For Joan. Because Mic was manipulative and Mac needed a little saving from a certain flyboy.

Florida Straights.

She knew it was him. Even if the tall, dark haired man was not wearing his peanut butters with Commander's oak leaves, Mac could always find Harm.

She stared at him for a moment, well, his back as he was not facing her while engaged in a jovial conversation with one of Mic's potential partners, Jake Price. Part of her wanted to intrude but, after being reprimanded by her husband-to-be, she spent the rest of the day making herself scarce. She was to be a trophy girlfriend, nice to look at but, not outspoken. And she hated it.

Mac excused herself by pretending to need the bathroom but, it was to be an escape escape of sorts. Casually, she walked through the large home until she ventured into the library. She silently catalogued the manuscripts that were clearly first editions given how they'd been locked behind glass, it was an impressive collection.

"How'd you find me?" She smirked when a sudden change in the air alerted her of Harm's presence.

"I always know where you are." He said with a shrug and then leaned against the door frame. Harm kept his voice low and measured, she'd be hard pressed to find that it was his bedroom voice. "Price tells me Mic may be the new partner."

"Mmm." She rolled her eyes and slowly continued her query, reading each of the books titles which lined the rear wall. "How do you know him? Price?"

"Oh. High School. Jake Price is and will always be an asshole."

Mac raised her brow and turned to face him. "Odd way to speak about a friend."

"We're not friends. He looked me up the other day, picked up a client that was former Navy and asked for help. I got a ridiculously expensive bottle of single malt scotch as payment." He grinned sheepishly and then pushed off the frame and stepped into the room stopping just behind her.

"Weren't you supposed to be on a Frigate?"

Harm nodded. "Wrapped it up faster than we thought. This was a last minute engagement which is why I'm still in uniform." His eyes narrowed as he tilted his head to look at her. There was something wrong, a discomfort that he could feel coming off of Mac in waves. "Why are you in here and not with Mic?"

"That isn't really my scene..." Was it possible to feel invisible and objectified all at once?

"If you were my fiance I'd be showing you off to all of them. You look amazing." His eyes, she felt them caressing her body as if it were his hands and it made Mac sigh.

That's the part that wasn't her scene - the showing of Mic's future trophy wife. "Not all women like that." Although, if it were Harm showing her off maybe it would be different? He would have treated her like an equal not a submissive.

Submissive. That was exactly what she'd become in a way. She'd been guilted into joining Mic at the party when she knew well enough his plan was to show her off. Mac was Mic's ultimate accessory and he held her to that regard without much concern over her feelings on the manner.

It pissed her off.

"What's wrong, Mac?"

Harm was now standing a breath away and his hand had begun to slide down her arm. His touch made her shiver although she tried to hide the way her body reacted to him. "Do you ever feel like you've made the biggest mistake of your life?" He didn't answer, so she took a breath and looked into his eyes. "My life...I should be happy...I'm not."

The revelation made him frown. The woman had gone through so much in her life, she deserved to be happy. Instinctively, he knew the why, Mic wasn't The One. "It's him. You're not happy with him." Her eyes that were once locked onto her looked down in shame or disappointment, Harm wasn't sure which.

"Mac." He hooked a finger under her chin and raised her head up so that she'd look at him. Those eyes, her beautiful amber eyes danced alive as he held her gaze and Harm never wanted to kiss a woman so badly.

It was when his head dipped down to hers that a voice stopped them from kissing. "Sarah. There you are." The pair stepped away from each other as if burnt and thankfully Mic had missed all of their conversation. "Harm? What are you doing here?"

"I was just leaving, came to drop a file off for Jake Price." Harm's fingers dug into his cover and reluctantly he stepped away from Mac. "Congratulations."

"Thanks mate." His smile was smug widening when he offered his hand to Mac and she slipped her palm into his. "C'mon. They're asking for you luv."

"Lets not keep them waiting."

For the duration of the party Harm's gaze was constantly on Mac. He saw her shift uncomfortably each time Mic's hand caressed her back. He noticed the plastered smile that never reached her eyes. At least five times she'd forgone the glass of champagne floating around and explained that she didn't drink just as much.

As the hours dragged on so did her irritation until Mic finally noticed. Of course, the party had rounded down by then and she'd felt completely humiliated. She'd questioned Mic and the conversation to his new boss that seemed to evolve soley on his involvement with her.

Kalinski was ogling her, indecently so for most of the afternoon and Mac felt like she went back in time trying to fight the good old boys club. 'Sharp, smart and sexy.' Were the adjectives Mic used and none of them felt like a compliment. He knew how uncomfortable she would be and yet, he cajoled her, guilted her and Mac stupidly went along.

"This is a bloody good opportunity and I'm not going to jeopardise it because of something that happened to you before I was in your life." It wasn't so much that he'd brought up her past, frankly the man didn't really know enough about her to do much damage. But, his tone, his voice had carried across the courtyard catching the attention of those around.

"Mic, you are wrong about…"

"Sarah! Leave it! Get in the car…"

She stood trying to defy him until Mic's eyes gleamed with malevolence. Mac was ready for him to strike until the tall, Navy Commander stepped to her side. "Mac, you alright?"

"I said, get into the car, Sarah!" Mic's hand wrapped around her bicep and he tried to use force to get his way. It was his biggest mistake.

He never saw the fist that landed on his left cheek and knocked him right on his ass. "You don't treat a lady like that you piece of shit." Harm grabbed Mic by the lapels of his jacket and punched him once more for good measure. "Especially if she's a Marine." He stood to full height and turned to Mac. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I am now." She unscrewed the engagement ring from her finger and tossed it at Mic's chest. "We're through...Take me home, Harm?"


He was seated on her sofa and Mac on her coffee table nursing the bruise which formed on his knuckles. It had been a hard hit and thankfully Harm hasn't broken any bones. "Normally I'd tell you that I'm a Marine that could take care of herself but…"

"But?"

"Thank you." She finished wrapping a bandage around his hand and then pressed a kiss against his knuckles. "There all better."

"We're always watching eachother up, huh?"

"In more ways that one." She agreed. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Mac was still holding his hand, running her fingers above the bandage to his pulsepoint on his right wrist. His heartbeat was strong and steady beneath her fingers and Mac realized just how much she needed him. "I'm not like him you know?"

"I know." She nodded.

"I would never do that…"

"No you wouldn't."

Her hand moved from his wrist up his shoulder. "You're not just a pretty girl. You're…" He was cut off when Mac's touch moved to the back of his head, her fingers playing with the short hair there.

She pulled his head down to hers. "Harm? Shut up and kiss me."

"Aye, ma'am." And so he did.