The sunlight streamed through the window, reflecting blues, yellows and reds on their skin. His arm was wrapped around her waist tightly, holding her, protecting her against unseen demons. Their fingers were intertwined, his hand overlapping her smaller one. Mac woke first, blinking at the sun that was so rudely invading her bedroom through the open curtains. She knew that they should be getting up as it inched closer to 0800. Slowly she tried to escape from Harm's grasp, but his grip held tight.
"Harm..." She tried to turn to face him but his arm was in the way. Normally this wouldn't be a problem. Hell, she dreamt of waking up in his arms time and time again. But, truth be told, she had to pee and he was blocking her way.
"Harm." She repeated louder. When that didn't work she elbowed him in the chest He grunted and released her.
"What was that for?" Opening his eyes and staring at her he glared as she turned around to face him.
"I have to pee and you wouldn't let me go." She placed a quick kiss on his nose before scrambling out of bed, taking the bedsheet along with her to cover herself.
"You don't need the sheet!" Harm called after her, laughing to himself. "And you don't need to shut the door anymore."
The washroom door opened and a roll of toilet paper flew through the air and landed near his head. "Quiet you." Mac called as he heard the toilet flush and the sink start to run. She returned with the sheet wrapped around her body.
"You should come back to bed." Harm said, rolling over and making room for her on the bed.
"Harm, it's 0815. We should get up and do something." Mac lamented.
He hid his head under the pillow and moaned. "Do we have to?" He only reemerged when he heard the water running in the shower. Running his hands through his already messed up hair, he finally decided to get up. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a plain black tshirt and padded out into the kitchen. Cracking eggs, stirring batter, making coffee, he was in his zen zone.
Mac emerged from the shower , clean and dressed. "Whatever you're cooking Flyboy, it smells delicious." She poured herself a cup of coffee and watched him work. He piled the pancakes high on a plate and passed them to her.
"Breakfast Madame?" He winked and handed her a bottle of syrup.
A grin crossed Mac's face. "Blueberry pancakes? My favourite!"
"I know. I'm going to hop in the shower while you eat." He stole a pancake and unceremoniously shoved it into his mouth. Mac smiled and watched as he went into her bedroom. She read the paper and finished off a few pancakes before he returned.
"So, what do you want to do today?" He asked buttoning up his jeans and smoothing his blue button down shirt.
"Whatever you want to do." Mac rinsed off her plate and set it in the sink.
"How does the National Arboretum sound? We can go and wander around the gardens…grab a bite to eat later." He gave her a soft smile.
"Sounds great." Mac gave him a tender kiss on the lips.
--
He couldn't be prouder when men in the gardens turned and looked at Mac. She was wearing a simple pair of jeans, a collared tshirt and a sweater, but she still looked stunning. And she was all his.
"What are you smiling at?" Mac nudged him in the ribs gently.
"You." His grin reached ear to ear. "The fact that all the guys here are looking at you, but you're mine. Finally mine." He squeezed her hand He kissed her knuckles.
Mac blushed and held his hand tightly. She didn't care if women looked at him because she knew that he was coming home with her. The weather was cooling down at a rapid rate, reminding everyone that it was indeed fall.
"Want to slip in and grab a cup of coffee to warm up?" He started to drag her towards a small coffee shop on the outside of the Arboretum. They walked quickly, the wind biting at their faces, blowing the falling leaves around their feet. The coffee shop was only about a block away, but by the time they got there, they were both feeling the like they had waded through the Artic Ocean.
"I can't believe how cold it is!" Mac exclaimed blowing into her hands, trying to warm them up. "Yesterday we were wearing shorts…today it's parka weather."
Harm laughed. "You'd think we'd be accustomed to it by this point." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, reading the menu over her shoulder. "What are you getting?"
"Mayan chocolate hot chocolate." Mac smiled up at him. "Extra large?"
"An extra large Mayan chocolate hot chocolate and a Soy Chai tea latte." Harm ordered, handing his money to the cashier.
They waited until their drinks appeared on the other counter and walked hand in hand to the table.
"This is good." Mac said with a dreamy smile. "How's yours?"
"Really good." He passed it over to her. "Want to try?"
"Soy? No thanks."
"It's really good Mac."
She cocked an eyebrow and shook her head. "Not in this lifetime."
They watched out the window as young couples walked by hand in hand, young families chasing speedy children and elderly couples taking their time enjoying nothing more than each other's company. Then a familiar face stuck out.
"Hey, there's Alex and Cody." Harm tapped on the glass and waved. The young couple stopped and waved back. They conversed rapidly, hands flying before entering the small shoppe.
"Hi guys." Mac waved them over to their table.
Alex scooped Dante up out of his stroller and brought him to the table. "Hey. Say 'Hi' Dante."
The boy looked at the two of them and smiled. "Hi."
Cody pulled two chairs over and held it out as his wife sat down on it and then pushed it in closer to the table. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Just taking in the sights…" Harm said, moving closer to Mac, giving them some more room.
"And warming up…" Interjected Mac. She shook her head at Alex who was wearing nothing more than a light zipup over a tshirt. "Speaking of which, aren't you freezing?"
"Canadian, remember?" Alex smiled pulled her knitted wool toque off her head to reveal her dark hair touching her shoulders. She brushed it out of her face. "There's a reason I leave my hair curly, it stays within regs."
Harm rolled his eyes and turned to Cody. "So what are you guys doing here?"
"Just wandering. We're still tourists here, so we thought we'd go for a bit of a walk. Take the Devil Child here for some fresh air." He laid some toys on the table for Dante to play with.
"Debil! DEBIL!" He squealed laughing.
"Yes, that's you. A devil."
Alex punched her husband in the shoulder. "Don't say that! You know how he mimics things!"
Harm and Cody exchanged glances before bursting out laughing. "Women." Cody lamented.
"Weemin." Dante repeated laughing. He looked at his mother and Mac and sighed deeply. "Weemin."
"Now look what you did." Alex said throwing a napkin in their direction.
Dante looked at his mother with a frown on his face before scratching his head. "Damn weemin."
--
Alex and Mac walked farther up, helping Dante along the crowded streets, while Harm and Cody stayed back.
"One of these times, we'll have to go out for drinks." Cody said with a smile as Mac and Alex swung Dante along, the boy giggling.
"Sure, unless Thom decides to work me to the bone."
Cody laughed and pulled his sweater up around his neck. "If he gives you any trouble…send him my way." The young man's face broke into a good-natured grin. "Anytime that you want tickets to the game, give me a shout. If you and Mr. Roberts want to come, I can get some box seats." He blushed, the colour disappearing into his dark curly afro. "It's tough finding people to hang out with who aren't partiers when you do what I do."
"I'd love to go."
They chatted, watching the loves of their lives swing the small boy between their arms.
"Ready to head back to work?" Mac asked, swinging Dante over some cracks in the sidewalk.
"Get back to work, yes. See Lieutenant jerkface, no."
"JERKFACE!" Dante squealed looking at his mom. "Jerkface! Jerkface! JERKFACE!"
"Awww crap. Now he's going to be repeating that for days on end." Alex moaned as her son started laughing.
"Crap! Crap crap crap!"
Mac burst out laughing seeing the young woman fight to keep her composure. "Just stop talking."
"You're telling me." Alex shook her head at her son who looked up them and laughed.
"Stop TALKING!" He grinned and looked up at Mac for approval. She just shook her head trying not to laugh. A park caught his eye. "SWIIIIIIIIIIIINGS! Me go! Swings!" He struggled against their grip. "SWING!"
"Ask Daddy if you can go to the park." Alex said, releasing his hand. Dante tore off, wrapping his arms around Cody's legs.
"SWING! Please? Please?" He stuck his lower lip out and his eyes filled with tears.
"Okay, we'll take you to the swings."
They crossed the busy street, releasing Dante the second they reached the grass. He ran towards the swings and grabbed the first one, pulling himself up on it. "SWING!" Screaming, kicking his legs trying to propel himself somewhere. "Swing damn it!"
Harm put his arm around Mac as they laughed at the little boy's actions. Cody finally relented and pushed him. Alex sat on the swing next to them, swinging slightly.
Mac sighed watching the young family, Cody smiling as Dante as the young boy leaned back in the swing, Alex watching with a look of pride on her face. She wanted that. She wanted all of it. The ups, the downs, and everything in between. She wanted the mimicking, the laughter, the cries, fixing scraped knees, taping first steps. Furthermore, she wanted it with him. Her body, mind, soul ached for it.
Harm felt Mac stiffen in his arms as she watched Dante stop the swing and run into his father's arms. He sighed to himself as Cody pulled Dante's jacket down and adjusted the boy's little black brimmed toque. Alex knelt down and helped Dante put his little hands in a pair of fuzzy red mitts. He couldn't count the number of times he imagined a scene like that. Helping his son tie his shoes, Mac dressing their daughter. He gave Mac a sad smile and wrapped her up in his arms. She allowed herself to get lost in his embrace as Dante took off, running towards them.
"We should get going." Alex apologised as Cody tracked down his son and held him upside down. "I'll see you at work tomorrow Colonel."
"Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeern-nal!" Dante squealed.
Cody gave Harm a wave. "We're on a four game home swing, so anytime that you're up for coming to a game, give me a shout."
"Gooooo Cap-i-TALLS!" The upside down boy giggled.
Alex rolled her eyes. "See you later guys."
--
"Why so quiet?"
Mac looked up from her dinner and shrugged. "Nothing really, I was just thinking."
"Penny for your thoughts?" The small copper coin rolled across the table. She looked into his eyes and ran her finger across the coin.
"Just thinking about today. Alex. Cody. Dante. Harriet. Bud. Little AJ. Them having families, having each other." She shrugged. "It just makes me think about all I'm missing."
"Hey...don't think like that." He went around the table and sat beside her. "We have each other, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"We'll see how things go." He gave her a kiss on the cheek.
--
"That was fun." Sean hobbled along, taking in the lights and sounds of the city.
"It certainly was." Loren replied. "Want to stop for a drink, rest your leg?"
He shrugged. "Sure, we can do that." They walked into the nearest pub, Sean grabbing a booth so he could stick his leg out into the room. The waitress walked by, wearing a short plaid skirt. "What can I get you guys?"
"Umm...I'll have a pint of whatever lager you have on tap." Sean said throwing a smile at the waitress.
"Just a bottle of something domestic for me." Loren replied nodding at the waitress.
"Coming right up." The waitress smiled at Sean. "What did you do to your leg?"
"Got injured in Afghanistan." He shrugged. "Just saving the free world, all that stuff." His grin went ear to ear.
"Wow, a real war hero!" The young woman gushed before catching Loren's scathing look. "I'll go get your drinks."
"She likes you." Loren said with a headshake.
"I don't know, but I prefer my women a bit older...more mature...more cultured." His eyes twinkled.
"Are you calling me OLD?"
"Older than me."
"Well that's because you're still a kid." Loren said with a grin. "But a cute kid."
Sean beamed. "I guess I can agree with that." He took a swallow of his beer and gave her a grin. "I wish I didn't have to go back to the hospital...Hey, do you like hockey?"
Loren's eyes narrowed. "Only sport where fighting is legal? Course I like it! Why?"
"My brother in law plays for the Caps, I was thinking maybe of asking you to go to a game with me."
"Are you asking me out on a date, Master Corporal?"
"Only if you say yes. If you say no, this never happened." He laughed looking at her hopefully.
Loren thought about it for a second before smiling at him. "Just name the date."