The next few days fly by as Harm and Mac settle into a near perfect domestic routine. She is normally awake first, so she heads to the kitchen to start the coffee, then rouses him before hopping into the shower herself. Unlike him, it only takes her about five minutes. She teases that a Squid can never move as quick as a Marine even though she knows he is staying in there longer to let the hot water run on his back. They did finally come to a compromise on the flavor of the coffee, after she threatened to go to her apartment and pick up her own pot if he didn't stop whining about how robust she made it. While she is showering, he normally makes breakfast.

He surprised her one morning with chocolate chip pancakes. She didn't even know that he had chocolate chips in any of his cupboards. So much for her thinking how well she knew his apartment. After that incident, she rummaged through all of his cupboards as well as the fridge and freezer to see what else he had been hiding, and surprisingly she found several of her comfort foods. At first, she thought that he really was trying to make her feel at home, but it touched her even more when she realized that he had those things in his apartment before his little slip and fall at Harriet's. They hadn't been grocery shopping again since the day he was released from the hospital.

They eat together, often doing more flirting than eating, especially when Mac decided that whipped cream was an essential addition to the pancakes. It took every ounce of strength that Harm had not to lather her in it and kiss every square inch of her body. He couldn't wait until his doctor's appointment when he got the all clear to allow his body to do what his mind was already doing. The dreams of them together were becoming more intense with each passing day, and considering the visions he had the first night he hit his head that was truly saying something. He wasn't quite sure how much more of this he could take without moving things to the natural next step. Things really were working out well between them. Although they still playfully argued, they hadn't had a single major disagreement since his release from the hospital. Surprisingly, as worked up as he was getting, his blood pressure was remaining stable. Each morning after breakfast, Mac offers to clean up while Harm takes his shower. It's something to keep her hands busy, although the soap suds remind her that she would rather be running them up and down Harm's soapy chiseled form in the shower instead of over dirty dishes. However, she knows that her chance to do that will come soon enough.

During the day, they often take short walks through the park hand in hand. They started out with just a very short trip around the block, much to Harm's dismay. Mac didn't want him to push it too quickly. However, she noticed that he seemed to loosen up his lower back while walking so she relented to longer ventures in the park. Although Harm will be happy when they can go running together again, he rather enjoys just taking a leisurely stroll with her fingers interlaced with his and her whole body tucked under his arm. He is amazed by how perfectly they fit together. Each of her soft curves conform to his hard planes like interlocking pieces in a puzzle. He inherently knows that when they make love, it will be the exact same way. He has absolutely no concerns that there will be any type of awkwardness that he has experienced with past lovers. After all, they know each other better than most married couples do already.

In the afternoons, they often play cards. Harm readily agreed to gin rummy because he was deathly afraid that the Admiral would stop by and he would have to count hairs if they played go fish again! Although, he did convince his Marine to engage in a few games of war as well. They had considered playing pinochle but they didn't have the correct deck and it is more fun with four people when you can play partners. They vowed to set up a game night with some other folks at JAG whether it be pinochle, poker, trivial pursuit, or some other game. Harm inwardly chuckled, remembering that he actually had a poker table buried in his garage that he hadn't used since his Academy days. Having a night every couple of weeks with friends from work away from the pressures of work would be nice.

When they aren't playing a game, they will often read, and run various errands. They have just been enjoying the simple pleasures of being a couple with no talk of work whatsoever. Mac flat out refused to look at any case files while she was looking after him, even though he offered to assist or let her bounce ideas off of him if she wanted to. He was afraid that she would get bored just sitting around the apartment. He was mildly astonished that he wasn't going stir-crazy himself but being with her all the time made even the dullest moments quite pleasant. He found that he didn't need to be flying at Mach speeds, arguing before a jury, or chasing terrorists to be happy as long as she was by his side.

In the early evenings, Harm was teaching Mac how to make a few more extravagant meals. Not his usual pasta fair, but actual fine cuisine. She was amazed at not only how many dishes he knew how to cook, but that he was a great instructor as well. He simply shrugged his shoulders and noted that he just didn't usually have the time to prepare such wonderful meals since they were often out of town or in the office well after office hours. They made crab stuffed mushrooms one night and he even cooked her a medium rare prime tenderloin that literally melted in her mouth another evening. She offered him a bite to show him just how utterly delicious it was, but he was perfectly content with his own broiled rockfish which she did sample. Both dishes were absolutely exquisite.

For a few hours before bedtime, they would spoon on the couch and watch movies. It's a good thing that there weren't any pop quizzes at the end of the night because neither one of them completely paid attention to any of them. Mac found it very hard to concentrate on anything when Harm would run the tips of his fingers over the inside of her wrist, trace the bones in her hand with his thumb, or lightly nuzzle the space between her head and her shoulder. Harm found it immensely difficult to focus his attention on anything except the soft sighs that she would make or the way that her supple body felt pressed intimately against his. Although they readily kissed each other whenever they pleased, they had still yet to take things physically past that point yet. With Harm's doctor's appointment coming up the day after next and him having no lingering symptoms they both anticipated and feared what would happen when he was given the green light to resume all normal activities.