Title: Meeting in a Rose Garden

Summary: Mac reconnects with someone she knew in law school. (West Wing Crossover) (Mac/Other, Mac/Harm friendship)

Notes: When I saved this and realized that it's now up to 27 parts, I was honestly shocked. My initial plan for this had been for Harm and Mac to end up together eventually, and it would have been much, MUCH shorter (a lot less Mac/Sam fluff) and would have pretty much wrapped up once Sam went to run for Congress and Harm and Mac found their way to one another. I'm now 27 parts in and I really don't want this to end (I'm not ending it anytime soon). This note is pretty much pointless; I'm just really surprised that I've found this much enjoyment writing Mac with someone else. The fourteen year old me who fell in love with this show 24 years ago (eek!) during Full Engagement would be absolutely outraged over this. Anyway. Thank you to those of you who are following along with me.

Part Twenty-Seven

Mac was enjoying being back in his arms, and was content to stand there while he had one hand tangled in her hair and one hand moving over her back. After a few minutes she pulled back and placed her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away.

He reached up and tucked her hair behind an ear. "You okay?"

"Better than I was." She offered him a small smile, and stepped further into the apartment. He followed her into the living room, and hurriedly cleared the books and binders off of the sofa. She winced at the amount of highlighted notes scattered on the coffee table. "I'm sorry – you're probably way too busy to deal with my breakdown."

He shook his head and placed his hands on her hips. "I am never too busy for you." He maneuvered them onto the couch, his hands never leaving her. "If I'm being honest, I'm glad you're finally having a breakdown. You've been holding everything inside for much too long." She frowned and tried to shift away from him. He shook his head, and held her tighter. "Don't do that. You're here. You're actually here. Let's have the conversation we've needed to have for months."

"Sam…"

"Talk to me. Please." He took her hand in his and squeezed gently. "You're here because…" He trailed off, realizing he was unsure of why she had come all this way. "Why did you come here?"

She blushed and looked at their hands, and then back up at his face. She raised her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug. "I was sad. And being back home was hard. I missed you."

"I'm glad you missed me." He looked away, feeling embarrassed. "You've been pushing me away for months, and I – I've been afraid you would leave me."

"Don't you think you'd be better off without me?" Sam's head whipped back to her and she swallowed. She tugged her hand free and got up, needing to move around. He stayed where he was, never taking his eyes off of her. He shook his head and Mac let out a breath. "Really, Sam. You deserve more than me. I am so fucking damaged that the universe has decided I don't even get the chance to become a mother."

"Four percent is low, but it isn't nothing. Maybe the universe is just asking you how much you want it." Her brow furrowed and he sighed. "We haven't talked about our options, but we have them. You could find a specialist and have another surgery to try and remove the lesions. That would increase the percentage. We could try fertility treatments. We could use a surrogate, although I think I'd rather adopt than go that route. But adoption." He shook his head and stood. "There are so many children out there who need a good home with parents who love them. We could do that."

The tears had begun to fall again and she swiped at her face. "But you don't have to go through those things. You have other options. And I feel like – I feel like you're settling for me, and you're going to resent me someday."

He moved closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Look at me, Sarah." Their eyes met and she swallowed. "My options are the same as yours. I want children with you. If my options are adopting a baby with you, or having a biological child with someone else; I choose adoption. If my options are fertility treatments with you, or having a baby the old-fashioned way with someone else; I chose fertility treatments. I am not settling. And I will never, ever resent you."

Mac sniffled, and watched as he stepped into the small kitchen and grabbed a paper towel. He handed to her and watched as she dabbed at her eyes. "I'm sure you're going to get tired of constantly reassuring me."

He smiled and shook his head. "I'll keep doing it. For as long as you need me to." He moved closer and kissed her forehead. "I love you. I'll always love you."

She sniffled and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you," she whispered into his neck.

"I know." She could hear the smile in his voice, and she felt herself finally begin to relax. He pulled back and reached for her hand. "Come on." He led them into his bedroom and kicked off his shoes before sitting down on the bed. She raised an eyebrow and he patted her side of the bed. "You flew back from the Seahawk last night, flew out here today, and have cried more today than I've seen you cry in over a year. I'm not sure how you're still standing."

He was right. She was emotionally and physically drained, and even though she had never been much of a napper, the thought of curling up in his bed was undeniably appealing. "Okay." She slipped off her own shoes and crawled onto the bed. It wasn't as comfortable as their bed at home, but it smelled like him, the sheets were soft, and the room was warm in a cozy way. They both slid in between the sheets, and she immediately curled up against him. She was almost asleep when a thought occurred to her. "Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you know?"

"Know what?"

She thought of the video Josh sent her, and propped herself up on an elbow. "Know that I was the one." He blushed and she smiled. "I saw your interview." He groaned, and pulled the duvet up to cover his face. She laughed and tugged it down. "Tell me."

He grinned and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Remember that joke you tried to tell me on our first date?"

It was her turn to blush as she thought back to the truly ridiculous joke. Chloe had emailed it to her earlier that day, and at the beginning of their dinner when she hadn't known what to talk about, she had told him the joke. Only, she hadn't been able to get the punchline out. Every time she had tried, she started to giggle from a combination of the immature joke and nerves, and after several minutes of that she finally just waived him off.

She closed her eyes and groaned. "That was so embarrassing. I'm surprised you didn't fake an emergency and leave then and there."

"Oh, the joke was terrible." She snorted and he smiled. "But your laugh." He closed his eyes and found himself back in that large booth with this incredibly beautiful woman. "I listened to you laugh for several minutes while you tried to get it out, and I just – I just thought it would be really nice to hear you laughing like that forever." He reached up and stroked her cheek. "What about you?" She winced and he frowned. "You do think that I'm the one, right?"

"Of course, I do." She lowered herself back to the mattress. "It's just… Well. It hit me the same night I realized I was in love with you."

"Ah. The night Harm kissed you."

"Yeah." She looked at him and smiled. "He kissed me, and I realized that I never wanted to be kissed by anyone but you for the rest of my life."

Mac woke up several hours later, feeling better than she had in a very long time. She stretched, and frowned when she felt empty space on Sam's side of the bed.

"Sam?"

He popped out of the ensuite bathroom and smiled. "Hey, you're awake."

He had changed from the jeans and t-shirt he had been wearing, to a navy suit. She looked him over, and thought for approximately the four millionth time that it was unfair for anyone to be that attractive. "I feel underdressed."

He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "I have a campaign event tonight." She made a face and he smiled. "Don't look at me like that; I was going to wake you up before I left."

She blushed, feeling self-conscious. "I'm sorry. I really didn't think coming out here through. I feel like I'm inconveniencing you."

"You're not; I promise." He leaned in to kiss her and then stood. "It's just a town hall tonight. I'll answer questions for ninety minutes, meet with my staff afterward, and then I'll be home." She nodded and he stood. "Scott, my campaign manager is picking me up, so you can take my rental car if you want to go anywhere. It's a blue Prius on the ground level of the parking garage." She nodded and shifted in an upright position.

"I'm fine. I rented a car at LAX. Do you have other events this weekend?"

"Yeah." He walked to the closet and grabbed a tie. "Tomorrow night there's a fundraiser, and I'd actually love for you to come to that with me."

"What kind of fundraiser?" She noticed her small suitcase was now sitting on a chair by the window. "I didn't bring anything fancy with me."

"I've never known you to turn down a chance to buy a new dress." She rolled her eyes at him and he turned to the mirror and began putting on the tie. "It's black tie, and should be an interesting event. The host is a guy CJ knew from Berkeley. He's a public defender who married into a lot of money, and apparently the parties these people have are legendary." He turned to her and noticed she didn't look entirely convinced. "Please come. It would mean a lot to me.

Mac sighed, and nodded. "Fine. I'll come."

His eyes widened, and he stopped fussing with the tie. "Really?"

"Really."

Sam grinned. "Well, that was easier than I was expecting." He turned back to the mirror and smoothed out invisible wrinkles on his jacket and then turned to her. "How do I look?"

"Handsome." She looked him over, and tried to ignore the absolutely ridiculous, yet familiar rush of arousal that came every time she watched him put on a tie.

His smile widened, and he returned to his spot on the bed. "I still can't believe you're here." He kissed her gently, and pulled her close. He slid his hands under the lightweight sweater she was wearing, and let out a contented sigh. Her skin was soft, and her mouth was warm, and she was pushing her body closer to his.

And then there was a knock on the door. Mac groaned and fell back against the pillows and he cursed under his breath. She glanced at his obvious erection and bit her lip. "Want me to get the door?"

He let out a shaky breath and nodded. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all." She climbed out of bed and smoothed down her sweater. She padded barefoot to the living room and opened the door. The man on the other side frowned, and she saw his eyes dart to the numbers on the door. "You're at the right apartment. Sam will be right out."

He continued to frown as he looked her over. "Who are you?"

She moved out of the way, allowing him to come inside. "Sarah MacKenzie."

"Oh, the fiancée." He stepped into the apartment and extended his hand. "Scott Holcomb. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

His eyes moved over her again, taking in the snug jeans and the pale grey v-neck sweater. "Are you coming to the event?"

"No." She crossed her arms over her chest, not entirely comfortable with the way he was looking at her. "I just flew in this afternoon, and I'm pretty exhausted." He didn't say anything and the silence made her uneasy. "Sam will be right out," she repeated.

As if summoned, Sam came out of the bedroom and shoved a binder and some papers into his messenger bag. He put an arm around her and gave her a quick kiss. "I won't be late."

"I'll be here. Good luck." She smiled and squeezed his arm. She watched as he draped the strap of the bag over his chest and followed Scott out of the apartment.

She was still tired, but didn't really want to go back to bed. They only had a few days together, and she wanted to get on a normal sleep pattern. She wanted food, but didn't feel like going anywhere. She made her way to the kitchen, and opened a few drawers until she found a stack of takeout menus. There were plenty of options, but pizza sounded the best.

The pizza arrived quickly, and after Mac ate a few slices, she wondered around the apartment. It was easy to tell what was his, and what the complex thought was decorative. She passed over the hardback books on the small bookcase, and ran her fingers over the spines of the paperbacks. Her eyes widened when she realized each of the books was about adoption or infertility or endometriosis. The spines were bent, and colorful tabs stuck out at various points. She recognized a few of the titles, and pulled out one she had recently read. He had highlighted throughout and made notes in the margins, and she moved to the sofa. He had marked some of the same passages she had, and she realized how ridiculous she had been not to talk about her condition with him. They could have read this book, and the others, together. They could have exchanged notes, and made lists of questions to ask her doctor. But instead, she had shut him out, and forced each of them to go through this on their own.

She flipped through a few more books, and took one she hadn't read yet to the bathroom. Sam didn't have any bath salts or oils, but she filled the tub anyway, undressed, and slid into the hot water.

"Sarah?"

"In the tub!" She closed the book and sat it on the toilet. He stepped into the doorway, and smiled.

"I've missed coming home to this." He moved further into the bathroom and perched on the edge of the toilet. He glanced at the book and blushed when he saw that it was one of his about adoption. He picked it up and set it on the counter. They stared at each other for a moment, and he was on the verge of looking away when she finally spoke.

"I'm so sorry, Sam."

He frowned and leaned back. "For what?"

"For shutting you out." She reached for his hand, and watched their fingers twine together. "A while back I overheard someone say about me that every man I've been with was either dead or wishes they were."

His eyes bulged. "Wait, what? What the hell, Sarah-"

She held up her other hand. "I know, it was a crappy thing to say. It was right around the time that we met, and that's been in the back of my mind for a while. I've been trying to protect you, Sam. I've been trying to make sure that I didn't ruin your life the way I did the other men I've dated. And then I started trying to protect myself, because I was so sure that you'd realize one day that you could do better than me, and you'd leave."

He let out a breath, and squeezed her hand. "Whoever said that is an asshole." She blushed and gave a half-hearted shrug, and he had a feeling the comment had come from Harm.

"Anyway. I shut you out as a way of protecting both of us. And I'm so sorry for that."

"It's okay." She opened her mouth and he shook his head. "You've been hurt and abandoned by people that you love. That kind of neglect isn't something you just instantly get over because I'm a nice guy." He slid off the toilet and knelt beside the tub. "You can push all you want, but unless you point blank say you don't want to be with me, I'm not going anywhere. If you need to be constantly reassured that this is what I want, I'll do it. Because I know one day it won't be like this. One day you'll know that you are more than enough; that you are everything I want."

She smiled and ran a hand through his hair. "If you win this thing, the President's speeches are really going to suffer."

He laughed and leaned in to kiss her. "Want me to leave you alone?"

She shook her head. "I want to get out. Will you hand me my towel?" He handed her a towel and forced himself to look away as she stood and began toweling off.

"I'm going to go change while you do all of your face stuff." He gestured to the assortment of products peeking out of her toiletry bag. He went into the bedroom and began to undress. He was down to his boxers when Mac came into the room, wearing only her towel.

"Are you okay?" He nodded and she raised an eyebrow. "Sam, you have never left a room that quickly when I've been naked." He blushed and she leaned against the dresser. "What's going on?"

Sam let out a breath and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Remember the argument we had the day I left to come here? When I told you that you're so worried about disappointing people that you accept things you don't want?"

"Yeah."

He shrugged. "That's been on my mind. It makes initiating sex uncomfortable. You've had a fairly emotional day, and I can't help but think it's something you'd go along with so I won't be disappointed. I don't want you to feel obligated to do something you don't feel like doing, and end up resenting me."

She'd like to deny that she'd ever do something like that, but she knew that she couldn't. She had never felt obligated with him, but with Mic and with Dalton she had frequently. Dalton had been the more obnoxious one the few times she had said no. He had stormed off in a huff, and she would go days without hearing from him. Mic wouldn't leave, but he would sulk and fill the apartment with uncomfortable, oppressive silence. She moved to the bed and sat down beside him.

"I won't do that with you." She looked at him, and their eyes met. "I promise." She stood and tugged at the towel, letting it fall to the floor. She watched his eyes darken and moved over her.

He stood, and ran a fingertip over a nipple. "Yeah?"

She nodded, and ran her hands down his chest to the waistband of his boxers. "I think you're overdressed." He nodded, and watched her tug them down.

End Part 27