It Started in Russia

Author: PreppyPrincess5103

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: Some friends will do anything for each other.

Part 14

He slid out of the sinfully comfortable bed and pulled on the boxer shorts he had discarded the previous night. He studied Mac for a moment, trying to sear this moment into his memory. She was hugging a pillow to her chest, and her dark hair and golden skin stood out against the fluffy white bedding. And she was so beautiful it made his heart ache a little.

They only had a few hours left together before he took her to the airport, so she could head back to Washington and he could begin his new life as an aviator. He went to use the bathroom and then came back to bed. He pulled off his shorts and slid between the covers, curling his body around hers. She stirred and he placed a kiss on her bare shoulder.

Mac shifted again and turned to face him. He put his hands on her face and kissed her. She ran her hands up his back and into his hair. He pulled back a bit and nudged her onto her back, and hovered over her. He placed soft kisses on her jaw and throat, before moving to her breasts. He massaged a breast with one hand, and went lower with the other, slipping one finger inside her and finding her wet and ready. He pulled out his finger and moved his mouth from her breast and moved down her body, settling his head between her thighs. He licked gently and felt her body tense.

"Harm." Her voice was soft and he looked up. "I need you inside me."

He nodded, understanding. He moved back up her body and paused before entering her. He took in her dark eyes and mussed hair. They had gone out to a special dinner the night before, and she still wore small diamond earrings. "I love you so much."

Her eyes watered at the thickness in his voice. "I love you too." She placed her hand on the back of his head and brought him to her for another kiss.

He slid into her and he couldn't help but smile as she gasped. He (and his ego) would never get tired of that sound. He moved as slowly as he possibly could, wanting to draw this out for as long as possible. He wanted this to last forever.

Multiple orgasms later, her head was on his chest and her fingers were drawing shapes on his belly. "I'm not asking you to stay, but I don't see how flying a plane could possibly be more enjoyable than that."

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "Nothing will ever be as enjoyable as that." They lay in silence for a moment. He ran his hand up and down her back, while her fingers continued to draw random shapes.

"Are you nervous?" She felt him take a deep breath, and lifted her head to look at him.

"I'm not nervous about flying. But I am nervous about being part of a fighter squadron again. That's going to be a lot of testosterone and big egos to deal with. It's going to be a lot different than dealing with hyper-rational lawyers." He placed another kiss on her head. "I'm going to be an old man compared to some of these guys."

"Do you know anyone on board?" His fingers stopped moving and she shifted, propping herself up on an elbow.

"Yeah, actually. Do you remember Elizabeth Hawkes?" He smiled as he watched her try to put a name with a face.

"Skates? The RIO from the Seahawk?" She frowned slightly as she remembered how pretty the younger woman was. And how she and Harm had hit it off instantly.

"That's the one. She's at Oceana, and her squadron is deploying to the Patrick Henry next week as well." He noticed she was frowning slightly and he tapped her temple. "What's going on in that beautiful brain of yours?"

"Nothing." She turned her head to look at the balcony doors.

"Mac." He gently turned her head to face him. "What's on your mind?"

She shook her head and then sighed. "Just remembering that you two seemed to really hit it off when we first met her."

His eyes widened. "Don't even go there. If I'm not allowed to be jealous of Brumby, you're not allowed to be jealous of Skates. Especially since there isn't anything to be jealous of."

Mac raised an eyebrow. "So, you're not jealous of Mic anymore?"

He shrugged, "I don't like the guy. I think he's going to try to weasel his way in now that I'm gone. But I trust you." He ran his hand down the curve of her waist and squeezed her hip. "I trust you," he repeated. "I love you. And even if you weren't in the picture, she's much too young for me and is engaged. You have nothing to worry about."

"I know." She sat up and pulled the blanket with her, covering her breasts. "I'm used to seeing you every day. I've seen you almost every single day for the past three years. It's going to be really difficult not seeing you every day. And even though it's irrational, I'm jealous that she'll get to see you every day."

He sat up as well and leaned in to kiss her. "It's going to be okay, Sarah. I promise it will be."

Harm called and ordered room service while Mac showered. He was signing the credit card slip for their breakfast when she walked out of the bathroom. Her jeans were snug, and the fitted green t-shirt she wore had a deep v neckline. The diamond earrings, which he had learned were a gift from her uncle when she graduated from law school, had been replaced with simple silver hoops.

"That smells so good," Mac exclaimed. She sat down at the small table and pulled the cover off of her plate. She picked up a strip of bacon and looked over at Harm. He had an odd look on his face and she put the bacon down. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "My head is just full of things we need to talk about before we say goodbye."

She wiped her fingers off and reached over for the receipt and pen that rested on the cart. "Let's do it now. While we're both clear headed enough to think straight."

Harm nodded, stood, and went to the duffel bag he had packed for the weekend. He fished out a set of car keys and dropped them into her purse. "My keys, obviously. Since we took my car to the airport. Will you park it at your place while I'm gone?"

"Yes, of course."

He sat down across from her and lifted the cover from his own dish. "I haven't had time to put my mail on hold yet, so can you grab that for me until it stops? And my apartment… I'm going to call the head of the owners' association tomorrow to tell him I'll be out of town for a few months. Can I give him your number to take care of any issues that might come up?"

"Harm. You don't even need to ask." She took another bite of bacon and then a sip of her coffee. "What else? It's been so long since I deployed, I can't remember much of what needs to get done."

"I feel really bad asking you to clean up after me, but do you mind emptying my fridge? There isn't much in there since we stay at your place most of the time, so it shouldn't be too bad."

She flashed him a bright smile. "Nothing would give more pleasure than throwing out that jar of vegan mayonnaise you have in there."

He rolled his eyes and sipped his coffee. "I think that's it. I hope that's it."

Mac was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a piece of white paper in her hand, when he emerged from the bathroom. She wordlessly turned the piece of paper to him. He glanced at her name scrawled across the front, and then to his neatly packed overnight bag.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to be efficient."

He nodded. "It's fine." He gestured at it. "It's obviously meant for you, anyway." She smiled and ran her fingers over her name. "Have you read it yet?"

She looked at him and shook her head. "No." She bit her lip and looked from him to the envelope. "I'm actually a little scared to."

"Go ahead. It's nothing bad. Just some things I wanted to tell you, that I didn't think I would be able to say. I've gotten better at this, but you know it's still hard for me to talk about how I feel."

Her eyes filled with tears. "Tell me what's in it."

He took the envelope from her and set it aside. He took her hands and brought one to his lips. "It says how much I love you, and how much I'm looking forward to the future that I know we're going to have. It says how much I admire you, and how amazing I think you are to have overcome every bad thing that life has thrown at you. It says how thankful I am to have a partner in every sense of the word, one who challenges me and tells me when I'm being an idiot, and praises me when I do something right. I've come to really appreciate that balance. It says that I know my 'proposal' doesn't count," he grinned when she snorted through her tears at the use of his air quotes, "so I'll spend the next six months planning one that'll blow your mind."

"Harm, I'm not ready for that…"

He waved her off. "I know. I'm not going to step off the boat and drop to one knee. But it's going to happen someday. I know it. Where was I… Oh, and it says that I promise not to do anything careless or wreckless. I'm not going to take any unnecessary chances."

She tugged him to her and wrapped her arms around him, and buried his face in her neck. "I'm going to miss you so much."

He kissed her temple. "I'm going to miss you too."

A few hours later they were at the airport. Harm went with her through security and now they sat in the uncomfortable chairs waiting for her flight to board. Her fingers brushed over the letter as she dug around for the pack of M&Ms she had tossed in earlier. She couldn't wait to read it. She glanced at him and noticed for the first time how unsettled he looked. "Are you okay?"

He jerked, and then smiled sheepishly. "I'm okay. I'm just… I don't know. I'm more anxious than I expected to be."

"You're a different person than you were last time you spent months at a time on a carrier. It's normal to be nervous."

"It's not just that. Mac, I – I wasn't leaving anyone behind last time I did this. And the uncertainty of all of this unsettles me."

She looked at him, surprised and a little hurt. She looked down at her hands and spoke quietly, "I thought you were so sure everything would be okay?"

He cupped her face and tilted it back up to look at him. He leaned in and kissed her gently. "No, I'm not worried about us." He laughed nervously, "I'm just thinking about the logistics of keeping things going. Are we going to plan phone dates? Are we going to chat via instant messenger? I'm worried it'll be all email and no actual taking to each other. I'm worried about time zones differences and what if I'm only available when you're asleep, or vice versa. It's just something I never had to think about before."

She smiled and brushed her fingers over his cheek. "We'll figure it all out."

"Mac?"

"Yes?"

"If you have any assignments in San Diego, will you stop by and see my mom? I know that would mean a lot to her. And Frank." He grinned and nudged her. "He has a little crush on you."

She rolled her eyes. "Please stop teasing me about that. And of course I'll go see your mom."

"Flight 1013 to Dulles International Airport will start boarding in just a few moments. Please have your boarding pass and ID in hand. Thank you." The announcement finished, and the other passengers began to stand and grab their bags and the hands of their children.

Her eyes widened and she looked at him. She shook her head a little and her eyes instantly filled with tears. "Oh God, I'm not ready for this."

He stood up and grabbed her hand and pulled her up as well. He wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Six months, Mac. We can do this." He whispered the words in her ear, his voice thick.

She pulled back and looked at him. She wiped a tear away and sniffled. "Why am I the only one crying?"

"You're not." A tear fell down his cheek. She reached up and wiped it away with her thumb. "I'm just trying to be strong for you. I'll cry when I've checked into my room on base later tonight."

"You don't have to be strong for me."

He nodded, "Yes I do. Since I'm the one doing this to us." He saw people lining up and felt a tightening in his chest. She noticed the change in his expression and turned to look. She turned back to him, her lip clinched between her teeth. He knew she was trying to hold it together. He lowered his forehead to hers. "I love you, Sarah. Don't forget that. Don't doubt that. Not for one second."

She placed her hands on his cheeks and leaned up to kiss him. She forgot about the crowded space they were in and kissed him with everything she had. When they parted, she moved her thumb to his lower lip. "I love you. Stay safe, okay."

"Yes ma'am." He studied her for a long minute, committing every single inch of her to his memory. "Go," he whispered.

She nodded and picked up her purse. She leaned in for one final kiss before taking her place in line. He stayed where he was until she finally reached the agent and had her boarding pass scanned. Before departing down the corridor, she turned and looked back. She gave him a sad smile and a slight wave. He held up his hand in return, then she turned and almost immediately out of sight. He took a deep breath and headed to the parking deck and hoped for the umpteenth time that he wasn't making the biggest mistake of his life.

The End.

(For now. There will be a sequel, and the first part should be up next week.)