Disclaimer: Not mine

Journey 2/3

25 days until her birthday may as well have been 25 months as far as Mac was concerned. As back in DC, the pace at JAG Headquarters picked up and between investigations and meetings, Harm and Mac had little time to themselves but time seemed to drag. Still, Mac had her birthday to look forward to and the big surprise.

Friday, three days before her Monday birthday, General Cresswell called Mac into his office just after lunch and told her to square her things away as he was getting information 'from above' that she would be required in the San Diego office to take command for up to a month due to a situation with the incumbent.
"When will I need to go, sir?" she asked, willing to go as it was her duty, disappointed she'd be across the country on her birthday.
"Tomorrow," he replied. "There will be briefings on Sunday and you'd be expected in the office by 0700 Monday."
"Aye, aye, sir," she replied, coming to attention.
"Now, at this stage," Cresswell continued. "This is all unofficial. The San Diego situation may be a storm in a tea cup and not eventuate but I thought you should be prepared."
"I appreciate the warning, sir," she replied, still at attention.
"Now, clear away whatever you need to and secure early," he replied. "My advice is to go home and pack the essentials, as soon as I know I will contact you."
"Aye, aye, sir," she said before turning on her heel and exiting the office.

Disappointed at the news of her possible relocation, albeit temporary, Mac searched out Harm, alas to be disappointed again.
"He's out at Norfolk to speak to a witness, ma'am," Petty Officer Coates informed her. "Not sure of his ETA."

Organising her files and handing the ones needing actioning to Coates to pass onto the General, should they need to be redistributed, Mac cleaned off her desk, closed down her computer and headed for home.

Unlocking her apartment door she was stunned to find fifteen big palm trees scattered around her living room. Her heating had to be on as the temperature was much higher in the apartment than outside and an industrial fan stood in the corner blowing the warm air around to give the place a balmy feel. Her sofa and arm chairs were now AWOL and in their place were two large beach lounges with a small table between them.
"Harm?" she called, knowing it could only be him that had done this.
"You called?" he answered, coming from the kitchen carrying two coconuts with straws and umbrellas in them and a non-alcoholic tropical drink within.

Mac didn't notice the drinks, not at all. Her attention was firmly on the fact Harm was wearing Hawaiian swimming trunks and nothing else.
"A drink?" he said, offering her the one in his right hand.
"What? What's going on?" she asked, not sure what to make of any of it.
"Well, I tried to convince Cresswell to give us a week's leave so we could go somewhere tropical and he said no, the best he could do was give us an early mark today and Monday off but we're both expected back at JAG Tuesday."
"No," she said with a shake of her head. "Looks like I'm headed to San Diego tomorrow – there's some snafu over there."
"No, you're not," he said, "That was just the story Cresswell gave you."
"But he said it came 'from above'," she replied, still not convinced this was all really happening.
"Yes, it did," he replied. "But not the from above you'd expect. I had the assistance of Mrs Cresswell."
"Dora Cresswell helped you with this?" she asked incredulously.
"Well, she helped with the leave and your birthday surprise but..." he began to explain.
"You mean this isn't my birthday surprise?" she questioned.
"It is a surprise for your birthday but it's not the one I was working on. That is your present which you will get Monday. This little tropical surprise is just in lieu of the real thing."
"So, we have a long weekend together, I'm not going west and I get to spend it here in paradise?" she asked needing to clarify things.
"You've got it exactly," he said with a grin; proud of his efforts and the disbelief on her face.
"Okay," she said with a nod before handing back her drink. "In that case, I'll be right back," she said before disappearing into her bedroom.

Fifteen minutes later, Mac reappeared in her blue bikini, a white and blue floral print sarong wrapped around her waist, her hair down, her makeup gone – after all, this was a beach vacation.
"Good god!" Harm muttered when he first saw her; she was breathtaking.
"Like?" she asked, swirling around.
"Oh, very much so," he replied as she took her drink back.
"Thank you," she said, taking her drink in one hand and wrapping the other around his neck. "This is all fantastic."

Pressing up, she kissed him softly. It didn't take long for the kiss to take on a life of its own and soon the pair were entwined on a lounge exchanging heated kisses.
"God dammit," Mac muttered when her cell rang.
"Leave it to me," Harm said before getting up and checking the phone. Caller ID said 'Anonymous' and that was enough for Harm to ignore it, turning the phone off completely.

He then proceeded turn his off and disconnect the landline. "No interruptions."
"Good thinking," she said with a grin, more than happy to have this weekend just about them.

Feeling the heat of the situation, combined with the heat of the room, Mac fanned herself with her hand.
"You didn't manage to put the ocean in here somewhere?" she asked taking off her sarong and increasing Harm's temperature in the process.
"Well, not quite the ocean..." he said, taking her hand and leading her to the kitchen.
"Oh, my goodness," she said, taking in the sight.

Her table was pushed back against the wall and dressed up as a tropical hut. The extra room on the floor was now their private beach. Actually, it was a sand colour tarpaulin with a sturdy inflatable pool filled with water with a couple of floating flowers drifting across the surface. Around the bench tops were candles ready to be lit.
"For our moonlight dip," he said when he saw her looking at the candles.
"I... It's ... I'm speechless," she said, her hands animated but her mouth not.
"Wait til you see the bedroom," he said with a laugh and instantly Mac was gone.

The entire bedroom had been turned around with the bed head now resting against the wall opposite of the window which had the blind drawn and a sheet draped over it, on which was a hand painted island beach. Mac reached out to touch it.
"Don't," Harm warned, "It's still wet."
"You painted it?" she asked turning to face the man as he stood by the bed.
"Dora did this morning," he replied, very happy with the look of awe he had put on her face.
"Dora? As in Mrs Cresswell?" she asked and Harm nodded. "I think you need to explain things to me."

Taking her hand, Harm led her to the end of the bed and they both sat down.
"Well, about two months ago I went to see the General about your birthday," Harm said, lifting his hand to caress her face. "I wanted the week off for us both, as I told you, and I also wanted his permission to contact his wife about something we had discussed at Christmas."
"And what was that?" she questioned, still gazing at him.
"That, I can't tell you," he said kissing her nose. "As that is to do with your birthday present, but when I was talking to her about your present, I mentioned her husband not giving us the week and while she couldn't help with that due to the SecNav scheduling that meeting on Thursday, she came up with this idea and helped me put it together."
"But when?" Mac asked, the details not clear to her.
"Well, that night with Sturgis, was actually Dora and the night I was a no-show I was online trying to find the palm trees and pool...all that sort of thing...last week when you were in court, Dora and I met and finetuned a few things and then this morning as soon as the briefing was over, Cresswell dismissed me and I met Dora here at 0930 and the deliveries started at 1000 and it all came together really well."
"It's amazing," she said, "I ... I'm amazed ...to think you did it all for me..."
"I'm glad you like it," he said, leaning in and kissing her gently.
"I do, very much," she said, kissing him back. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, gorgeous," he said kissing her once more and this time the kiss led to them both being naked and entwined underneath the crisp white sheets of her bed.

"So, when do I get my birthday present?" she asked as she rolled back onto her side of the bed, deliriously happy.
"Monday afternoon," he said, following her across and peppering her neck and shoulders with kisses.
"Why do I have to ...wait?" she said with a gasp as his tongue circled her nipple.
"Because your birthday's not til Monday," he replied as he worked his way down her body.
"But isn't this my birthday weekend?" she asked arching up into him.
"Yes," he said coming back up to her mouth. "But Monday afternoon it is and you'll have to wait," he said, pausing above her.
"Oh, all right," she conceded pulling him back to her; she could wait patiently, especially if she had something to occupy herself with.

The warmth of the apartment, the exertion of their activities saw them both asleep in the late afternoon, stirring after the sun had descended Mac realised she was hungry.
"Hungry..." she muttered, rolling into Harm. "Feed me..."
Harm grinned. "What would you like?" he asked, brushing her tangled locks from her face.
"Don't care," she replied, "Shame this place doesn't have room service."
"Who says it doesn't?" Harm asked, leaning backwards and pulling a binder from beneath the bed.

Opening it up on his chest, so she could see it, Harm explained the coloured dot code he'd used.
"These are the menus from every restaurant and fast food place which delivers here," he said, flicking through the pages. "The blue dot means they do breakfast, red is lunch, green is dinner and the black dots mean they deliver all night. So, ma'am, the choice is yours."
"How did you know we'd be in here when we were hungry?" she questioned, sitting up and pulling the sheet around her.
"Oh," he said, with a twinkle in his eye. "Just a hunch."

In the end they went for a place which had a Japanese Spanish fusion menu and picked a range of tasty dishes which would be satisfying yet not too heavy. Leaving the bedroom to find his cell and making the call, Harm was surprised to see Mac walking from the bedroom, dressed in her bikini once more.
"I think we need to cool off in the pool before dinner," she said, heading to the kitchen.
"We could have done that naked," he said, looking down at his unclad form.
"Skinny dipping on our first day?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that a bit adventurous?"

Harm just laughed. He would have baulked at the idea of skinny dipping the first day on an actual island.
"Okay, give me a sec," he called as he headed back to find his trunks. After a quick search he was still sans trunks but turning he caught a strange reflection in Mac's mirror and turned to find his trunks dangling from the light fitting.

Entering the kitchen, he found Mac had closed the blinds, left the lights off and lit the candles.
"You weren't planning on swimming laps, were you?" he asked as he watched her reclined against the side of the pool, the water lapping around her, her red painted toes making small splashes.
"Nope," she said opening her eyes. "More than happy just to chill right here."

Moving, she made room for Harm to slip in beside her before resting her head on his chest and draping her arm across him, her fingers playing in the water beside his hip.
"Love you," he whispered, kissing her head and Mac smiled.
"Love you too," she replied, looking up at him. "So very much."

Dinner, dancing, a moonlit encounter in the waterfalls, also known as Mac's shower, and the pair were back in bed succumbing to sleep, wrapped comfortably in each other's arms. Just as Harm drifted off Mac slapped his arm.
"What was that for?" he asked looking down to find her eyes still closed.
"Mosquito," she mumbled, nestling in closer.
Harm laughed; glad she was getting into the island spirit.

Breakfast was of the buffet variety, thanks to Harm waking early and calling several different places to get the menu items he knew Mac would order if they were actually away. There were two serves of scrambled eggs, one of bacon, pancakes with maple syrup, tropical fruit salads, breads and pastries, a choice of apple or orange juice and two grande steaming cups of her favourite coffee.

Once the aroma of the coffee reached her, Mac padded out to the living room, her sarong now wrapped around her body.
"Morning, gorgeous," he said smiling at her mussed hair and still sleepy face.
"Morning to you too," she replied, making her way to him and kissing him.
"Ready for breakfast?" he asked, pulling a chair out at her dining table.
"Wow!" she said, realising there was more on offer than the coffee.
"Hungry?" he asked as she sat down.
"Always," she replied with a laugh as she waited for him to join her.
"Help yourself," he said, gesturing to the array of dishes in front of her.
"You're incredible," she said, reaching over and squeezing his hand.
"I know, you told me that last night too," he said, raising his eyebrows and grinning.
"Well, you were incredible then too...but this...I'm very impressed," she said nodding.
"Nothing but the best for you, Mac," he said kissing her hand.

Breakfast was enjoyed with casual chatter before the topic turned to activities for the rest of the weekend.
"My plan was to camp out here all weekend and forget about the world out there for a bit," Harm said, before biting into his Danish. "But..." he said before swallowing. "I don't want you feeling confined ... if you want to go out ..."
"No," she said with a quick shake of her head. "I'd rather stay in with you," she said, not wanting to risk the outside world interfering with what they had going. "Just wondering what we were going to get up to."
"Well, after breakfast, I thought we could relax on the beach and grab some rays," he said gesturing to the lounges. "I could apply the sunscreen for you," he added with a wink.
"Sunscreen, hey?" Mac said, picking up her glass.
"Well, it's a jasmine and vanilla moisturising cream, figured it would work just as well," he said, using the napkin to wipe his mouth.
"Ooh, a massage, that sounds nice," she said smiling broadly. She loved massages from Harm, especially when she was totally relaxed and totally naked.
"And after that..." he started but Mac shook her head.
"Nope, no more, I'm happy with a massage ... a long, sensual, thorough massage," she said dreamily. "And later on I'll do the same for you."
"Deal!" Harm said, knowing all their massages ended up with the type of skin on skin contact that he enjoyed more than anything.

Once the breakfast items were cleared away, Harm reclined the lounge to a flat position before throwing a pillow at the top of it. Spreading a towel out lengthwise, Harm smoothed it down before picking up the cream.
"Ready when you are," he called out to Mac who had gone to use the bathroom.
"You sure?" she sassed as she crossed the room dressed in nothing but a smile.
"Oh yeah," he replied. He was definitely ready for some uninterrupted time worshipping her body.

When Mac was in position, Harm squeezed the cream into his hand and rubbed them together before kneeling beside the lounge and starting his mission. Starting with her neck and shoulders, Harm rubbed and massaged his way around and down her back before grabbing some more cream and working on her arms. By the time he had reached her legs she was fast asleep but Harm continued his work, gradually moving his way down to her feet.

Rather than wake her so she could turn over and he could work on the other side, he placed a towel over her, and went and washed his hands before picking up a book and settling on the lounge beside her. It was an hour before she woke.
"I fell asleep," she said with a yawn and stretch.
"Yes, you did," he replied, closing the book.
"You have very talented hands," she said turning over and sitting up.
"I'm glad you like them," he said smiling. "Now, if you're ready for me to work on your front ..."
"I am," she said, "Just not with your hands," she added, standing and stepping over to him.

Removing the book from his hands and placing it on the floor, Mac helped him sit forward so she could lower his lounge. When this was down she eased him back and climbed onto him.
"My front wants this sort of massage," she said before kissing him thoroughly.
"Just the way I like it," he mumbled around her mouth.

Later that night, after they'd dined and bathed, Mac settled into his arms as they sat in her bed. Feeling sleepy but not tired, Mac realised what she was feeling was a state of relaxation, something she hadn't felt in a long time. She was relaxed, sated, fed, satisfied and very much in love and this was a completely new feeling for her.
"You've gone very quiet," Harm observed, kissing her head as her finger traced laps around his abdomen.
"Just thinking," she said with a sigh.
"About?" he prompted when she offered nothing more.
"Don't think I've ever felt this way before," she said and then explained her thoughts.
"That, my darling, Mac," he said, raising her head, not surprised to find her eyes filled with tears. "Is what it feels like to be happy."
"Happy," she echoed nodding her head, that would make sense.

There hadn't been a time since she hit puberty where she had been completely and utterly happy. It was no wonder she hadn't recognised the emotion.
"You okay?" he asked, when a tear trickled down her cheek.
"Yeah," she replied with a sniffle. "I'm happy."

Not wanting her to be overcome with emotion, Harm said nothing more but instead held her tighter with one hand and raked his fingers through her hair with the other one. Mac sighed deeply; there had been moments in her childhood when she was happy but since the day her mother walked out they had been few and far between. Sure there were happy moments since, the birth of each of her godchildren, being with Harm, her career, but none had given her this complete and overwhelming feeling of being happy.