A/N: Adrift was another one of my favorite episodes. Bugme had finally gotten the message and left the country. (Yeah!) There was so much hope after Mac and Harm's telephone conversion.
Then, the annoying Video Princess showed up at Harm's place. Another missed opportunity by the writers.
Okay, this is a bit of fluff, but humor me. I always wondered what Harm and Mac would have said to one another if not for Renee's untimely appearance.
Disclaimer: Don't own them except for my boxed DVD set.
COME TO ME
Mic was gone. Wouldn't even speak to her when she showed up at the airport. He was convinced she didn't love him and that her feelings for Harm were much stronger.
No, she didn't love Mic. Not in the way someone should feel about the person they were about to marry.
Only one man would ever hold that place in her heart.
Yes, Harm was still her best friend. Yes, he had told her a few weeks earlier he never wanted to lose her. But he had Renee. And now that Mic was no longer in the picture, Mac was alone.
Her eye's misted as she reached for her phone. She had to call Harm. When he answered, she told him about Mic's sudden departure.
"Where are you going?" Harm asked.
"I don't know."
"Mac, come to me."
"Why?"
"So we can talk."
"We already talked. I need a better reason."
"You know the reason."
How could she not go to him? After all, he was the one she'd always wanted.
"Mac?"
"I'm here."
"I'm waiting." Harm's voice was low and husky.
Harm still hadn't fully recovered from his crash in the Atlantic. He leaned on a cane when he opened the door for Mac. But when he saw her tears, he let it fall to the floor and took her into his arms.
They stood there for a while, just holding one another. After a few minutes, Mac's tears subsided, and she looked up into those gorgeous blue eyes. She'd always marveled how at times they seemed to change color, sometimes bright blue, other times with a touch of gray. Still there were times they grew dark.
His eyes were always expressive, and from them, Mac could often tell what he was feeling or thinking. Tonight, she saw concern in them. Reluctantly, she pulled away, and as he shifted his weight, a grimace of pain crossed his face.
She picked up his cane from the floor. "Let's sit down. You're hurting."
"You're hurting too," he said as they walked to the sofa.
Any other time, she would have taken a nearby chair, but she wanted—no needed—to be close to him. She sat beside him on the sofa.
An awkward silence filled the room. They were here. Together. To talk. And now, neither of them knew where to begin.
Mac fiddled with her engagement ring. Somehow, wearing it never felt right. Maybe because Mic had forced it on her, insisting she wear it on the right hand. She later moved it over because Mic made her feel guilty.
Guilt should never be the basis for a relationship. Why hadn't she seen that in the beginning? That's how their relationship had been from the start. Mic pushed, she said no, he made her feel guilty, and she gave in.
When did she become so weak? She was a Marine. How many times had she told Harm, "I'm a Marine, I can take care of myself?"
But she allowed Mic to control and manipulate her. The longer she thought about it, the angrier she became. Suddenly, the ring felt like a noose, pulling and burning her finger.
You don't need that lifeline, let it go before it becomes a noose.
Without giving it another thought, Mac took the ring off her finger and laid it on the coffee table, resisting the urge to sling it across the room.
"You okay?" Harm's voice was soft.
"I am now." She felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her.
"Mac, the night of your engagement party, I asked if you loved Mic."
"And I wouldn't answer."
"Do you?"
"No. He said and did all the right things. Promised me the kind of life I wanted. But I don't love him. I never did."
"Then why did you go to him?"
"Do you really have to ask?" Harm was always good at answering questions with questions. Now it was her turn.
"Because of what happened in Sydney."
"Yeah."
"I wasn't pushing you away. I wanted you to wait."
"I realize that now." Mac paused for a while before continuing. "Harm, that night on the admiral's porch you said you didn't want to lose me. When your plane went down in the ocean, I was afraid I had lost you. I never want to face that possibility again. And I'm not talking about you flying."
"You haven't lost me."
His eyes grew darker. For once, Mac had a hard time deciphering his expression. Was it hope? Desire? Love? Something else?
If he turned her away again, she wouldn't survive. She lowered her head and closed her eyes in an attempt to fight the tears that threatened to flow.
Harm reached for her. "Mac, look at me."
Slowly she turned and met his gaze. And suddenly it was clear. Hope. Desire. Love.
"Harm?"
"I'm here, Mac." His eyes flashed her a question.
"I'm here, Harm," she answered.
Together.
The only place either of them wanted to be.