Disclaimer: Don't own'em.
A/N: So ridiculously fluffy, if this was a mattress the princess wouldn't even feel the pea.
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Trip to the Beach
Mac leaned back on the blanket, and tilted her head up towards the sun, letting its late morning rays kiss her skin. She let out a deep, contented sigh. She loved just basking in the sun, and when that basking was taking place on an oceanfront beach while waiting for Harm to bring her an ice cream bar, well, life couldn't get much better. She wondered if he'd get anything for himself from the ice cream stand. She doubted it, and knew she was partly to blame.
Although it wasn't really her fault.
She'd realized only recently that his body was changing, and had changed. Gone was the slim muscular build he'd sported when they'd first met, and in its place appeared a still incredibly sexy and muscled, though more mature body. He'd thickened slightly at the waist, though his abs were still in terrific shape, and his biceps ... her mouth watered at the thought of them. To think after all this time, just looking at him still made her want to drag him to the nearest flat surface and have her way with him.
She hadn't really consciously noted the change in him until she'd been looking at pictures of the two of them at AJ's christening, taken all those years ago. She'd commented on it, but in typical Harm fashion, he'd ignored the 'sexy' bit, and latched onto the 'thickened' and 'mature' bit. Mac rolled her eyes at the thought. He'd gone off the deep end, and been so mortally offended she'd had to bend over backwards to apologize and appease his ego. But even that hadn't stopped him from jumping headlong into another of his obsessive fixations, and now his eating habits were stricter than they'd ever been - he even threatened to cancel the pizza nights they still had every two or three weeks. Ordering half-veggie, half-everything pizzas was a tradition that dated back to the very beginnings of their friendship, and he wanted to cancel it because he wanted the body of his youth back. Mac was quickly nearing her wit's end.
She hoped it was a phase, and that it wouldn't last more than six months. If she was lucky. When they'd first been just friends, she'd teased him about his eating habits. She hadn't known just what a crazy health nut he really was - living with him could be trying at times - or how much was fueled by vanity. Add to that his obsessive streak, which was a force to be reckoned with all on its own ... Live and learn, Mac thought.
She still couldn't stop the grin that spread across her features, though. She loved him to bits, even his quirks and sometimes exasperating behaviour. Or maybe it was just the beautiful summer morning speaking. Regardless, she wouldn't change him for the world. Well, she silently amended, it would be good if he ate dessert more often, if only so that she could taste two desserts without looking like a glutton at restaurants. It made for a lot of quiet - and sometimes not so quiet - longing when they went out to eat. At least her metabolism was still as fast as ever. When she was younger she'd thought it was some form of karma to make up for her less than glamorous childhood. It sometimes still surprised her that the ill-effects of teenage binge drinking and god knows what else she'd gotten into during those hazy years hadn't manifested themselves in some physiological way as she'd aged. She sent out a silent prayer of thanks. Not everyone was lucky enough to get a second chance. She would admit that her own body had also changed from what it was when she'd first met Harm. Harm, though, denied it and told her that she looked the same to him, except more beautiful. Mac's grin widened.Her silver-tongued sweet talker. When his foot wasn't in his mouth, that is.
Speaking of sweet, where was her ice cream...
Mac's musings were interrupted by a tennis ball landing next to her feet, sending a light spray of sand over her toes. She wiggled her toes, enjoying the texture of the fine grains. She loved sand. A sharp yip caught her attention, and Mac looked up to see a small dog running in her direction, no doubt to fetch the wayward ball. The dog was an absolutely adorable puppy who still hadn't quite mastered the art of fetching. The puppy ground to a halt beside her, but overshot the tennis ball and thudded gently into Mac's legs, sending even more sand flying. Mac laughed as she straightened herself, and brushed the sand from her legs. The cute little dog stared at her with curious fascination, his large brown eyes following the movement of her hands.
"Hey there, little guy." She cooed, gently petting the puppy. "Having some trouble with the sand?"
The dog ambled up beside her, and nuzzled into her side. She could feel his warm breath through the thin, almost transparent cotton of her sundress.
"I'm sorry about that."
Mac looked up to see a pleasant-looking man approaching her.
"I'm trying to teach him to fetch."
"I think he has a mind of his own," Mac replied, watching as the puppy left her side and started digging into the sand, sending another fine spray over her legs. She brushed the sand off again, and shifted her legs to the side.
The stranger laughed at her attempts to dodge the flying sand.
"I'm Bryan," he said, somewhat suddenly.
Mac looked at him, surprised. Was he hitting on her? He looked to be about ten to fifteen years younger than her, had a deep tan, and was wearing only swimming trunks. From his muscular build, Mac pegged him as a swimmer.
"And this is Jaws," Bryan said quickly, reaching for the dog.
"Jaws?" Mac asked, watching as the little pup struggled to be released from his owner's gentle grasp. "He doesn't look all that threatening."
"That's true, but you haven't seen him attack his food bowl." Bryan replied. He crouched down and released Jaws. The dog immediately clambered over Mac's legs.
"He likes you," Bryan said. "Can't blame him." He smiled disarmingly at her, revealing his whitened teeth and the dimples on his cheeks.
Amazing, Mac thought in wonder. He was hitting on her.
Mac looked down at her ring finger, but then remembered she'd left her wedding ring in the car, not wanting to lose it when she went for a swim. But there was a prominent and very noticeable tan line on her third finger, left hand.
Bryan picked up the tennis ball lying by Mac's feet and held it out to her.
"Maybe I'll have better luck teaching him to fetch if you throw the ball." He offered, grin in place.
Mac was about to decline, and send the younger man off, when Jaws looked up and started yipping.
Mac turned to see Matt running her way, wearing his dinosaur swimming trunks, holding two Mickey Mouse ice cream bars.
"I brought Mickey Mouses, mommy!" He exclaimed excitedly, almost tripping over his own feet as he ran in the sand. "Daddy said bring it real fast 'cause I run fasterest. Did you see how fast I runned? I run fast zoom-zoom like the Ori - orinthamamasussus!" He proclaimed proudly, coming to a quick stop next to her. His sudden skid to a halt sent sand flying over her legs, just like Jaws' antics had moments earlier.
"That was great, Matty." Mac grinned at her son, "I bet you ran even faster than an Orinthomimus could."
Matt's chest puffed out. "Orinthomimus. Orinthomimus." He chanted the dinosaur's name, making Mac laugh.
Matt smiled widely at her as he handed her one bar, and plopped down on the sand beside her. He scooted over so that he was almost sitting on her lap, and ripped open the wrapping paper on his ice cream.
Mac turned to see where Katie was, and saw her running valiantly towards her, popsicle in hand, bouncing on her feet as she navigated her way over the sand. At two, she still had a bit of trouble finding her feet on tricky surfaces - or finding her land legs, as Harm liked to put it. For her part, Mac had never met such an unapologetically clumsy kid in her life. Mac couldn't help but laugh at the sight Katie made in her purple bathing suit spotted with pink flowers, her curls bouncing, and her fingers clutching her popsicle.
Further behind Katie, Mac caught sight of Harm. He was at the ice cream stand, reaching into his pocket to pay for the purchases. He looked towards Mac and, catching her eye, winked smugly.
Mac shook her head, her grin widening. She'd bet he'd sent the kids to her on purpose to dissuade the lothario in front of her.
At that moment, Matt noticed Jaws and Bryan. He suddenly stopped eating and laughed loudly.
"That's a doggie!" He pointed to Jaws.
Mac looked up to find and expression of surprise frozen over Bryan's face. He recovered admirably when he realized she was watching him with amusement, and turned his disarming grin on Matt.
"That's my puppy. His name is Jaws." Bryan said to Matt, and then added, "My name is Bryan."
"I'm Matt. I'm a T-Rex." Matt roared loudly to illustrate his point. Jaws ran to cower behind Mac. Matt giggled, and then said to Bryan, "But I don't eat doggies. I eat Mickey Mouses."
Matt was about to return to his ice cream bar when he remembered his manners.
"This is mommy," Matt added, pointing to Mac. "And this is Baby," he said pointing to Mac's stomach.
Bryan's eyes almost popped out of his head.
"Ten weeks," Mac offered kindly, feeling a bit sorry. "It doesn't quite show yet."
"Mommy!" Katie announced her presence with a distinct squeal.
She ambled to a stop in front of Mac, precariously off-balance, and opened her mouth to say something. She stopped when she caught sight of Jaws.
"There doggie." She informed her mom, ignoring Bryan completely.
"That's right." Mac enthused, "His name is Jaws." She wondered what their ebullient daughter would do next.
Katie grinned, and then remembered her popsicle. She gave a squeal of excitement, hopped on her feet - almost falling down in the process - and then plunked herself down on Mac's lap, ignoring Matt's presence. She waved her wrapped up popsicle in front of Mac. Jaws apparently wasn't worth the distraction from her icy treat.
"Open, please." Katie requested of her mother. She shifted to the side, shoving Matt off Mac's lap as she did so. Matt gave his sister a T-Rex roar, and leaned into his arm where it rested over Mac's thigh in an effort to hold his ground. Katie giggled, and roared back, although it came out more as a squeal.
Mac shook her head as the the two of them vied for place on her lap. Ever since she and Harm had told them of their new brother or sister growing in Mac's tummy, the two had become very clingy.
"Um. I have to get Jaws home." This came from Bryan. He looked sheepish for an instant, and Mac thought he might be blushing, but then his smile turned genuine. "You, uh, have a beautiful family." He nodded towards Matt and Katie.
"Thank you." Mac replied, the now familiar sense of pride welling in her heart.
"Well, I'll get going." Bryan gathered Jaws and the tennis ball, and stood up.
Mac nodded, and was about to wish him well when Katie interrupted.
"Open, please." She repeated, more insistently this time, and with a less than charitable look directed at Bryan.
He laughed heartily in response, obviously amused at Katie's antics. With a final wave, he was off.
Mac turned to Katie, "Alright, sweetie. Sit on the sand so you can eat your popsicle." Experience had taught her that Katie would make a monumental mess.
Katie squirmed off Mac's lap and sat on the sand, watching with eager fascination as Mac removed the wrapping paper and revealed a bright pink popsicle.
"Pretty," Katie looked up at Mac, her eyes shining with excitement.
"It's a very pretty pink." Mac handed Katie the popsicle. "Pink popsicle."
"Pink tickle." Katie said, before stuffing the lollipop in her mouth. Immediately, she scrunched up her face and looked at Mac, seeming unsure how she was supposed to react.
"That's cold, isn't it?" Mac asked, amused. "Try licking it, like daddy showed you last time."
Katie looked down at her popsicle, and then brought it to her mouth with more care. She licked it once, and then smacked her lips together. "Yum-yum." She informed her mother.
Satisfied that Katie was settled, Mac turned her attention to her own ice cream bar.
"So, pretty lady, do you come here often," Harm's voice came from behind her. Mac laughed.
She glanced at Harm as he took a seat beside her, on the other side of Matt.
"You almost gave that poor guy a heart attack." She teased. "To sic the kids on him like that."
"I thought it prudent to remind you that you happen to have a husband and kids, before that boy" He emphasized that last word, taking a devilish enjoyment in the situation, "Whisked you away to a life of beach bumming."
Mac sighed dramatically. "If only."
She looked over at him, clad in swimming trunks and shirtless. Definitely getting sexier with age, she thought. It was then that she noticed Harm unwrapping his own Mickey Mouse ice cream bar.
"You bought yourself one!" She exclaimed, pleasantly surprised.
He shrugged off-hand. "Thought I'd treat myself."
She leaned close to him, glancing down at Matt to make sure he was too engrossed in his ice cream to pay attention to his parents, he picked up new words like a sponge.
"I'm serious, Harm. You're way sexier than you were when we first met. This recent flax craze is you going a bit overboard."
"Maybe when half-naked female joggers start hitting on me at the beach I'll believe you." He grumbled, looking down at his ice cream bar with a dubious expression. His eyes drifted to the direction Bryan had walked off in.
"Well, I am wearing only a bikini under this dress." She teased, knowing women still flirted madly with him. In Bryan's words, she couldn't blame them. "I could go for a quick jog, if you like, and then come back and tell you how irresistible you are."
"I meant female joggers half my age." He groused, reminding her of Matt when he was sulking.
"Hey, wait, are you saying I'm too old for your tastes?" She feigned serious affront.
"No!" He recanted, alarmed, and then realized she was teasing him. He gave her a warning look.
She laughed in delight. Being hit on by a stranger who was at least a decade younger than her had definitely improved her already good mood. Her family, warm sand, ice cream and an ego boost. The day couldn't get any better.
"Mommy," Katie called for Mac's attention. "I want twim." She pointed one pudgy finger towards the water.
"Finish your popsicle first, sweetie. Then we'll go for a swim."
"'kay." She agreed, and focussed her attention on her pink popsicle.
Harm and Mac watched as the gooey sweet concoction melted over her hands and dripped down her chin.
"At least the saltwater will clean her right up." Harm observed. He glanced at Matt, and saw him struggling not to make a mess. Harm quickly picked him up from his perch on the side of Mac's lap, and placed him on the sand.
Matt roared at his dad, and clambered back to sit next to Mac. Harm shook his head at Matt's antics.
"Daddy," Katie looked up at Harm, smiling sweetly as she squinted in the sunlight. "Now twim?"
Harm looked at his daughter, his expression full of love, and Mac thought he'd give in to her. That smile always got her what she wanted from her dad.
"Have you finished your popsicle yet?" He asked her.
She shook her head, her curls bouncing lightly.
"Finish it, and then we can all go in the water."
Katie turned back to her popsicle, and Harm and Mac exchanged a warm smile. Mac was suitably impressed with him.
Before she could say anything, though, a yawn overtook her.
Harm's smile transformed into a full-on grin.
"Tired?" He asked, nudging her shoulder lightly.
"Sleepy."
"You're always sleepy these days. Want me to have a word with the little parasite in you, tell him or her to stop sucking up all your energy reserves?" He teased, his free hand coming to rest on her belly.
"Harmon Rabb, do not call our baby a parasite."
"Hey, that's essentially what baby is. You know, I read an article that said the relationship between mother and child is like that, and it starts in utero." He was trying to rile her, she knew. He'd even admitted early on in their marriage that teasing her just so he could see her reaction was something he'd taken great sport in since they'd met.
"I prefer to think of it as a mutualistic symbiotic relationship."
"Those are the maternal instincts talking. Wait until these three start coming to us for their allowance."
"Harmon Rabb." She warned.
He gave her a wide grin, and winked before taking a bite out of his ice cream.
Mac rolled her eyes. "Did the article say anything about annoying husbands catalyzing spontaneous combustion?"
He laughed. "I must've skipped that part. Although," His expression turned rakish. "There was some definite combustion when this little miracle was conceived." He patted Mac's tummy, looking both proprietary and proud.
"Yes, Harm, you did good work." Mac shook her head at his posturing, finding the occasional appearance of his male arrogance amusing. It had taken a while for her to take it in stride. On that thought, Mac finished her ice cream bar. She glanced over longingly at Harm's. He was a slow ice cream eater, and was not even a third of the way done.
He caught her look and sighed, an affectionate indulgence twinkling in his eye. "Would you like the rest of mine, Mac?"
"Yes," She grinned, unrepentant, and grabbed the ice cream bar from his hand. "Thank you!" She enthused as she leaned forward to place a kiss on his cheek.
Harm slipped his arm around her shoulders. "Anything to keep you and our parasites happy."
"Daddy, twim." Katie insisted, pouting.
"Have you finished..." He trailed off as he looked at her. Mac followed his gaze and found that Katie's hands were suspiciously empty.
"Katie, where's your popsicle?" Harm asked, now in father-mode.
Katie shrugged innocently, and it was all Mac could do to suppress a grin. She took a bite of Mickey Mouse's ear and watched the show. Matt also looked up from his almost-finished bar, looking from Harm to Katie.
"Katie." Harm warned. "Show me your hands."
Katie shook her head stubbornly. "Twim."
"Show me your hands, Caitlyn." Harm repeated. Matt's eyes widened. Ooh, Mac thought. The given name was being used. Harm meant business.
Katie must've realized this as well because she brought her hands in front of her. Both were empty.
Harm frowned. Mac noticed the small pile of sand in front of Katie and almost laughed. One thing was for sure, both their kids had impressive levels of ingenuity, but Katie could be just plain sneaky.
Harm leaned over Mac and started shifting the sand piled in front of their daughter. His efforts uncovered a sticky popsicle, no longer pink but licked to a plain white, covered in particles of sand. Matt stood up and walked around to Katie's side. He stared down at the popsicle, and then poked it with his toe, clearly fascinated.
"Caitlyn MacKenzie-Rabb." Harm said sternly. Full name now, Mac thought. Katie was in serious trouble. Matt forgot all about the interred popsicle, and watched the scene intently instead.
Katie's lower lip jutted out. "No pretty," She said pointing at the sad looking popsicle.
"I think she didn't like that it's no longer pink." Mac offered as she finished up her second ice cream. She looked at her bare popsicle stick, and then longingly towards the ice cream stand.
Harm looked at Mac in disbelief. "Not pink?" And then added incredulously, following Mac's line of sight. "You want another one?"
"It's your kid," She informed him, patting her stomach.
"Mommy says Baby likes ice cream," Matt told his dad. He offered Mac a toothy grin, his expression beaming, and reclaimed his mom's lap.
"Great. You trained that one, too." Harm told Mac. She winked in response, and hugged Matt to her.
Harm seemed to realize he'd been diverted from his initial course. He turned his attention back to Katie. "It's wrong to waste food like that, young lady. And it's wrong to bury food."
Mac bit back a smile at that incongruous statement.
"Because of that," He continued, pointing to the ice cream. "You are going to have to wait five minutes before you can go swimming."
Katie's lower lip trembled.
"I'll wait with you while Mommy and Matt go." Harm said firmly.
Tears welled in Katie's eyes. Mac gave Harm five seconds.
One.
Katie sniffed endearingly.
Two.
A tear fell down her cheek.
Three.
She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.
Four.
"I sorry," She whimpered to her dad.
"Aw, c'mere." Harm reached over Mac and pulled Katie onto his lap.
Five.
Mac hid her face in Matt's hair, attempting to hide her smile.
"You should always finish your food, okay sweetheart?" Harm's tone was all gentleness. "It's not good to waste."
Katie nodded, still sniffing. Harm wiped away her tears with the pads of his fingers, and Mac's heart melted a little.
"Okay," Harm affirmed, with a kiss to Katie's cheek. "Let's all go swimming."
Katie clapped in Harm's lap, and squealed. Matt bounded out of Mac's lap, roaring loudly.
Harm's smile put the sun to shame.
Mac sighed, falling just a little bit more in love with him. She reached out one hand behind Harm's neck, and pulled him in for a long, slow kiss.
"Wow." Harm said once she pulled away. His eyebrow was raised in playful anticipation. "Was that the pregnancy-induced increased libido I enjoyed so much last time?"
Mac punched his shoulder lightly in exasperation. "No!"
He frowned, confused. "Then what was it for?"
Mac shrugged, trying to tame her smile. "Do I need a reason to kiss my hunk of a husband?"
"Never, sweetheart." He laughed, and stood up, pulling her with him.
She kept grinning up at him.
"What?" He asked, confused.
"You," She poked him playfully in the side, "Are such a softie," She said, referring to the way Katie had him wrapped around her finger.
Harm grinned again, and leaned in for another kiss. He stopped suddenly, right before making contact. He pulled back and studied Mac's face intently. He then looked down at his waist and abdomen, frowning.
"What do you mean by 'softie'?"
--
end.