There was one thing, which did puzzle Harm. "So, just how did you get here if you were locked in a room?"
 
"I, um, picked the lock," Kally said, sheepishly.
 
"Picked the lock?! How did you...?"
 
The girl shrugged. "Mac says she wasn't always a Marine."
 
"Yes, well, I'll be sure to have a talk to her about what you guys do when you're together."
 
In truth whatever disapproval he might have felt towards his partner was minute in comparison to his gratitude. He was thankful that whoever watched over little girls and Navy officers had kept them safe to see another day, he was thankful to Isabel Farmley for gathering her courage to turn in her ex-husband, and most of all he was thankful that Alex had given him such a precious and loving gift in her daughter.
 
                           *********************************************
Farmley Productions
Warehouse Estate
Fifteen Miles From Baltimore
0300 EST, October 8th
As Harm had anticipated, Kayla was not in the least impressed by his efforts and neither was Mac, if her sour expression were anything to be gauged by when she arrived fifteen minutes after the police and FBI. Apparently, she had decided to use the old silent treatment for the time being and she immediately took on the role of comforting Kally leaving Harm to work on Kayla's defences first before making an attempt to wheedle his way back into Mac's good books.  
 
The EMTs tried to persuade him to accompany them to the hospital for x-rays and a proper check-up but he stubbornly refused. All he wanted was the wound dressed, some antibiotics and a good dose of painkillers. Spending the night cooped up in some hospital did not fit into his plans. Tomorrow he would go live in the hospital if they wanted him to, today all Harm wanted to do was shut himself away from the world for a while taking his children with him where he'd be sure they were safe.
 
"Still insisting on being a pain-in-the-five," Kayla remarked, overhearing his arguments with the EMTs.
 
"It's 'six', Kayla," he corrected automatically, "the proper Naval term is 'six'."
 
"Five, six? What's the difference?" She sat beside him and judging from her all too cool, dismissive demeanour, she was not in the most pleasant of moods with him. "So, are you sure you're going to be okay?"
 
"Yes, it could have been worse." Harm knew better than to be taken in by her sweet, concerned tones.
 
And his suspicions were correct when she smiled tightly. "You're right, it could have been much worse but I'm glad to hear you'll be okay. Now using FBI proper terms, if you ever do anything so stupid and boneheaded again and I hear about it, I'm going to shove my gun so far up your *six* people will think Smith and Wesson's have entered the hat trade. Comprende?"
 
"Crystal," Harm said quickly, hating himself for sounding like a naughty schoolboy.
 
"Good...Oh, and don't think that you've gotten off scot free. I think Mac will be wanting to have a word with you as well and while I admit *I* have a temper, I sure wouldn't want to be in your shoes when she's through with you." 
 
Harm couldn't have said it better himself, Mac was not going to be amused. She tolerated many of his weaker points like his affinity for perfection and his little obsessions, if there was one thing she hated, it had to be frequent habit of going off on his own. He winced when one of the EMTs began dressing his wound then smiled, perhaps Mac would be more forgiving if he played the sympathy card. Then again, she *was* a Marine and had a resistance to his charms.
 
"Harm, I've been meaning to talk to you for a while now." Kayla's voice took on a more sombre quality and he could sense her switching into 'serious' mood.
 
"What's wrong?"
 
"Nothing, it's just...Harm, I've been offered a great position in California, in their Behavioural Support Unit. I'd be promoted to ASAC and it'd be a great opportunity for my career."
 
He grinned. "That's great, it's about time they moved you up in the ranks."
 
She smiled back. "Yeah, I do have to admit I was thinking of turning it down. I wasn't sure if you were ready to be completely alone with our pair yet but, you know, I think it's all going to work out."
 
Harm followed her gaze to where Mac sat with Kally, quietly talking to the little girl with a comforting arm around her shoulders. He mellowed, knowing his partner would probably be trying to take his still shocky daughter's
off this whole ordeal.
 
"You're going to be a wonderful father, Harm, my sister would be very proud and honoured to know what you're doing for her children. And if you do get stuck, you'll always have my support but I also know you've got some very good friends to help you. You're going to do fine, and it's time I let you get on with things."
 
"Thank you, Kay," he whispered, "I don't think I'd have got far at all without you."
 
She leaned forward, kissing him softly on his lips. It wasn't the passionate wilds of two lovers, but a gesture of love between two closer friends. She stepped back after a moment. "I'm going to check in on my niece, you be a good boy and let the paramedics fix you up."
 
"Yes, Ma'am."
 
When the EMTs finished up, forcing him into a sling with strict orders to rest his left shoulder until he saw his own doctor, Harm was finally left alone to think of ways to make peace with Mac. So absorbed in his pondering, he didn't realise the objects of his thoughts was standing not five feet away, studying him like a scientist would examine a specimen. It wasn't until she cleared her throat discreetly did he glance up with
a jerk to acknowledge her presence.
 
"Sorry," Mac said, when she saw his eyes crease slightly in pain at his sudden movements. Harm didn't think she sounded the least bit apologetic but he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. With a weary sigh, Mac sat down beside him in the back of the ambulance.
 
"Where's Kaiden?" Harm asked, a little anxious at his son being out of his sight but well aware Mac would never leave him with anyone unsavoury.
 
"Back at my apartment, I asked the Admiral to come around and watch him. The mood he was in when he found out what you were up to, let's just say no kidnapper would dare mess with him."
 
Great, now he would have to contend with a pissed-off ex-SEAL later. More so, Harm was stunned by Mac's choice of babysitter. One did not just drop in on one's superior officer for babysitting favours. "You left him with the Admiral?!"
 
"Harm, relax, the man is a former SEAL and the Judge Advocate General. I'm sure he can watch out for one little boy for a few hours without the world going into a global apocalypse. The man has got a daughter of his own and need I remind you he *did* deliver AJ Roberts single-handedly." She regarded his wounded shoulder and slinged arm. "So, are you sure you're not seriously hurt?" she asked, concerned.
 
"I'll be fine, it's a through-and-through," Harm assured.
 
"Good." With that, Mac delivered a swift cuff to the back of Harm's head.
 
"What the hell was that for?" Harm whined, rubbing his head pathetically.
 
"That's for being so stupid as to come here on your own in the first place, you could have been killed! What would I have told Kaiden then- 'sorry, your daddy paid for his own one way ticket to Heaven'?"
 
"I'm sorry, Mac, I didn't think..."
 
"That's right, you didn't." She sighed heavily. "That little boy was petrified, he wouldn't even let us out of his sight. I had to wait until he was in deep sleep before I could risk leaving him. Dammit, Harm, you of all people should understand what Kaiden must have felt losing his mother then nearly his father, and you only lost one parent. And at least you had the knowledge your dad died in war, not on some macho suicide mission."
 
It was a low blow but nothing less than he deserved. Still, he had to explain even if it meant laying his soul bare. "It wasn't some macho thing," he murmured. He glanced down, feeling Mac's eyes boring into his skull at those words. "I did this because I had to. I'm in the damned military, Mac, unlike most parents of kids who go missing, I had the chance to bring my child home. No father would turn that opportunity down. The protective instincts I felt for Darlin were ten times more stronger, I wasn't going to stand back on this and if I got hurt or died then so be it. For these kids, I would do anything, I wasn't going to lose Kally like I lost Alex."
 
He blinked in surprised as Mac placed a gentle hand on his cheek, forcing him to meet her gaze and their eyes lock- his bewildered blue and her compassionate brown. "I would never expect you to just sit back, your training and your instincts are too well honed to do nothing and I know that. I just wished you'd said something, *anything*. I don't want to be the one to come and ID your body in the morgue. I'm your partner and your friend, Harm, I would always back you up no matter how crazy I think your plans are, I hope you know that."
 
Harm reached his right hand up to clasp her hand. "I know, I didn't want to put you at risk in mission that involved my child. I just forgot that in some ways, you're now Kally's family as much as I am." Mac's eyes glistened at those words. To give her the time she needed to compose herself, Harm frowned mock severity. "I heard you taught my ten-year-old to pick locks?"
 
"That was an accident," Mac quickly responded, defensively, "I was trying to get my jewel case open and I'd lost the key so I resorted to the old hair pin trick. I didn't count on Kally would watching with such interest."
 
"Kally sees all, and God only knows what she intends to do with this 'knowledge'."
 
"Yes, and I wonder what she'll do with the knowledge that if her father can go off on crazed missions then she can too."
 
Harm snorted. "I get the feeling we'll have to watch we don't take stowaways on board when we go on our more interesting cases. But you don't have to worry now, there isn't going to be any more off-the-wall missions on my part. The Navy in me kind of enjoys them but the father in me knows better."
 
Mac smiled. "Well, it's good to hear a part of you actually uses that genius intellect of yours."
 
Just then, Kally strolled over and, for a child who was recently kidnapped, a very smug grin tugging at her lips. She was eyeing Harm and Mac far too scrupulously for her father's comfort. "Hi, guys," she greeted, her eyes regaining her typical sparkle.
 
"Don't get any ideas, Sport," warned Mac, pulling slightly away from Harm.
 
"I won't but my ideas always work out at the end."
 
Harm was at a loss, though he had a distinct vision of his daughter and her attempts to play Cupid. "What are you two talking about?"
 
"Girl stuff," answered his daughter and partner simultaneously.
 
"Yeah, right." Harm pulled his daughter into his arm with his unencumbered hand. "Are you doing okay, Kall?"
 
"Fine," replied Kally, for now content in the safety of her father's arm. "Does...does your shoulder hurt?"
 
"This- it's no big deal, I get more pain kick-boxing with Mac."
 
"He's right," agreed Mac, playing along, "he needs to learn kick-boxing with Marines is not a safe hobby."
 
"I..." Kally looked down. "I thought you might have been hurt bad, that I should have done more."
 
"No," Harm said, his voice so firm and absolute that Kally gazed back to him. "No, none of this was your fault, Sport. That man was sick and nothing you could do would have stopped him. You did very well, Kally, don't ever think otherwise and I know your mom would be very proud of you."
 
The girl beamed. "There *is* just one thing we need to talk about."
 
"Yeah?"
 
"From now on, Kall, let's leave the gun at home."
 
To her credit, Kally had the grace to look chastised. "I will, I promise. I was only-"
 
She was interrupted by a commotion from the front of the police lines. At first, Harm assumed some nosy vulture of a reporter had wind of Kally's recovery until Logan Raine's load, demanding voice cut through the hustle and bustle of the crime scene.
 
"Where's my kid? I have a right to see her." Raine caught sight of Kally sitting between Harm and Mac but his intent on zeroing in on the trio was halted by two police officers who stepped in his path, ready to contain him. "That's my daughter. Hey, Rabb, tell them who I am."
 
Harm, for his part, was perfectly willing to allow the police to cart Raine away and he probably would have kept quiet had Kally not been present. However, the child had been through enough today and he wasn't going to add to her emotional problems.
 
"It's okay, he's with us."
 
The police officers cast one last suspicious scowl at Raine before releasing him to run over and scoop Kally from Harm's side into his arms.
 
"Are you okay, Kallinda?" Raine asked, sounding almost like a genuine father. "That bastard didn't touch you, did he? Because if he harmed one hair on your head, I'll kill him myself."
 
"I'm okay, Logan." Kally clung to him for a moment before wriggling free and moving back to Harm. "Harm found me before anything could happen."
 
A flash of pain passed across Raine's eyes then he smiled tightly. "Just so long as you're okay, Kall."
 
"I am." Kally tugged Harm's uninjured arm. "I want to go home, Harm, I don't want to be here anymore."
 
She sounded so young and anxious as she spoke. Harm just prayed she could regain her confidence in time, nevertheless what she needed most at this moment in time was the safety and security his poky little apartment
provided. She needed her home and her family.
 
The two military officers stood up, Mac offering Harm a little assistance. "Sure, Sport, we're going home," Harm assured. He glanced over Kally's head to Mac. "Mac, can you take her back to the car? I'll be there in a minute."
 
Mac cast him a puzzled frown but nodded, taking Kally's hand in her own. "Come on, Kally, we'll go wait in the car, it'll be warmer there."
 
Harm waited until she had led the girl away before facing Raine. The two men studied each other until Harm broke the silence. "She's going to be fine, it'll just take some time."
 
"Yeah, she's always been a tough kid, too much of Alex in her."
 
"That's not such a bad thing," Harm said, almost defensively.
 
"No, no, it's not." Raine inhaled deeply. "You don't know how hard this is for me, Rabb? Having your only daughter look into another man's eyes and think of him as her dad when I'll always be just Logan to her."
 
He knew how much it cost the other man to utter those words, to his bitter rival no less. "Yes, I do...It's the same kind of pain when you look into the eyes of your only son and realise you've missed the first four years of his life, years that can never be reclaimed."
 
"Take care of my girl, Rabb." Ironically, it was a similar sentiment he had asked of Mac not three or four hours ago. With that, Raine stepped back and wandered off to wherever he had parked his car.
 
Harm watched him, comprehending what Raine had said and the undertone of his words. He had the feeling Logan Raine would not be spouting any more dirges about contesting Kally's custody. The man was finally putting his daughter's needs before his own wants. And maybe in time, Harm would even allow Raine to play some part in Kally's life again.
 
But for now, all thoughts of Logan Raine were pushed to the back of his mind as he turned to join Mac and Kayla; it was time to reunite his family.
 
                           *********************************************
SIX MONTHS LATER
 
Madison Park
Washington DC
1310 EST, April 18th
"Daddy, look how fast I can run!"
 
"That's great, Scamp. Just don't go too far ahead, kids, stay where we can see you."
 
"Aww, Harm, I'm not a little kid no more..." was the expected protest from a young girl who was growing up fast, too fast for Harm's taste.
 
"I mean it, Kally," Harm replied in his stern paternal tone. She sighed but didn't argue.
 
"You're getting good at this," Mac commented.
 
"It comes with the territory."
 
If someone had told him a year ago that he was destined to become a father of two children in such dire circumstances, Harm would have laughed before committing them to a nice room with padded walls. Now, with more than half a year of fatherhood under his belt, he couldn't imagine life without Kally and Kaiden and, while he wouldn't recommend his situation as the most ideal route to parenting, he wouldn't trade his new and vastly adapted life for the world.
 
Life over the past seven months had changed so much for the sudden father and his children. The 'honeymoon' period was long over and Harm was seeing his pair in a new light. Kally, now coming up for her eleventh birthday, was not exempt from mouthing off, being immensely obstinate and generally showing Harm what was in store for him as she approached her teens.
 
As for the just turned five-year-old Kaiden, he certainly was no angel by comparison and Harm was learning exactly how manipulative his little son could be when it came to achieving his own way. In fact the boy's antics reminded Harm of another young Rabb at aged five, it was enough to make him almost beg his mother for forgiveness for the brat he must have been at times.
 
And he wasn't even going to go into how much his monthly expenditure had increased ten-fold since he'd 'inherited' a fashion-conscious pre-pubescent and a toy-obsessed tot. Not to mention the four bedroom, suburban house he'd splashed out on four months previously.
 
Of course, he was not alone as he battled through these trials of his adjusting family. Ellish always provided assistance as the adoring grandmother and his own mother was relishing her new grand-parenting role. Kayla often made trips from Los Angeles to visit her young niece and nephew since she had always been a huge part of their lives before, and Harm could never forget Harriet, who had put herself in charge of their children's after-school care.
 
And then there was Mac...While she would never take the place of Alex, she was wonderful confidant for Kally when the girl needed to talk to a female perspective in her life and she made Harm's transition from a practically never-ending work hours to a nine-to-five job easier, frequently babysitting the kids on those now rare occasions when he had to go out-of-town. Both Mac's practical and emotional support was one of the main reasons Harm and the children quickly settled into the whole situation; without her help, Harm wondered if he could ever have coped with Kally and Kaiden during those difficult few weeks in the beginning.
 
And so it was only fitting that she should join in the celebrations on the day the final adoption papers for Kally arrived and Harm could finally relax with the knowledge that his family couldn't be split up. Kally also needed that extra security after her ordeal at Farmley's hand. Although she had largely recovered with the resilience of a child, the papers provided her with proof that she was now Harm's daughter and no-one could take her from him.
 
After a celebratory lunch at Kally's favourite restaurant, Harm and Mac took the kids to the park to run off their energy. It was pleasant to enjoy a more normal day out after the upheaval and trauma of the last year and the adults enjoyed watching the children release their energy exuberantly.
 
"I'm going to be a pilot and fly big fat jets just like Daddy!" Kaiden announced, running ahead and giggling as his sister chased him.
 
"Yeah, I think I'd look good in the uniform," grinned Kally.
 
"We'll see about that," Harm murmured.
 
Mac smirked at him. "Did I actually hear those words come out of the mouth of Hotshot Pilot Harmon Rabb Junior? I'll have to inform the president."
 
He just smiled sheepishly. "Well, let's just say I'm beginning to see things from Annie's point of view. My kids are going to get nice safe jobs as teachers or country doctors."
 
"You obviously haven't seen that state of today's high schools." After a moment, Mac regarded him frankly. "You were really considering leaving the Navy for a while there, weren't you?"
 
They hadn't discussed this after he had first proposed the suggestion a while ago but Harm knew it still played on Mac's mind. In some ways, his best friend reminded him much of his young daughter; both were insecure at times and were prone to instances of being emotionally vulnerable, no matter how self-confident they appeared on the surface.
 
Kally's problems stemmed from being a motherless child who worried what place she had in Harm's life. On the other hand, although Mac might have been a grown woman, her troubled childhood led to her difficulty in trusting people. Harm was one of the first people to break down those walls and she probably felt resigned that she was going to lose another loved one had he actually left for Baltimore.
 
No doubt to her surprise, Harm didn't try to deny discharge from the Navy had been a possibility. "I joined the Navy to fly- which is something I can't do any longer- and I've found out what happened to my father. My life has been domineered by that since I was a kid, my whole life focused on how I could find him...Maybe it's time I learned to live a little. But a new career is a possibility I've put out of my mind for now. The kids are settled here now, I don't want to uproot them again. They deserve stability after everything that has happened, and I want to give them that."
 
"You don't sound too certain."
 
"I suppose the idea of living in Baltimore did have its good points," he admitted. "Practically, it wouldn't have been too hard for me to up and leave DC. There are a lot of good law firms in Baltimore and the kids would be able to return to their old school and be closer to their grandmother."
 
"And you could be closer to Kayla if she decided to come home?" Was that a hint of jealousy he heard in her voice? He couldn't be sure.
 
"I suppose." He smiled lightly, turning to Mac. "But I'm not looking for a relationship with anyone just now, Mac, least of all with Kayla. When the time comes, it will come...For now I just want to concentrate on the children. They need me to be there for them unconditionally."
 
Mac took his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Well, even if things do change, I'll stand by you in whatever you decide...and I'll be there for Kally and Kaiden too."
 
Harm smiled. "I know you will, just as we're here for you. You know, I think we have to make up the most unconventional family in the country."
 
Mac glowed at the idea of being included in his little family. "Yeah, unconventional but the best."
 
If there was one lesson Kally and Kaiden had succeeded in teaching he and Mac, it was that some times nature had to be allowed to take it's course without being forced. Perhaps, something more than friendship would blossom between them or maybe they were just meant to be nothing more than best friends...And, whatever the future held for them, their close-knit friendship was more than enough to satisfy them both.