Hi, everyone! We finally made it to the last ficlet of the Christmas story. This is my favorite way to end a Harm/Mac Christmas story because in all of the wonderful JAG Christmas episodes, we still never got to see something like this on screen. Thank you all for reading and for your reviews and comments. I hope you've enjoyed the story, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Christmas morning

Mac, you have someone who will always love you.

And you have somebody that loves you.

After Harm and Mac had shared their first kiss as husband and wife much to the delight of their family and friends, Trish and Frank had treated them all to a catered Christmas feast of roasted meats, breads, sauces, fruits and vegetables, stuffings and casseroles, and a magnificent wedding cake with ivory white frosting. The house was filled with plenty of food and conversation, laughter, antics from the children, and old memories and good times.

As the hour started getting late, and Bud and Harriet assured their children that Santa Claus would find them even in La Jolla, Sarah Rabb offered her grandson and his new bride an unexpected Christmas gift.

She surprised them with a suite at one of the most luxurious hotels in San Diego for their wedding night, and both Harm and Mac had been stunned. Harm had tried to talk his grandmother out of it, and Mac had insisted that it wasn't necessary, but Sarah would have none of it.

~*~o~*~

And so on Christmas morning, Mac discovered that there was nothing more glorious than waking up in a soft, heavenly bed, wrapped in the arms of her husband.

Her husband.

Mac smiled in spite of herself. She would have to repeat it over and over again. Stretching lazily, she twisted the gold band around her left ring finger, unaware that she let out a sigh of contentment that woke the man next to her.

"Hello, wife." Harm's voice was low and rough with sleep as he exhaled deeply and tightened his arms around her.

"Hello, husband."

The words rolled easily off her tongue, but Mac's features betrayed her uncertainty. "I'm almost afraid it's not real."

Her gaze lowered, intently studying her wedding ring again, and Harm took the opportunity to lean over and fuse his mouth to hers in a warm, tender kiss.

"Feels real to me," he murmured, his breath on her cheek making all of her nerves tingle inside again.

Harm sank back into the pillows, closing his eyes with a content sigh of his own, and Mac snuggled against him as his fingers glided lightly across her bare skin and he spoke to her in the faintest of whispers.

"Sarah…my love."

He had breathed the same words in her ear as he had taken her over the edge of pleasure last night, and Mac felt a flush of warmth spread through her body just hearing them again. She had never known what it meant to be loved so completely before, so how could she possibly know if it felt real?

Do you believe in fate?

Well, it put us together…sort of.

Fate could keep us together forever.

They had left their relationship to fate for nine years, and their love had finally defied it in the end – because somehow she had still ended up here with him.

It feels right, Mac decided.

She lifted his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm, and her heart began to race when she found herself on her back beneath him again. With their bodies tangled together intimately under the sheets, Harm's mouth covered hers, kissing her slowly, deeply…and lovingly.

"Merry Christmas, Harm," she whispered, touching her fingertips to his cheek and melting into his kiss.

"Merry Christmas, Mac."