If You Walk Out

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine...never will be, but I wish I owned DJE. The song "Walking After You" does not belong to me, it belongs to The Foo Fighters.

AN: Oh how I love to make people squirm. Hehe. Enjoy. Sorry for any mistakes.

At an Abandoned Warehouse

Blacksburg, Virginia

The drive to the warehouse was simply an unbearable one. Harm couldn't seem to focus on anything except Mac and her safety. What would he do without her? He didn't know and he prayed to the heavens that he should never find out.

The warehouse almost resembled a rotten and torn down shack. There was no doubt that it was abandoned and had been for quite some time. The people that had Mac obviously knew their way around and they knew that nobody would be able to hear the screams or gun shots.

Harm approached the warehouse and made his way in. It was pitch black and there was a distinct harsh smell that burned his lungs when he inhaled. He tried to feel his way in the dark and it worked for a while until he tripped on something.

"Damn crate." He whispered as he rubbed his shin.

He slowly got up hoping that who ever was there had not heard him. Unlikely, but he could hope. He made his way deeper into the building and noticed that there was some light coming from a far corner. He was obviously getting closer to who ever had Mac.

His heart pounded in his chest with a force that he had never felt before. All he wanted to do was get to Mac and walking in the dark wasn't necessarily helping him relax.

He trotted over to the lighter side when he heard a smack and a sob. Someone had hit her and who ever that someone was, was going to pay.

He moved closer to where she was and hid behind a few boxes. He tried to see if he could find out the bastards were that had hurt her, but he couldn't spot anybody. Thinking the coast was clear, he made his way over to where Mac was laying. A hard blow to his head made his world black as his consciousness slipped away.

Mac had witnessed Clay hit Harm behind the head with a pipe and her first instinct was to run to him and check his injuries, but her body was aching all over. Instead she did what she hoped could at least wake him.

"Harm! Harm get up."

"Trying to bring your little flyboy back? It isn't going to work Sarah. Give it up." Webb stated as he made his way to Mac and passed Harm.

"Shut up Clay." In a half crawl Mac tried to make her way toward Harm, but Webb blocked her path and yanked her up.

"That's no way to speak to the man who loves you. Kiss me Sarah." He tried to force a kiss out of her.

She twisted around trying to get out of his grip. "No! Clay get away from me."

Clay raised his hand to strike her in the face, but luckily Harm came to.

He got up as a discretely as he could and made his way toward them. He grabbed Clay's hand as it whipped through the air and turned him toward him.

"You touch her again and I will rip your heart out Webb." He finished his statement with a punch to his face.

Harm walked slowly to where Mac was now on her knees, her body showing obvious signs of exhaustion. He knelt down on his knees and gathered her in his arms trying to show her how much he needed her. Mac readily accepted his hug and tucked her face in his neck.

"Are you ok?" Harm whispered in her ear.

"Nothing I can't handle." She chuckled a bit and pulled him closer.

Clay witnessed all of this and his anger rose. His blood boiled in his veins from the sheer jealousy that he felt. He walked angrily towards them and tackled Harm to the ground, ripping him away from Mac's arms.

"You couldn't just back away right, Rabb. You couldn't walk away like you did with Brumby...with Lowne. Why?" Clay managed through his teeth while he punched Harm in the stomach and face a few times. Soon Harm gained the upper hand and flipped them over and took advantage as he landed some punches in Clay's face.

"Because I know now that I love her more than anything." Clay became stunned by Harm's confession. Mac was just as stunned as him. Not because he said he loved her, but because he finally got it out and said it to someone other than himself.

"You bastard! Clay yelled as he took Harm's gun from his waist band and hit him with it, knocking him to the side. Harm could do nothing but grunt from the pain that engulfed his head. Mac began to crawl to Harm as Clay got up and pointed the gun at him.

"Harm!" Mac yelled out trying to help him off the floor. "Get up!"

He wouldn't move, though. The impact of two hits to his head was catching up to him. Mac pulled him into her arms and covered his body with hers.

"Move Sarah! I don't want to hurt you!" Clay yelled with a look of pure hatred and anger. But Mac would not budge.

"You already have Clay. I can't believe that you would dare to touch me."

"I never wanted to, but I'm tired of coming second, Sarah. I'm tired of losing to him."

"Then walk away."

"I can't. Now move!"

"No, you have to shoot through me."

"Move!"

"Do it Clay, but I won't move!"

"Fine!" He posed his gun at her and a shot rang out.

Mac unclenched her eyes and looked up to find Clay on the floor with blood spilling freely from his body. A bullet through his heart. She looked down to Harm and sighed.

"Bastard." Harm murmured as he dropped Clay's gun that he had found on the floor next to him.

"Harm...are you ok?" Her voice cracked as tears threatened to fall.

"I am now." He touched her cheek and ran his thumb along Mac's bottom lip which had split a bit from one of Clay's slaps. He tried to get up, but Mac's hands on his chest stopped him.

"Relax. I need to call an ambulance."

"I'm fine. I don't need a doctor Mac."

"Harm, please."

They remained motionless and quiet for a while until the silence became unbearable.

"What?" Harm asked in response to Mac's sobs. He sat up to look into her eyes.

"Clay could have killed you Harm. He would have."

"But he didn't. I'm fine, you're ok."

"I can't believe I considered living a life with him Harm. I'm so sorry."

"You were following your heart."

"No, I wasn't. I was following my head. I shouldn't have done that. I hurt him, I hurt myself, and I hurt...you."

"Mac, what matters now is that we're ok."

"Are we?"

"I'd like to think so."

"Are you willing to compromise your life with a Marine?"

"If that marine is you...definitely."

Harm cupped her face and leaned in to kiss her lips. He was reluctant at first. It had been close to three years since they last kissed under the mistle toe and he was cautious. He felt like a silly teenager who was about to share his first kiss with his high school crush. Little did he know that Mac felt the same way.

He touched his lips to hers, softly at first. They separated and looked at each other and smiled. Harm regained his confidence and pulled Mac toward him and kissed her fully this time. Alternating between pecks and nibbles they kissed until they decided to go.

"Let's go home, Harm."

"Yeah, lets."

TBC