Disclaimer: Not mine

AN: I was cleaning up my computer files and found a few partially written stories...this one was half done and given Harm the handyman was well received in my challenge piece, I figured it would be the best one to finish first. Enjoy!

Game, Set and Match

Mac stood leaning on the door jamb and studied the more than pleasant view of the butt in front of her as the handyman leant over to tighten a screw.
"If you've finished playing with your tools, lunch is ready," she said, and waited for him to stand up.
"I'm not exactly playing, Mac," Harm said, standing up and grinning at her.
"Well, it looks like you've been having fun," she said, wiping the sawdust from his face.
"It has been pretty good. We've been stuck with cases so long, I forgot what it was like to use my hands," he said, moving to the sink.
"Wish you'd use them on me," she muttered as she headed back through her bedroom towards the kitchen.
"Huh?" he called out, after her.
"Nothing," she called back but Harm grinned, he'd heard her.

Over lunch, Harm and Mac discussed the next step in her bathroom renovations which Harm had gallantly offered to do for her. Well, it wasn't so much as an offer as a bet they'd made as to the outcome of their latest court battle. If Mac won, Harm had to do the renovations. If Harm won, Mac had to spend a weekend with him and the Stearman. Harm was more than pleased with himself for instigating the bet, knowing that whichever way the case went he'd get to spend a weekend with the marine of his choice, and of his dreams.

While Harm may have taken credit for instigating the bet, Mac hadn't taken much convincing to accept it. Confident with her own case, she couldn't see a loss coming up and desperately wanted a long overdue bathroom upgrade. Knowing she couldn't guarantee a win, Mac wasn't thrilled about the prospect of flying with Harm but she had him on a technicality; he had only said they'd spend the weekend with the plane, and hadn't mentioned the word flying. So regardless of Petty Officer Douglas' fate, she'd have Harm for a weekend – a girl could do worse.

"Have you decided on the colour yet?" he asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.
"I've narrowed it down," she said, picking up the colour charts.
"To how many now?" he questioned, with a smile. Finding it funny she could be so decisive about nearly everything else but couldn't pick the colour for her bathroom.
"Four," she said, tapping the chart. "Or maybe five."
"What are the options?" he asked, pulling his chair around so they were looking at the same chart.
"Well," she started before pausing once more for a last look at the chart. "I can't decide between sunflower, Sorrento, marinara, Dorado or maybe tango."
"Mac, they're all orange," he said, shaking his head.
"They may be in the orange family but they're not orange – sunflower is much lighter, Dorado is deeper while tango is brighter," she said, shaking her head – how could he not see the difference?
"I wouldn't have picked you for an orange person," he said, drinking down the last of his water.
"Well, it's a nice cosy colour and when I take a bath and light all the candles then it would give off a warm, calm feeling," she said dreamily, imagining taking the first dip into her rejuvenated oasis.

Watching her face, Harm knew what she was doing and it took all his strength not to sit there and imagine Mac naked and in the tub. He wasn't as strong as he had thought.
"Well, you've got about an hour to decide," he said, standing up. "The new cupboards and shelves will be done by then and we can go get the paint and whatever else we need then. That way we can get the most out of tomorrow."

For a while longer, Mac sat there and studied the charts. After narrowing it down to either tango or Dorado, she went to see what he was up to. Once again, he was on hands and knees, his butt staring her in the face, or perhaps it was her staring at the butt which was in front of her face. His head was under the sink and, when Mac spoke, he startled from his naked Mac reverie and hit his head hard causing a brief exclamation of pain and a trickle of blood down his forehead.
"Oh, god, sorry, Harm," Mac said grabbing a hand towel and holding it to his head. "Are you okay?" she asked, getting him to sit on the toilet so she could have a proper look at his wound.
"I'm fine, Mac...it's fine," he said, trying to take a deep breath and hoping the dizziness stayed at bay. "No need to fuss."
"I'm not fussing," she said as she dabbed at the wound. "Just making sure it's not fatal...I'd hate for you not to be able to finish my bathroom tomorrow," she said with a laugh when she realised it was only a small wound.
"Gee, thanks for your sympathy," he said, brushing her hand away.
"Anytime," she said, still laughing. "Seriously though, can I do anything for you? Get you a drink?"
"A cup of tea would be good," he said, running his hand across his head.
His choice was two-fold, yes, he needed a drink but it would also give him a couple of minutes to recover from the blow.

An hour later they were at the hardware store; Mac was still deciding between tango and Dorado and held both paint swatches in her hand.
"I think it should be Dorado," Harm finally said when fifteen minutes had passed.
"Why?" she asked looking up at him.
"It has a warmer look about it and it would reflect the candle glows better," he said, making it up as he went. If the truth be known, they both looked exactly the same to him.
"Okay, Dorado it is," she said, putting away the tango swatch. "Now, the trims..." Harm groaned. "What?"
"Nothing," he said, with a smirk...his very decisive marine was being indecisive once again.

Forty minutes later they exited the store with enough Dorado paint for the job, ceiling white to refresh the ceiling and a matt white for the trims which accented the Dorado better than Mac would have expected.

On the drive back, Mac's stomach grumbled.
"How about we drop the paint off at your place, clean up and go out to dinner?" Harm suggested, taking a right turn.
Mac wrinkled her nose. Going to the hardware store in handyman clothes was one thing, heck, it was probably compulsory, but going out to dinner required a little more work and she was sure she didn't have the energy. Watching Harm was a little more tiring than she thought.
"How about we go back to my place and order in?" Mac countered. "My shout."
"It was going to be anyway," he said with a laugh.
"Says who?" she asked, turning in her seat.
"Well, I figured it was the least you could do for this weary, injured handyman," he said with an exaggerated sigh.
"Oh, you poor baby," Mac replied with a laugh. "So, do you want to order in?"
"Yeah," he replied, still keen to spend as much time as he could with her.

Harm's choice was Vietnamese from a place Mac had never heard of, so she left the ordering to him as she went into the bathroom to wash up. Call made, Harm washed up in the kitchen sink before turning on some music and bringing in glasses and plates and placing them on the coffee table. Ten minutes later, when Mac still hadn't returned, Harm went to investigate.

Knocking on the bathroom door, Harm entered with Mac's permission.
"What are you doing?" he asked, catching her with a paintbrush in one hand and splotches of Dorado on the wall and cabinets.
"Um, painting..." she said with a laugh.
"Why?" he countered. "Weren't we going to do this tomorrow?"
"We were...we are," she corrected. "But I just wanted to make sure it was the right colour...do a little test," she said, using the brush to indicate the splotches and in the process coating Harm with drips of Dorado. "Oh...sorry!" she said sheepishly.

Shaking his head, Harm looked from her to the mirror and at the Dorado speckles on his face and a bigger blob on his shirt.
"No problem," he said, grabbing a cleaning rag and wiping his face. "Always wanted freckles."
Mac laughed and laughed until Harm took the brush and ran his fingers through the bristles causing a similar pattern across Mac's face.

Mac: 1 Harm: 1

This was war!

This time it was Harm laughing until he found himself face down on the floor with his arm twisted up behind his back and a marine with her knee on his lower back.
"Still think it's funny?" she asked trying to keep a straight face at the look of complete surprise on his. "I think 'no' is the safest answer," she added when he failed to reply.
"Well, no it is," he said before forcing himself up and, in a move even the marines would be impressed with, had her pinned beneath him. Though his technique was impeccable, his spatial awareness wasn't and Mac's head had bounced off the side of the tub and the floor.

Blinking a few times and trying not to curse and give away just how much it had hurt, Mac tried a few deep breaths.
"Oh, Mac, I'm so sorry," he said, moving backwards and helping her sit up, though he remained straddled across her legs. "Are you okay?" She looked at his concerned expression, she looked at his sorry eyes and decided to make him suffer just a little longer.
"Huh? What happened?" she asked, rubbing her head.
"You hit your head," he explained, kneeling up to inspect her head for damage, relieved when he found none.
"How did I do that?" she said, shaking her head.
"I...I did it," he said sheepishly, taking the cleaning rag and trying to clean up the paint still on her face.
"You hit me?" she said with mock incredulousness.
"NO!" he said quickly and adamantly. "You got paint on me..." he started before filling her in on their bathroom war. "I think I should get you to Bethesda, Mac. You must have hit your head harder than I thought."
"I'm okay, Harm," she said, as he helped her find her feet.
"No, you're not," he said, taking her arm.
"I am," she repeated, placing one hand on his chest as she steadied herself. "Yes, I was a little stunned but the rest, I was just playing with you," she chuckled heading out to the living room.
"What?" he asked, taking her hand. "You were playing with me?"
"I was," she said, smiling sweetly before patting his face. "You were so cute...all worried and such."

Mac: 2 Harm: 1

Grabbing her hand before she patted his cheek once more, Harm entwined their fingers.
"Cute?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow, "Me being concerned for your welfare is cute?"
"I think so," she said with a laugh before going to sit down but not getting far, their hands still joined.
Mac's eyes drifted from their hands to his face and back before she spoke.
"Ahh, can I have my hand back?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Nope," he said, walking around and sitting on the sofa, tugging her with him.
"Harm?" she said, "My hand."
"What about your hand?" he asked feigning ignorance.
"Can I have it back?" she asked, true, she didn't mind him holding her hand but she wasn't all too sure what he had in mind.
"You want it, take it," he said, settling back into the chair.

Mac knew a challenge when she heard one and settled back into the sofa to plan her move. Harm waited patiently for her to make a move.

It took four minutes and thirty seven seconds for Mac to make her move and she did by standing up. As she crossed in front of Harm, his arm followed and then she moved to the back of the sofa, his arm going over his head as she did.

Moving backwards, she knew Harm wouldn't risk a shoulder injury for the sake of a game and as the tension increased on his hyper extended arm he knew he had to act.

One tug from Mac, one much stronger counter tug from Harm and Mac ended up coming up and over sofa and landing on him much to her surprise.

His arms wrapped quickly around her, one leg moving to lock hers in place.

Mac: 2 Harm: 2

Rapid pulses were evident on both sides and, tentatively, Harm released his grip but Mac made no effort to move. Her eyes still fixed firmly on his and her body swimming in a million new sensations.

Slowly, Mac's hands came to rest on his chest, allowing herself to enjoy the texture of his shirt beneath her fingertips. Without thinking, she began to knead his chest and smirked when his eyes dilated even further.

Neither wanted to make the first move.

Neither wanted the situation to end.

It was a stalemate.

It wasn't until the knock on the door disturbed them that they moved. Scrambling off him, Mac grabbed her purse and paid the young man before depositing the bag on the coffee table.

Dinner was a very stilted affair. Both unsure what to say in light of one of their most intimate moments. Both wanting to take it further, much further. Soon, after much was left uneaten, Mac cleared the table and deposited the leftover food into the fridge before placing the plates in the sink. Taking more time than necessary to clean up, Mac was surprised to return to the living room to find Harm missing.

Figuring he must have gone to the bathroom to clean up their mess from earlier, Mac walked straight in and embarrassed them both by catching him urinating.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," she said quickly as she backed out, closing the door once more before she went and hid in the kitchen.
"Guess we have no secrets now, hey?" he said with half a laugh when he found her.
"Guess not," she mumbled. "I'm really sorry, I heard running water and I thought you were cleaning up the paint from earlier."
"Wasn't quite running water," he said, tilting his head and studying her, figuring out his next move. The only thing he was sure of was that there was no protocol written for this particular scenario.

It was a cup of coffee which brought them back to the living room and both chose to sit side by side on the sofa. When Harm had drained his cup, he figured it was time he made a move home, especially as they had a big day painting tomorrow. After quick plans for a starting time on the Sunday and a few uttered words of goodbye, Harm leant forward and kissed her cheek.
"Night, Mac," he said almost wistfully.
"Night, Harm," she replied before closing the door. Leaning back on it she let out a huge sigh. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
There was supposed to be witty banter – check.
There was supposed to be playful antics – check.
There was supposed to be sexual chemistry – check, double check.
There was supposed to be amazing, mind-blowing sex – miss.

Mac shook her head, trust the last one to be the thing that was missing. It all looked so simple on television and in the movies. Every romantic comedy ever filmed had all four key aspects and it always worked, always. What was she doing wrong?

Forcing herself off the door, Mac turned to lock the door before a strange feeling crept over her. Slowly, she opened the door and saw Harm leaning against the stairwell rail, his arms folded across his arms, his eyes focused on her door, on her.
"You didn't leave," she observed, opening the door fully.
"I was waiting for you to lock your door properly," he countered, not moving from his spot.
"I was waiting for you to leave," she replied, copying his pose as she leant against the doorjamb.
Harm smiled and her before laughing, "You want to know the truth?" he asked and Mac nodded. "I really didn't want to leave."
"Why'd you go then?" she asked, a little bud of nervousness growing in her stomach.
"I guess things felt a little strained and I didn't want to ruin what had been a good day," he admitted honestly and Mac nodded again.
"Yeah, it had been a good day," she said. "Until I sort of spoilt it..."
"You didn't spoil anything," he replied, pushing off the wall and padding over to her. "Look, we were both embarrassed but we're adults and I'm sure we can get over it. After all, we'll be spending a few hours in there tomorrow, so it's something best forgotten, okay?" he said, tilting his head to gain eye contact with her.
"Okay," Mac said with confidence, sure she could forget it...sort of.
"So, are we good?" he asked, running his hand down his arm and Mac smiled.
"Yeah, we're good," she said, enjoying the electricity his touch was creating, she couldn't help but smile.
"Good," he repeated. "So, I guess I should actually go now," he said reluctantly.

Mac worked through her list once more...and there was still one thing missing.

Three steps from her doorway, Mac called his name and he turned around.

Taking a deep breath, Mac closed the gap and locked her arms around his neck before pulling his head down and kissing him soundly.
"Night," she said, pulling back before winking at him.
The look on Harm's face as she closed and locked the door was priceless.

Mac: 3 Harm: 2

Deciding two could play at that game, Harm knocked loudly and tried not to smirk when he heard Mac muttering from behind the wooden barrier.
"Yes?" she asked when she opened the door.
"I forgot something," he said and Mac opened the door wider.
Quickly, he embraced her and bending her backward, kissed her so thoroughly she wasn't all too sure if she was still breathing.

Mac: 3 Harm: 3

The smug look on Harm's face as he stood her up jolted Mac into action. Oh, yeah, it was definitely game on.
Launching herself at him, Mac miscalculated the distance and he ended up falling backwards, Mac landing on top of him. Rather than wait to see if he was alright, Mac just kissed him ... and kissed him... and kissed him. Once Harm had regained control of his senses, he responded to her kisses and in the midst of the tongue duel managed to flip her over and be on top.

It was then Mac realised just how aroused by this encounter Harm was and she realised this could go a whole lot further. And while she was more than fine with that, she didn't want it to be on her living room floor with the front door still ajar.
"Time out!" she said breathlessly and Harm stopped. "I'm loving this...really, I am..." she assured him. "But I was kind of hoping to move this off the floor...and maybe locking the door for some privacy."

With agility belying his age, Harm sprung up and closed and locked the door before picking Mac up and laying her on the sofa.
"This better?" he asked as he moved to join her but Mac shook her head. "No?"
"No," she confirmed. "I was thinking of the bed...unless you..."
Once again Mac was in his arms before being deposited in the middle of her bed.
"This better?" he checked and Mac grinned.
"Wanna join me?" she asked and it was Harm's turn to grin.

Climbing into bed, Harm starting undressing her and was more than happy when Mac reciprocated and in next to no time, clothes were being shed and thrown around the room. It was only when the last item had been discarded that they were both struck by the situation. After years of dancing around and miscommunication, thwarted hopes and imaginings and a million or so heated dreams and fantasies, here they were – in bed and naked. And, in the end it had happened so fast.

Realising things could stall very quickly, Mac decided to keep the game they were playing, or at least the one she was playing in her head, alive. It was three all at her last count so it was time for her to go one up. With a quick dip under the covers, Mac retrieved the TV remote, abandoned the night before when she fell asleep watching the news, which had been digging into her leg. Holding up the offending device before tossing it onto the floor, Mac caught the confused look on Harm's face and came to the conclusion he thought she was about to do something else under there.

Who was she to disappoint?

Resurfacing some time later, Mac couldn't help but laugh at the goofy expression on Harm's face as he lay there completely dumbstruck by her antics.
"Cat got your tongue?" she purred as she resettled herself with her head on his pillow. Harm didn't answer and that in itself drew a laugh from Mac. "Gee, if I knew that was all it took to shut you up I would have done it years ago!"
Harm just shook his head – at the words, at the deed, at the images. Why on earth had he kept his distance from this woman? Mac's laugh brought him back to the present and there was no way Mac was going to have the last laugh. Copying her actions he disappeared under the covers and soon Mac's fingers were twisted through the white sheets and she fought to stave off the inevitable. It didn't work.

Mac: 4 Harm: 4

Before Mac could fully regain her senses, Harm had rolled on top of her and any thought she had of keeping score disappeared in the swirling storm of emotions and sensations the man was creating. As she closed her eyes and tried not to be overwhelmed by it all Mac considered all which had gone before for them and while she always knew they would be sexually compatible and she was pretty sure Harm would be amazing in bed, now that it was happening her brain was struggling to comprehend what was happening to her body.
"Have you changed your mind?" Harm asked, pushing himself up on his arms. "You've gone very quiet."
"Uh uh," she managed, before taking a deep breath. "Just can't really believe we're doing this..."
"Me either," he replied huskily before kissing her nose. "But if it's too much...too fast, we can stop..."
"Not likely," she replied, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Don't plan on letting you go for a long, long time," she groaned as she thrust up.

Harm grinned like the Cheshire Cat...he didn't plan on letting her go either.

The painting of the bathroom needed to be postponed to a more convenient time after neither managed to get out of bed before noon, then, deciding to save time, both showered together and put the tub to other uses. By the time the last stroke of Dorado was applied to the wall, something delayed a few times because of duty or pleasure, in equal measure, Harm was a regular overnight visitor. He had his own toiletries, his own pillow, his own robe hanging on the back of the door.

As she watched him slip into bed the night it was finally finished, Mac couldn't help but smile to herself. She definitely felt like a winner in all this, she had a renewed bathroom, she was having amazing, mind-blowing sex and she had Harm, she was definitely the winner – Game, Set and Match!