A/N: Ready for a reunion for the dynamic duo? It's time. We finally get an answer to why Harm acted as he did. Only one more chapter after this one. (And I had to put in a plug for my all-time favorite movie.)

Confidences

August 7, 2010

Harm watched as the woman drew closer. His mind must be playing tricks. Not only was he dreaming about Mac, now he was seeing her. He wrinkled his brow. If he'd been drinking anything stronger than coffee, that might explain it. Otherwise, he was hallucinating. Had to be.

This woman looked like Mac. Walked like Mac.

She was Mac.

He thought of what Bogart said in Casablanca. "Of all the gin joints, in all the town, in all the world, she walks into mine." Ilsa had broken Ric Blaine's heart. Mac had broken his.

Harm was tempted to go inside the house. Hide so that she wouldn't see him. But it was too late. She was looking in his direction.

What was she doing here? Was she alone? Did he really want to know the answer to that question?

There was no doubt in her mind the man sitting on the porch was Harm. Why here? Why now? She'd come to this place to escape the past. To erase the memories that haunted her like a ghost.

Mac was tempted to turn around, go back to the house, pack her things, and get off the island. Where would she go? There really wasn't anywhere she could escape. Thoughts of Harm would follow her to the end of the earth.

Harm rose from his chair. For a while Mac thought he was going inside the house. Maybe she should turn around. She was certain he didn't want to see her any more than she wanted to see him. But their gazes met. She'd be damned if she would allow him to think she was afraid to talk to him.

As Mac drew closer, Harm stepped off the porch onto the beach. This was it.

"Harm?"

"Mac?"

"I'm surprised to see you here."

Harm pointed over his shoulder. "My stepfather's place. I must say you're the last person I thought I'd see here."

"Likewise."

"Are you alone?"

He had no right to ask her that question. And why did he even care? She decided to pull a Harmon Rabb trick by answering with a question. "Are you?"

"Yes."

Mac couldn't help but steal a glance at his left hand. There was no ring, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Ring or not, Harm was undoubtedly involved with some long-legged blonde. She shifted, suddenly nervous. His next words surprised her.

"Mac, we need to talk."

"We did all our talking in Washington. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go. And don't worry, you won't have to worry about seeing me again. I'll keep to myself for the remaining days I'm here. Might even cut this trip short." She turned, then started to walk away.

"In a hurry to get back to Spook Boy?"

Mac whirled around. How dare he? And why the hell was he bringing up Webb? "What are you talking about? I haven't seen Webb in over six years. You want to talk. Fine. I'll start with a question. Why in the hell did you treat me the way you did our last time to see one another?"

Had he heard her right? Mac hadn't seen Webb in six years. That meant the last time was at Manderley when she learned he'd lied to her and faked his own death. If that was the case, then why…

"I'm waiting, Harm." Mac's brown eyes shot daggers his way.

"You're not with Webb?"

"No, I'm not with Webb. Not that it's any of your business if I were. But that relationship ended a long time ago."

Harm wrinkled his brow. "Then why…"

"Stop answering questions with questions. I want to know why you talked to me like I was a dog."

Harm felt sick in his gut. A wave of nausea overcame him—probably a combination of this morning's coffee and several shots of bourbon he'd consumed last night. He suddenly remembered he hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday.

"Harm? Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. And I'll answer your question. Would you at least come up to the porch?"

Mac took a chair opposite Harm.

"Would you like anything? Coffee?"

"The only thing I want is answers."

"You said you weren't with Webb."

Mac's eyes flashed fire again. "For the third time, no. And if you don't stop asking that I will leave, and you'll never see me again."

"Shortly before you came to my apartment that night, Webb paid me a visit."

"He what?"

"Said he came to wish me well."

"I didn't know you'd kept up with Webb."

"I hadn't. Like you, the last time I saw him before that night was at Manderley. Didn't take long for me to realize he came on the pretense of wishing me well. The real reason for his visit was to throw you in my face."

"Me? What are you talking about?"

"He wanted to flaunt your relationship. Told me the two of you had been seeing one another from time to time."

"He what? That's not true. Whatever he and I once had, which wasn't much now that I look back on it, was over the minute he lied to me and faked his death."

Harm shook his head. Webb had taken him for a fool. How could he have been so stupid to believe Clay's story?

"Did he say anything else?"

"Plenty. Claimed he had talked to you earlier that day. That the two of you agreed without me being around, the two of you finally had a chance."

Mac stood so suddenly she knocked over the chair. She began to pace. "That son of a bitch. I can't believe he did that. So that's why you acted the way you did?"

Harm nodded. "When you came to me that night, it hadn't been more than two hours since he left. I'd spent most of that time thinking back over the mistakes I'd made with you, especially in Australia and Paraguay. How I'd failed to communicate my feelings. I took for granted you understood what I meant on that ferry. Thought you realized by resigning my commission, you'd know I loved you. Even when I came to your apartment after learning we were being transferred, I couldn't open up.

"That last day, I was planning to come to you. To tell you how I felt and let the chips fall where they may, even if you told me there would never be anything between us."

"You were?"

"Yes. Then Webb showed up. Almost like he had some kind of insight into my thoughts. When you came to see me, I was in a fight or flight motion. I swore I wasn't going to let you get in the last word nor allow you to twist that knife again."

"If you only knew how much your words hurt me. I felt like I was breaking apart."

"I know how I acted wasn't right. I'm not making excuses for what I did, just explaining why. And for the record, it's haunted me ever since. I promised myself if I ever saw you again, I would apologize. So here we are. And I am sorry."

Mac's eyes were moist with tears.

"I take full responsibility for destroying what friendship we had."

"Not everything is your fault. I did my share of wrecking our lives."

"Don't blame yourself, Mac. I'm glad I was able to set the record straight, but I don't blame you for not ever wanting to see me again."

"But I do want that, Harm."

"What?"

"I do want to see you again. Despite what happened, these past five years without you have been hell. Don't get me wrong. I was mad at you. Furious was more like it. But some of the things you said that night hit too close to home. I did turn to Mic too soon. I did flaunt Webb to your face and didn't appreciate the fact you had resigned your commission for me. And I am the one who said 'never.'"

"That still doesn't excuse the way I acted. If I had it to do over…"

"We both would make a lot of changes, but we can't change the past." Mac sat on the chaise lounge beside Harm. "Remember what we said after the Jagathon?"

"Something about being back at the beginning?"

"Yes. This is a new beginning for us. We're not going to repair everything overnight, but let's not screw things up this time."