That same night...

Thirty-five year old Mac shivered under her blanket. You'd better not be getting sick, MacKenzie. She thought to herself that there had to be nothing worse than being sick and alone at the holidays. That was the last thing she needed. Not when the season was going so well – Bud and Harriet had hosted such a beautiful dinner the night before, and Harm had walked in, looking gorgeous as always... now wait a minute, she muttered to herself, do I really want to go there right now?

She adjusted herself on the couch and turned the volume up on her TV. They were showing 'It's A Wonderful Life', and although it was one of her favorite movies, she wasn't really enjoying it tonight. She was restless, irritable, and... she couldn't stop thinking about Harm. There, she'd admitted it. The question was, what was she going to do about it? She sighed. What could she do? She'd tried vague hints and broad nudges, she'd even gone as far as throwing herself into the arms of the wrong man (thank God that had ended when it did)... Maybe it just wasn't meant to be between her and Harm.

The thought made her chest feel strangely tight. If there was one thing the Mic saga had taught her, it was to be honest with herself – and the honest truth was that she didn't know how much longer she could keep pretending that she was okay with just being friends with Harm. She knew that true love and happiness were gifts worth waiting for, but maybe waiting wasn't enough. Maybe she needed to fight for those gifts, the way she'd had to fight for so many other great gifts in her life – including, strangely enough, Harm's friendship. With Harm, it always came full circle – he was always there in the picture, and although having his friendship meant everything to her, it still wasn't enough.

Had she really tried everything? Had she ever really come right out and just told him how she felt? Simply, honestly? Sure, it would hurt like hell if he didn't return her feelings, but at least she'd know for sure... at least the waiting, the endless waiting and hoping she'd never admitted even to herself, would be over. She needed some kind of closure, or she would never be able to truly move on. And what better time than the present? It could ruin her holiday season, or make it absolutely amazing. Either way, at least she'd be able to start 2003 with a clean slate.

She reached slowly for the phone – and then just before she picked it up, it rang.

"Hello."

"Mac?"

"Harm?"

"Mac, I'm coming over."

"Huh?"

"I mean, I'd uh, like to come over and talk... are you okay with that?"

"Uh, sure... I'm... here. Are you okay?"

"Yes... no… I mean, there's something I have to tell you… something I should have said a long time ago and – I need to say this face to face."

Mac's heart seemed to be trying to beat its way out of her chest. Did she dare to hope? She suddenly realized she was holding her breath, and that Harm was still on the other end of the line.

He spoke again. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

Click.

It felt like the longest twenty minutes of her life.