Chapter 25 – Promises Kept
One Month Later
1345 Local
Andrew's Airforce Base

Harm stepped out of the COD and slipped on a pair of sunglasses. It was a gorgeous day, complete with a wisp or two of puffy white clouds and perfectly blue skies. He took his duffle, swung it over his shoulders and waited with Skates. "Someone picking you up? If not, Adam and I can give you a ride." She asked before noticing the vintage, cherry red Corvette and the brunette leaning against it.

"Oh yeah, I have a ride." His grin went up in wattage and he nearly bound towards Mac. She was dressed casually in faded blue jeans that hugged her hips just perfectly and a 'v' neck grey pullover. She was quite the sight for his sore eyes.

In the middle of her therapy with McCool, Harm was sent off to the USS Patrick Henry for a murder investigation which landed him in a Tomcat with Skates. He completed his quals and caught the bad guy, but there was an exhilaration that was missing. Cases without Mac just weren't fun. He needed her argumentative side with her dispassionate plans.

He just needed her, period.

"Hey there, flyboy." Mac met him halfway and eagerly took him into her arms. She kissed him as if she'd missed him for years. And it may as well have been, especially seeing as she'd just gone through the most emotionally draining time of her life.

His arms tightened around her and he lifted Mac up slightly. Their kiss didn't waiver despite the cat calls and cheers. Putting her back on her feet Harm stepped away just enough to look in her eyes. "You're out of uniform, Colonel." He grinned, looking up and down her body.

"It's my day off, Commander." She replied and then nudged him towards the car. "Sorry for bringing your baby, but this day screamed 'convertible' to me." Mac walked around the vehicle and settled in the driver's side, much to Harm's amusement.

Harm hopped in the passenger's seat and placed the duffle in between his legs. "It's fine, Mac. I trust you."

1555 Local
Mac's Apartment
Georgetown

Mac was laying on her stomach, head turned to the side and resting on her crossed arms. A satisfied smirk played on her lips. The dark red sheets barely covered her body and Harm was taking full advantage of her nakedness. He began kissing her lower back and then licked his way up her spine, enjoying the little noises she made as a response to his touch. "I missed you." She whispered.

"I love you." He responded as he settled his body next to hers and pulled Mac close. "I got teased over the e-mails you wrote."

"Oh yea?" Her grin was infectious. "I assume that you only shared the G-rated ones, right?"

Harm chuckled, "The X rated ones turned me on so bad. . .I don't think anyone wanted me running around the ship with a massive hard on. . . So, yeah, I kept those to myself." His index finger toyed with her hip and a little birthmark that had captivated him since it was discovered.

"Why were you sharing those e-mails anyway?" She sighed when he reached a sensitive spot above her hip bone.

It was a 'military' thing, so to speak. Sharing letters about your family. To Harm, it had more to do with pride. "I just liked showing you off." He said and Mac's response was to laugh "When's your last session with McCool?"

"Next week. . .And, I have to say, I feel better."

"Hard to admit, isn't it?"

Mac sighed, was there anyone that actually wanted to admit that seeing a psychiatrist helped? "Yes. .But, she's really wonderful and I've learned things about myself."

"I did too when I went. . .It's funny, all of the hang ups we have that we don't even know about."

"Mmm."

They lay together in silence for several long minutes. Silence that wasn't awkward, just perfectly welcome. Harm had learned that sometimes, in the silence, he would find the answers he was looking for. He was a damned lucky man with the right job, the right friends and the right girl. Moving out from behind Mac, he reached down to his pants and fiddled around through the pockets. "What is it?"

Harm turned to her and smiled. "Just something I got for you." He'd bought it before the return of Caled when life seemed to be falling so perfectly into place that he needed to make it permanent. He had meant it when he asked to move in with her and really didn't care how it affected his career. He was more than willing to give it all up for her, if need be. Maybe it was time to let go of that lifeline and reach for something more tangible. He settled back into bed and satisfied her curiosity. "Marry me?"

Between his thumb and index finger he held a small velvet box inside which sat a white gold, diamond engagement ring. The stone wasn't a huge one, with everything Harm knew about Mac, she wasn't into extravagant jewelry, but he had wanted the ring to be different and opted for a stone with a heart shaped cut.

Mac stared at it, shock evident by the expression on her face. This had truly been out of the blue. After suggesting that they move in, nothing else had been discussed. Between work, Caled's attack and Mac's recovery, she honestly thought he'd forgotten and opted not to push the issue until she felt well again. Her eyes connected with his own which carried a familiar look that she'd seen for so long and only now understood.

Love.

The look he gave her that night on the Admiral's porch, the same look when they'd locked eyes at a point when she'd decided to stop waiting and marry another. It was the same look he gave her in Sydney, when he'd asked her to wait without telling her what to wait for. The same look when they stood facing a mirror in Paraguay, her back against his chest, their bodies so intimately close that it ended their dance and began a new one. It was love and she was a fool to have never seen it.

Exhaling sharply, Mac released the breath she'd been holding. The look in his eyes turned to patiently expectant. Harm knew that she wouldn't say no, instinctively realizing that she'd desired the same thing that he had. "Yes. . .Yes, I'll marry you."

Harm crushed her body to him in a tight embrace that left her breathless. "I want to see how this looks on you." He'd been itching to get that ring on her finger from the moment of purchase. Carefully, he slipped it onto her ring finger and then placed a kiss on her knuckles.

As most women do, Mac raised her hand up, examining the way the stone caught in the little bit of light shining through the louvered windows. "It's beautiful."

"You're beautiful." He pulled her to him and Mac settled against his chest, placing her hand over his heart. With her head turned she could keep watch of the ring mesmerized at how different it felt this time. When Chris had asked, the ring was stolen and entirely too big for her finger. Mic had the right size but she never really felt what she should have for him. This time, it was different, she felt complete and blissfully whole.

It made her want to let him in on a little secret of hers. She bit her lower lip and took a deep, cleansing breath. "I have an engagement present for you."

"Engagement present?" Harm raised a brow in confusion. "You knew I'd ask you to marry me?" Had she seen the ring and decided to play a good sport about it? He'd gone through hell trying to find just the right hiding place for it. "You found the ring, didn't you?"

Mac grinned mischievously. "Nope. I hoped you'd ask, but I didn't think you would, not yet anyway." She sat up and leaned up against the wall. "I hope you like it because there's no way in hell I can return it." Her grin spread into a wide smile.

Harm sat up next to her. "What did you get me?"

"It's more like something you got me." She said, trying the cryptic approach which seldom worked with men. Her hands settled on her lap, just against her stomach which she rubbed unconsciously.

"I don't understand."

"I'm pregnant." Mac didn't whisper, nor did she shy away from the secret she'd been hiding for the past three weeks. She wanted to tell him sooner, but opted to be on firmer ground before such a life altering event could be entered into the mix. In truth, she'd been tempted to tell him once he disembarked the COD. "I know we never really discussed. . .oof!" A second later, he had her pinned up against him, her body crushed against the wall of his chest.

Harm rocked her back and forth. "How long have you known?"

"Three weeks. I wanted to tell you sooner, but. . ."

"How far along are you?" He pushed her back slightly and studied her still flat belly.

Mac grinned. "Almost two months."

"And how are you? Are you alright? Is the baby?" He couldn't help but press a hand gently against her belly. Suddenly, his face went white as he studied the mess they'd made with the sheets. "Should we have. . .you know?"

Chucking, Mac pulled him into her arms. "Yeah, Harm. It's safe to make love, I promise. And the baby and I are fine. . .Lucky, actually."

"Lucky? Why lucky?" He didn't like the way she said that, the relief in her voice that could only have meant she'd been worried. Harm pulled away and studied her carefully.

And Mac had been worried when, just after starting her sessions with Vera McCool, she'd started to have a dull pain near her lower back. At fist, she thought it was due to her tango with Caled. It was her general practitioner who had suggested she go to the OBGYN and the pains were possibly due to a problem with her reproductive system. She'd managed to hide the appointment from Harm, which wasn't too difficult considering he was gearing up for his trip to the Seahawk. "I was having some pains, went to my GP who sent me to the OBGYN that found that I have something called endometriosis."

"Endo-what? Is that. . .like cancer?" He shivered at the thought.

"No. It's basically tissues that grow around the reproductive organs. If it gets severe, the woman becomes infertile. After I have the baby, I need to go back and probably have surgery. It's an outpatient procedure with minimal recovery time." She placed a hand on his cheek and ran it down and over his chest. Mac hated worrying him. "I'm okay, Harm. The baby is okay."

"You're sure?" Harm took a deep breath, everything he ever wanted was in the palm of his hand and the fear of it suddenly being taken away scared him. "Mac?"

"It's a higher risk pregnancy, but Dr. Chen is going to have me monitored extensively and opted for a C-section on whatever date we set."

The weigh of the moment, of having everything they ever desired, was welcomed. For once, happiness, true happiness, was just a touch away. "I guess all we'll have to worry about is work." Harm said but his tone of voice didn't mirror any concern of his. He was willing to put his life and his job on the line for her once and he'd do it again. JAG wasn't the only show in town. For that matter, nothing said that they would have to stay in Washington.

Mac grinned. "You don't sound too concerned about it."

"Neither do you."

"We'll figure it out, we always do." She snuggled closer to him, enjoying the peace that only came from true contentment. "I love you."

"I love you too." Unconsciously, Harm's hand stroked Mac's flat belly. She was going to be utterly gorgeous with a big, round belly. "To think that almost a year ago you showed up at my doorstep pregnant."

Mac chuckled, she'd forgotten about that aspect of their adventure. Sobering, she remembered one intricate moment of the past which involved the two of them and their reelections. "Remember when we stood in front of the mirror at the hotel?"

"Mmmm." The memory was a precious one that would have been forgotten if she hadn't mentioned it. "We looked good together."

"We still do." Mac placed her hands over his own and closed her eyes. If someone would have told her that they'd wind up together after such a chaotic trip, she would have surely laughed in their face. Just when she'd stopped trying to be with Harm and opted to just have him as a friend, he'd turned the tables, followed her on a mission that could have been the death of him and still managed to steal her heart.

Harm tightened his hold on her. He could faintly remember Mac mentioning something about his interests fading or some nonsense of the sort. If he'd been true to his heart, his interest in his Marine began in a rose garden and only grew in leaps and bounds. It wasn't quite love at first sight, but he had fallen and never knew. Perhaps if he'd admitted it to himself he would have stopped all of the heartache and just learned to be happy. Love was often the antidote to instincts, he noted as his mind took him through a trip of the past. Mic, Renee, and all of the others that came between them – instinctual relationships that were formed either out of spite or loneliness when you couldn't (or wouldn't) have the person you wanted the most.

Well, now they had each other and neither was willing to let go. They'd promised each other Forever and sealed it with a kiss. "So I guess we gotta give our baby girl a name." Harm said with a twinge of mirth in his voice. If their past dictated anything, it was that their kid's name would be a very, very, very long debate.

Mac couldn't be more than pleased with the challenge. "What makes you think the baby's a she?"

"Mmmm. Well, a little girl with my brains and your looks." He knew he'd have to spend her teenage years beating the boys away with a bat, but that was alright. A mini-Mac, to him, would be adorable.

She turned in his arms to face him. "What if he has my brains and your looks?"

"That could work too." He inched forward and kissed her deeply.

Breaking the kiss, Mac sighed happily and turned again so that she was relaxing in his arms. "I guess you really do keep your promises, sailor."

"You have no idea." Harm said, knowing that his next promise would require him to love, honor and cherish Mac for the rest of his life. It was a promise that he intended to keep forever.

THE END.