Disclaimer: "Bless the Broken Road"—as I said a few chapters ago—belongs to Rascal Flatts. I forgot to post a disclaimer in the last chapter for "Ordinary Day", so here it is: it's not mine, it belongs to Vanessa Carlton.

Author's Note: Okay, I realized two HUGE mistakes of mine when I was writing this: 1) Season 8 took place in 2002-2003, but all of the dates I used were 2006…Oops! I'm in the process of fixing it. 2) "Bless the Broken Road" was released in 2004…So it didn't even exist in season 8…but oh, well. Too late now. As far as the lyrics go, I put Harm's lines in regular text, Mac's in italics, and their shared lines in bold. It was the only way I could think of to differentiate them. I hope it's not too confusing. Enjoy!

Chapter Seven: We Said It Was Perfect, Right?

0127 ZULU

JUNE 1, 2003

LISNER AUDITORIUM

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

WASHINGTON D.C.

"And now," Harriet said into the microphone, "Our next performers: Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. and Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie!"

As Rascal Flatts' "Bless the Broken Road" began to play, Harm and Mac stepped out from behind the curtain and up to their microphone stands. As she looked out at all of the people filling the auditorium, Mac's stomach felt as if a thousand butterflies—with gigantic wings—were fluttering around. Scared as she was, she couldn't help but smile when Harm began to sing.

"I set out on a narrow way, many years ago

Hoping I would find true love

Along the broken road."

Mac took a deep breath when she realized that the next line was hers.

" But I got lost a time or two

Wiped my brow and kept pushing through

I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream led me to where you are

Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern stars

Pointing me on my way into your loving arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you…"

As the chorus ended, Harm and Mac slipped their mics from the stands. When they began to sing the second verse, they slowly moved toward each other until they were standing together at center stage.

"I think about the years I spent

Just passing through

I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you

But you just smile and take my hand…"

Harm reached over and took Mac's hand in his.

"You've been there, you understand

It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Every long lost dream led me to where you are

Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern stars

Pointing me on my way into your loving arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

And now I'm just rollin' home

Into my lover's arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you…"

Harm and Mac turned and looked into each other's eyes. Harm momentarily lost himself in her deep brown eyes, while she—once again—nearly drowned in a sea of aquamarine. They recovered just in time to sing the last lines.

"That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you."

The audience was on their feet as they erupted in the loudest burst of applause all evening. Harm and Mac barely heard it, though—they were too busy staring at each other. It wasn't until the Admiral let out a loud whistle—yes, the Admiral—that they came out of it and turned back to face the audience. After a quick bow, they hurried backstage. Mac almost ran right into Commander Alan Mattoni, who was performing next.

"Sorry, Commander," she said quickly. Without waiting for a reply, she rushed past him and out the door to the hall.

"What's wrong with her?" Mattoni asked Harm.

He shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Wishing the other man luck with his act—he was playing the violin—Harm headed out into the hall. He didn't see Mac anywhere, but he guessed she was in the dressing room.

He was right.

"Go away, Harm," was her response to his knock.

Of course, he didn't listen. (When did he ever?) Turning the knob, he pushed open the door to find Mac sitting at the make-up table, furiously wiping off the red lipstick with a tissue. "Mac, what's wrong?"

Tossing the smeared tissue onto the table, she reached up and pulled one of the rhinestone clips from her hair. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Was it our song?" he pressed. "Because I thought it went great."

"It wasn't the song." Mac still wasn't looking at him. "Well, I mean, it was, but it's got nothing to do with the way we sang it."

Harm pulled a chair up next to hers, and turned her to face him. "Mac. Talk to me. What's going on?"

"Remember when we first heard the song?" she asked. "We said it was perfect, right?"

Harm nodded. "Right."

"The thing is…" Mac sighed. "It was perfect, and not just because it made a great duet. That song is perfect for us."

"I know."

She looked at him in surprise. "You know?"

Harm nodded. "I do. I've thought the same thing since the first time I heard it." He paused, then continued. "How many failed relationships have we had since we met?"

Mac thought for a minute. "Well, I've had two: Mic and Dalton."

"Right. And I've had…" He stopped, as if counting in his head. "Three: Annie, Jordan, and Renée. During those relationships, where did we always turn when things got hard?"

"Each other."

"And when the relationships ended?"

Mac smiled. "Each other."

"Things always feel right when I'm with you, Sarah," Harm told her, returning her smile. "Even when we fight, I love being with you."

Mac shivered at the use of her given name. She always loved the way it sounded when Harm said it. "I feel the same way. No matter how bad things got, you could always make it better."

Harm reached over and took her hand. "We were meant to be together, Sarah." He looked into her eyes. "I love you."

Tears welled up in Mac's eyes as she nodded. "I love you, too."

They stood, and Harm took Mac in his arms. She looked up at him, and he lowered his lips to hers. They'd barely begun to kiss when the dressing room door flew open.

"Mac, you were awe—" Chloe stopped in her tracks as Harm and Mac broke apart, embarrassed. "Uh, I'll meet you out there. Sorry."

When the door had shut behind her, Harm and Mac started to laugh. Then she reached for the hanger that held her dress uniform.

"We should get back to the fundraiser. I'll meet you out there after I change."

"Wait." He took the hanger from her, and hung it back up. "Why change? You look amazing in that dress."

Mac blushed, but she nodded. "All right. Give me a second." After applying some rose-colored lipstick—the red was just for the stage—she replaced the clips in her hair and took Harm's hand. "Let's go."