It Started in Russia

Author: PreppyPrincess5103

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: Some friends will do anything for each other.

Notes: We're still late in season 4. The time line has changed a little bit. Most people use the date the episode originally aired as the time frame for fanfic. I go by those dates too for the most part. But for the purposes of this story, let's just assume that Harm doesn't leave so quickly. As for the long Memorial Day weekend? I'm basing that on my own personal experience. My active duty husband gets Friday and Monday off for Memorial Day, so that's what the folks at JAG get.

Part 10

Harm knelt by Mac's side of the bed and stroked her hair. "Mac. Wake up." He placed kisses on her shoulder and moved down her arm. She finally began to shift and eventually opened her eyes.

"Hi."

He flashed her his famous smile. "Hey there. God, you look good in the mornings."

She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand and sat up, clutching the sheet to her. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and then back at him. "Why on earth are you up so early?"

Harm kissed her lightly. "Work. I didn't bring a uniform with me last night, so I need to run by my place to change."

"Okay." She slumped back down and pulled the bedding up to her neck. "I'll see you at the office later then."

"Should I- I mean, do you…"

She rolled onto her side and laced her fingers with his. "Grab an extra uniform, Harm. Please." She smiled as his face lit up and he leaned in for another kiss.

She rolled over onto her stomach and wrapped her arms around her pillow. She had another hour before she needed to get up and didn't want to waste a single second of it.

Back at his apartment Harm showered quickly, put two extra uniforms in a garment bag, and threw some toiletries and civilian clothes into a duffel bag. He grabbed the box of condoms from his nightstand and contemplated them for a moment. The first time they were together she hadn't insisted on one. The subsequent times she had, since he had recently been with other women. He needed to go have a blood test done just to give her a little peace of mind. He threw the condoms in the duffel and zipped the bag closed.

He arrived at JAG and rolled his eyes when he saw Mac's Corvette in her usual spot. He was up at least an hour before her and she still managed to beat him to the office. Once inside he immediately groaned. "Fucking Brumby," he muttered. Brumby was perched on the edge of her desk and was laughing at something. He went to her open door and tapped lightly. "Morning Mac. Brumby."

She noticed the briefcase in his hand and smirked. She found his jealousy about 50% charming and about 50% annoying. If they were going to attempt a long-distance relationship, he was going to have to get over that. "Morning Harm. I actually need to talk to you about something once you get settled."

Harm lifted an eyebrow and nodded. "Let me drop this off," he gestured at his briefcase, "and get some coffee. I'll be right back." He reluctantly headed to his own office, leaving Brumby alone with her.

Mic was persistent, but he got the hint. He stood up and grabbed his coffee cup. "I'll get back to work. I'll see you later, Mac."

Mac leaned back in her chair and sighed. She reached for her purse and dug around for the pack of Poptarts she had tossed in this morning. She pulled one out of the foil package and pulled off the corner. Once she and Harm were in her bedroom last night, the conversation had come to an end. He had convinced her to give their relationship a chance, but they hadn't talked how to handle things at the office, specifically whether or not they were going to tell people. She was popping another piece of the Poptart in her mouth when there was another tap on the door. She looked up and smiled as he walked in and shut the door behind him.

Harm flinched when he noticed the Poptart. "Tomorrow morning I'd love to make you a real breakfast before work." He laughed softly when she rolled her eyes. "Is everything okay?"

She nodded. "Everything is good. I just realized that we didn't talk about how to handle our relationship while we're here. Do you want to tell people, or keep things quiet?"

He shrugged. "I'm more than happy to go talk to the Admiral right now if you want."

"I think I'd like to keep things quiet."

Harm sat back. "Oh. Okay. Any reason why?"

"Harm, my personal life has been all over this office over the past year and I hate that. I hate the gossiping, the whispers. And I really hate that Carolyn and Jordan asked what I thought of your sexual prowess just from assuming we'd been together. Can you imagine what it would be like if they know we're together?"

"You're right," he said, "but if people know then maybe I won't have to watch Brumby hit on you all day every day. That's getting really annoying."

Mac rolled her eyes. "Harm. Please. I can't handle another man trying to control me. Ease up on the jealousy. Mic's flirting is completely one sided. I'm not remotely interested in him." He opened his mouth to speak, so she continued. "Please, Harm. I'm not a possession. I'm yours because I want to be. I choose to be. I choose you, and I'll continue to choose you. Mic is not a threat, no matter how much he flirts."

He nodded, but didn't look entirely convinced. "I guess I need to work on my jealousy."

She placed her hand on his and briefly brushed her thumb over his knuckles. "Please do. Because you have no reason to be jealous."

Harm left the Admiral's office and felt the need to sit down. The meeting hadn't gone well, but it was done. The SECNAV had approved the request to change his designator. He didn't have new orders yet, and no one could really tell him how long that would take, but it was happening. And now he had to tell Mac. He also needed to tell his mother. And see his mother. It had been a while, and there was a very good chance that she would murder him if he returned to flying without paying her a visit.

Mac wasn't in her office, so he went to his own and sat down at his desk. They had spent every single night together since deciding to give this thing between them a chance, but he tried to never presume they were spending the night together. He tapped his fingers on his desk for a minute before picking up the phone and dialing her cell phone number. He picked up a pencil and began tapping the eraser. She finally answered and just hearing her voice made him smile. "Hey."

"Hey there. Is everything okay?"

"Of course." There was a lot of noise in the background and he frowned. "What are you up to?"

"Hold on one second, Harm. I'm at the mall and it's so loud in here." He waited for a minute until the noise all but disappeared. "Hi," she said again.

"At the mall on a work day? Tsk, tsk Major."

She laughed. "I had a meeting near Tyson's Corner, so I decided to take lunch and run by the mall to pick up a baby gift for Bud & Harriet." She wandered through Bloomingdales and picked up a gorgeous lace shift dress in the prettiest shade of lilac. The dress was short with a scalloped hem and short sleeves. She picked through the dresses looking for her size. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I've got a meeting soon and I'm in court this afternoon, so in case I didn't see you today I wanted to see about tonight. Do you want me to come over tonight?"

Mac shut the door to the fitting room and sat down on the bench. "Absolutely. Come on over after work. If I'm not home yet just let yourself in and make yourself at home."

He smiled and leaned back in his chair. "Good. Want to cook tonight or go out?" He heard a zipper sliding and cocked an eyebrow. "Was that a zipper?"

"Yes. Hold on." He waited for a moment and then heard another zipper. "I'm trying on a dress at Bloomingdales. And let's cook tonight. We should make that shrimp and orzo dish again."

"Sounds like a plan." He thought about her undressed in a mirrored dressing room at Bloomingdales and bit back a moan. "A dress, huh? Any special occasion?"

"No reason. I came in here because it was quiet and the dress jumped out at me. Maybe we'll have to do something this weekend that gives me a reason to wear it."

"Definitely." He looked up at the knock on his door, and held up one finger to Mattoni. "Mac, I've got to run. Mattoni is here for our meeting. See you soon."

"Bye handsome." She pictured him blushing and smiled. "I'll see you tonight."

Mac made it to her apartment first, and called to tell him she was home and had stopped by the grocery store for the ingredients for their dinner. She hung her new dress in the closet and quickly changed into yoga pants and the red tank top that Harm seemed to enjoy so much. He appreciated her in this top so much she had actually purchased five more in assorted colors at J. Crew this afternoon. She was brushing out her hair when she heard the front door open. She quickly pinned her bangs back and hurried into the living area.

Harm sat his briefcase on the floor and his cover and keys on the entry way table. He lit up at the sight of her and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a long kiss. "Hey." He pulled back and looked her over. "It's unfair to every other woman in the world to look that good in lounging clothes."

She beamed and pushed herself up to give him another kiss. "Thank you. Go change. I'm going to go start peeling shrimp for dinner."

"Yes ma'am." She watched him walk away and she headed into the kitchen.

A few minutes later Harm joined her in the kitchen. He was just as comfortable in navy blue running pants and a fitted gray t-shirt. He came up behind her and placed a kiss on her neck before reaching over her for a small bowl to marinate the feta in. They worked in companionable silence for a few minutes and once the orzo was cooking and they had a window of time before adding the shrimp he decided it was time to tell her.

"Mac, I need to tell you something."

She looked up from the cutting board she was washing and turned to face him. "What's going on?"

He took a deep breath. "The SECNAV approved my request to change my designator."

The color drained from her face and she sat down. "Do you have orders yet?"

Harm shook his head and knelt before her. He rubbed his hands over her legs before folding his arms over her knees. "No orders yet. The Admiral doesn't really know when those will drop."

A tear fell and she quickly wiped it away and placed her hands over his. "I'm okay."

He wasn't sure if she was saying that for his benefit or her own. "It will be okay. We will be okay. But I do have something else to run past you."

She raised her eyebrows. "I'm almost afraid to ask."

"I haven't told my mom yet. I'm going to call her tonight and let her know. But I need to see her before I leave. Will you come out to La Jolla with me? I'd love for you to meet her and Frank."

Mac bit her lip lightly. "I'm not sure, Harm. Don't you think your mom would rather have this time with you alone?"

"I know she would absolutely love to meet you. She asks about you every time we talk, and she has pretty much since we met. She thinks you're 'quite the girl'. And those are her exact words." He smiled at the feminine blush. "Please? I'd really love for you to come with me."

She smiled and nodded. "Yes. I'd absolutely love to."

Dinner was finished, the dishes were clean, and they had settled on the couch for the evening. "Do you want privacy to call your mom?"

He shook his head and sat down beside her. "This isn't going to be pleasant." He dialed his mothers' number and leaned back. Mac pulled her legs up and lay them across his lap. He ran his hands up and down her shins and squeezed a little tightly when his mother answered. "Hey mom."

"Harm! Darling, how are you?"

"I'm good mom. How are you and Frank?" He listened to Trish talk about the sailing trip they had just taken with another couple and the new artist she had lined up for her gallery. He watched Mac as they chatted and saw her smile a few times. His mom was loud when she got excited and he was pretty sure Mac could hear every word she was saying. The smile dimmed when she heard Trish ask Harm what he was going on in his world.

"Well, I actually have some big news. A few weeks ago, I found out that my vision problems had been misdiagnosed, and I had surgery to repair the issue." He heard her sharp intake of breath and looked down at Mac's legs. "Mom, I'm able to return to a flying squadron."

"Harm, you can't be serious." She was stunned. "You're a lawyer. You're a good lawyer. You've built a good life. Why in God's name would you give all of that up to return to the lifestyle that killed your father?"

He winced and felt Mac place her hand over his. He looked up, forced a smile for her, and then turned his hand over so their palms were touching. She laced their fingers together and squeezed. "I have to do this. I know you don't understand and I know you think it's a mistake. Everyone does. But it's something I have to do. I joined the Navy to fly, and now I have a second chance to do that. I have to take it."

"I'll never understand this obsession the men in your family have with flying. Never." Trish took a calming breath to steady her nerves and looked up at the doorway. Frank had walked in and was watching her with a concerned expression. "Will I see you before you go?"

"Yes. Of course. That's the other thing I wanted to talk about. Would next weekend be an okay time to come for a visit? I get a long weekend for Memorial Day."

"Next weekend would be fine." Her voice had lost its excitement.

"Perfect. And mom, there is one more thing. I'd like to bring Mac with me. She and I have started seeing each other." There was silence on the other end. The silence continued longer than Harm was comfortable with and he pulled the phone away from his ear to make sure they hadn't been disconnected. "Mom? Are you there?"

"Harm," she started, "I don't know whether to jump for joy or curl up into a ball and cry. After all this time you two have wasted, you finally realize what's been there all along and now you're leaving?"

He bristled and Mac squeezed his hand again. "Mom, I know the timing is terrible, but I have to do this. Mac knows and even though she doesn't like it, I think she understands." He glanced at her and gave her a small smile when she nodded. "So, next weekend?"

Trish sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. "Next weekend. Let me know your flight details when you have them so we can pick you up at the airport."

"I will. I love you, mom. Give Frank my best."

"I love you too, Harm."

Harm hung up the phone and leaned back. "That was almost as hard as telling you." Mac smiled sympathetically and Harm tugged at their joined hands and brought her to him. He gave her a gentle kiss and pulled her to his chest. "Can We just stay like this for a while?"

Mac buried her head in his neck and breathed him in. She pulled back enough so her words weren't muffled. "We can stay like this for as long as you want." She laid her head against him and listened to his heart.

He brought his hand up and ran his fingers through her hair. Just her presence soothed him. He didn't know how he was going to manage six months away from her. He just hoped that this was all worth it, and he wasn't making the biggest mistake of his life.

End Part 10.