Sarah Mackenzie was now sitting on her couch watching television - an old classic, "The Sound of Music." She'd always liked the movie. It was a simple true story of an Austrian family, a father left with seven children after his wife died. On the other side, a young woman who had spent her life in a nunnery till the day one of the sisters told her to go into the outside world just to be sure she'd made the right choice.

Mac had always loved the movie because of the spirit that emanated from the movie. And the places the movie had been shot - Salzburg… a romantic city. Some days Mac wished she'd be able to go there. Yeah, she wished she could. Mac was in the USMC, but she also was a woman. Last night Mac had had a very romantic dream with… a tall handsome guy… Harm. She'd dreamed he'd taken her there for her birthday, or was it for something else?

She was walking on Harm's arm in a wonderful, splendid white dress. They were walking in a magnificent garden, the Mirabell Garden - an enchanting place. They were looking at each other, love shining in their eyes, and Mac felt like she was in heaven. Having Harm with her was wonderful, but it wasn't only the fact that he was with her that made her feel so good; it was also the fact that he had arranged all this for her.

Mac was shaken out of her reverie by a knock on the door. Getting up to open it, she first turned down the sound of the television before heading to the door to look into the peephole at the person that was behind her door.

She was not really surprised to see who the person on the other side of her door was, and with a smile she opened the door. "Hi, flyboy! I could have guessed it would be you," she said, the smile still shining on her face.

"Hi, ninja-Girl! Can I come in?" Harm asked, smiling back at her.

"Sorry, sure, come on in. What brings you here? Anything in particular?"

"No, not really," Harm said, looking elsewhere.

Mac's smile brightened. "Harm, what are you hiding from me?"

"Me? Nothing. Why would I hide anything from you?" he answered, now looking down at the floor.

Yes, he is hiding something from me. Sarah Mackenzie thought to herself.

"Come on in, flyboy, and tell me what's bothering you - or should I say… tell me what you are trying to hide from me?"

Harm entered Mac's apartment, wondering if what Mac had told him about her health would change their relationship in a way or another. He didn't want their relationship to change - well, saying he didn't want it to change would be lying because in the bottom of his heart he wanted it to change. He wanted more. He felt guilty about it, though; Harm wanted more than just a friendship with Mac, but what made him want this were not wrong reasons.

He didn't want to take steps forward out of pity for her because of her sudden illness - no, he wanted to go out with her out of love for her.

Harm wanted to make sure she'd understood that. He wanted Sarah Mackenzie more in his life and closer to him because he was deeply in love with her and nothing else. Now Harm knew that for certain. When Mac had told him about her health problems, his heart had torn and the earth under his feet had burst open. He'd suddenly felt powerless and very small.

Sarah Mackenzie had changed his life since the very first minute they'd met, and Harm knew that he would never ever be able to thank her enough for all she'd done for him. She'd always been there for him when he needed her the most. Mac had been there for him when he'd finally found out the truth about Diane's killer - she'd prevented him from doing something very stupid that would've destroyed his career in the Navy. She had also been there when his quest for his father finally came to an end in Russia.

Russia had been a rough time for them both, but for Harm it had been a heartrending experience. All these years he'd been searching for his missing father, hoping desperately that he would still be alive somewhere, anywhere…

The quest for his beloved father would finally end somewhere in Svischevo with an old woman named Pitcha, who would tell how his father died as a hero saving her from an almost certain rape and death. Harmon Rabb, Sr died saving the mother of his half-brother - a thing he didn't know at that moment.

Today, Harm wanted to be there for the woman he loved like she'd been there for him all these times. To be with her, to help her. To support her in these difficult moments she would have, by giving all the love and friendship she needed without asking anything in return. Harm would not leave her - he would not let her go through this alone, and he was about to do something for her, a thing that she would never forget in her entire life…

He'd said that she and Harm would work together on this case, but the two of them would be on the same side - the prosecution. Mac wasn't really happy with the case, because she hated the idea that fathers could or would kill their children - their own blood. When God allows you to have such precious gifts you are supposed to cherish them, protect them and most important of all: love them, not kill them!

Sarah Mackenzie was very sensitive on the subject of children lately, though she didn't exactly know why. Maybe because of her biological clock that was still ticking? Or was it because of the memory of a certain little girl that had lost her twin sister because of a madman, who thought that he'd had the right to kill because she'd disobeyed him. Harm had been even more sickened by it. Mac still could see the haunted expression he'd had back then, and the remembrance of it still tore at her heart.

And now, Admiral Chegwidden was asking them to work on a case like this? At least they didn't have to defend Lt Thomas Harriman. Mac didn't know why, but every fiber of her body was telling her that the man was guilty as sin. But having that belief was one thing; being able to secure a conviction was a very different thing, and she hadn't talked to Harm yet about how she felt. Knowing him, Mac knew that it would only be a matter of time before her work partner would find out.

What the hell's wrong with me? I've never ever acted like this or even thought like this before, and now when there's any case or event where a child is involved, somehow I'm getting nuts. The truth is that I want to become a mother, but… with Clay I’m not really sure it would have worked. He was never at home. We barely saw each other, and the most important thing of all; we never had a single conversation about having any desires of having children. So I’m not so sure that he would have been happy to have one.

The file that was open in front of her contained as much information as they could have about the case, including a picture of the children's bodies when they were found in their father's car that had fallen into the lake. Mac had looked at the picture only a few seconds because she couldn't bear the sight. How in hell could a human being do this to children? Mac stood up and went to the window, staring at the emptiness that was stretching before her and wondering if she would ever have children of her own.

Someone gave a firm but gentle knock on the doorframe. Not hearing a response, he opened the door. "Mac, have you seen…" he began.

Harm stopped, waited a few seconds and then entered, closing the door behind him. He had noticed that Mac was standing at the window of her office more often lately. Something was clearly wrong.

Harm came closer to her and squeezed her left shoulder with his right hand. He felt her shiver slightly, but didn't withdraw his hand. "Mac, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

Mac didn't answer immediately. Harm waited until she was ready to tell what was wrong - he could sense that it was something important to her. Harm hadn't moved an inch; he was still standing behind her when she murmured, "It's this case, Harm. This case Admiral Chegwidden assigned us."

"What about it?"

Mac turned slowly to face Harm, a silent tear rolling down her right cheek. At the sight, Harm reached out his thumb and brushed it away.

"Mac, come on. It's me, Harm. I know things haven't been easy for us in the past few months, but I'm still your friend."

"How can a man kill his own children?" she asked him, and he could easily hear the pain in her voice.

"Mac, we don't know if Lt. Harriman did it, so…" Harm pointed out gently.

"Yes, he did," she replied firmly.

"Mac, what are you talking about? How can you be so sure of that?"

"I saw it," she answered, while more tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"What? You saw it? You saw Lt. Harriman kill his children?" he demanded incredulously.

"Yes," Mac said slowly.

"Were you there?" Harm asked, not really knowing where this stupid question came from.

"No. If that were the case I would have told Chegwidden immediately about it."

"I'm sorry, Mac. I know you would have told the admiral if you had been there."

Mac was still crying, and Harm opened his arms this time to take her in them. Mac curled herself in them and let her tears flow now. Harm didn't say a single word but simply stroked her hair gently. They both stood there together, in each other's embrace, in front of the window for a while.

Harm knew what she was going through - he was certain she'd had a vision, just like she had had one when Chloe disappeared when she was on her grandparents' farm. Harm knew she'd experienced a few visions after that, but this one must have been pretty horrible and nasty: seeing a father kill his own children… a wave of anger rushed through him. How could a father do such a thing to his very own blood, his children?

A lot of parents would give the world away to be able to have children but can't. And on the other side there are guys like this Thomas Harriman who kills them. God almighty, how is this possible? How can a human being fall so low? What went through this guy's head to make him kill two young children? Rage was spreading through him.

No matter what, no matter how long it would take, this man would hang and pay for what he did. That was a promise he made to himself, a promise he made to Mac.

Harm had to think of a 6-year-old girl he'd saved a few years ago - five years ago to be exact - Darlin Lewis…

******

1522 ZULU
Potomac Naval Annex
Washington, D.C.
Six years earlier

Harm went to where the body was laying, crouched down, and lifted up the sheet a little to take a look. It was not long before he had to look elsewhere. Now his face was as white as the sheet. Harm needed air, he needed to get out of there. He was nervous and Mac sensed it.

"Are you all right?" Mac asked concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you."

Mac knew him all too well. There was something wrong. She'd seen his face going blank the minute he'd laid eyes on the small lifeless body. She saw him head to the door to get outside of this place. He seemed to feel uneasy.

"Do we know for how long she's been lying here?" Harm asked Mary Holland.

"Twenty-four hours."

"Good, this should be enough for someone to notice she'd disappeared…" Harm asked while going outside.

He was followed by Agent Holland, and by Mac, who closed the thick metal door marked "RESTRICTED AREA - NO ADMITTRANCE" behind her.

It was then that something happened. The same little girl that was lying in there, her body covered by a white sheet, appeared to him through the wreck of an old plane that had served during the war. Harm blinked but she was already gone. Mac, who had seen him stare for a brief moment, asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, not sounding really convinced.

"Let's get out of here. There's nothing we can do," Mac, said ready to leave.

"You go, I'm staying here. I'm sure Agent Holland will agree to bring me back," Harm said, following Agent Holland, who was about the reenter the place the little girl had been discovered.

The doctor was examining the little girl's body, recording his notes and impressions into a tape recorder, so that he could refer to them later.

"What are you doing here Commander?" Dr. Vaughn asked him.

"I don't want her to be alone." Harm said, his voice almost a whisper.

"She's dead, Commander, she won't know the difference."

At the doctor's last words, Harm flinched slightly, thinking that the man was probably immune by now; he surely had seen a lot of things in his career, but still… How could someone made of flesh and bone become immune to such cruelty?

Harm stood there, listening to all the enumerations - all the scars and the tortures the little girl had been suffering of through the years… not to speak of the possibility of sexual abuse. Harm felt a wave of anger flow through him once again. How could someone do this to a defenseless child?

A child doesn't ask to be born. A child comes into the world because of the love his parents share and is not welcome to world at first to be bitten down next. No, things weren't supposed to go that way. The wave of anger was still floating through reach his eyes. The man who did this would pay for what he did... No matter what, no matter how long it would take…

******

1435 ZULU
Mac's office
JAG headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Still a week earlier

"Thanks, stick-boy," she smiled.

"Anytime, jarhead." Harm smiled back at her.

"I'm sorry," Mac said sheepishly.

"There's no need to be," he assured her.

"Harm? Can you promise me something, please?"

"Yes?"

"Promise me that we'll nail the guy, and find the truth about those two kids," she said, her voice trembling.

"I promise, Mac… I promise," Harm told her, a reassuring tone in his voice.

More to come soon in Part 2!