A/N: And now for the conclusion.

Bookends

One Year Later

Mac stole a glance at the sparkling ring on her left hand. Even after six months, she sometimes had trouble believing she was Mrs. Harmon Rabb Jr. Harm had the ring specially designed—a one-carat emerald cut diamond, flanked by a ruby on one side and a sapphire on the other. The ruby was representative of Mac's time in the Marine Corps, the sapphire of his service in the Navy. Even though the military was no longer a part of their lives, it was what brought them together.

Getting their friendship back on track wasn't easy. Both had a lot of issues to deal with—not only with one another but things from their past. Harm surprised Mac by suggesting they attend counseling. He was fully committed to making their relationship work.

Although her past experience with counseling hadn't been the best, Mac agreed. They found a husband and wife team who helped them tremendously. Harm came to grips with his tendency to obsess over things. Mac resolved some issues with her father and her mother (things she thought she'd put to rest years earlier). Her tendency to be drawn to the wrong type of man—Dalton, Mic, Webb—came about because she was afraid of being alone.

Three months after they reconnected, Harm proposed. At first, Mac thought they might be rushing things, wanting more time to date, but when she considered the nine years they'd danced around a relationship, she accepted his proposal. They had a whirlwind engagement and a small wedding on the beach in La Jolla with only a few close friends and family attending.

Neither Mac nor Harm missed military life. After deliberating whether they wanted to go into private law practice, they both decided it wasn't for them. By chance, Harm learned an old family friend was selling his small pilot training school. He and Mac discussed it, Harm made an offer, and he was now giving flying lessons. Mac took care of the books and business side of things.

Harm had "Sarah" flown here and he'd even taken Mac flying a few times. She was hesitant at first but decided flying with him was fun when there were no deranged poachers or KGB agents chasing them.

"Penny for your thoughts, dear." Trish Burnett smiled at her daughter-in-law. She and Frank had brought Harm and Mac to The Marine Room, a posh La Jolla restaurant where patrons could dine during high tide. The waves would crash against the windows, making for an exciting experience.

"Just thinking about life. And how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband and family." Mac squeezed Trish's hand.

"We're the lucky ones. You've brought a ray of sunshine into our lives, and I can safely say I've never seen my son so happy. Not since before…"

"I know. You don't have to say it. What happened would have been difficult for anyone to deal with, but especially a five-year-old who adored his father."

Harm, who had been engaged in conversation with Frank, turned to his wife and flashed one of his flyboy grins. It was something Mac never grew tired of seeing. Something she'd seen little of the last two years they were in Washington.

Trish spoke again. "Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a couple so meant to be together. It's like you complete one another. One doesn't work without the other."

"You think so?"

"I know so. It's like… Bookends."

Mac reached for her husband's hand. With all their ups and downs, heartache and sorrow, joy and happiness, they did go together.

Yes, life was good.

He sat across the room observing the two couples seated near a window. The older couple spoke wealth. Maybe not old money like his family, but nonetheless, they obviously lived the good life.

But it was the other couple that drew his attention. He should have known from the start the two of them would end up together. He'd seen it all those years ago when he first met them. There was an undeniable chemistry, even though they seemed oblivious to it at first.

He saw it during their assignment at the Sudanese Embassy, in Columbia, in Russia, and in Paraguay. That Rabb resigned his commission to find Sarah hadn't been a surprise. He knew deep down he never stood a chance with her, but he had to try. That's the reason he made sure to interrupt any private moments they might have. Even exaggerated his injuries to garner Mac's sympathy.

And for a while, he thought he'd won. But no matter what Rabb always came between them. When he learned the two of them had been reassigned (yes, he kept up with things in DC even though he was no longer assigned there), he realized one or both would likely resign so as to not be apart. And if he couldn't have Sarah, then he'd be damned if Rabb would.

That's why he went to Harm's apartment and spewed off all those lies. It worked—at least for five years.

It was only by chance he ended up in the same restaurant. He hadn't followed them here. He didn't even want to be in La Jolla for he knew there was a slight chance of running into Harm or his parents. What he hadn't expected was to see Harm and Sarah together.

But it should have been a surprise. When Sarah moved her left hand, he caught the flash of the expensive diamond. Apparently, fate had put them together forever.

He lowered his head. Any chance of hoping to reconcile with Sarah was over. He'd known all along he was fighting a losing battle. The ring was the final confirmation. Signaling for the waiter, he threw a couple of hundreds on the table, then quietly left the restaurant.

Fate had decided. Who was he to argue?

A/N: Inspired by the song Bookends by Simon and Garfunkel.