Disclaimer: See Ch. 1

Author: J Bear

A/N: I'm glad y'all are liking this so far. As usual, if you can just drop me a review, that'll be great.

Amonté's
1900

"Miss Mackenzie?" The waiter asked Mac. At her nod, he directed her to an empty table on the balcony. It was a warm and refreshing night, so she was dressed in a casual loose tanned shirt with a pair of black dress pants. She looked at her watch and wondered where Harm was. Then she saw a familiar figure heading her way and she smiled.

"Sorry about that, the Beltway was kind of jammed." He told her

"The Beltway? Where were you?"

"Ah… finishing off some research across town, went home, took a nice shower, got dressed then came here." He took his seat and lifted the menu. "Got any ideas about what to eat?"

"The grilled steak sounds good. You?"

"Ah, the dead cow, good choice Mac." He smirked at her. "I'm thinking the Mozzarella Chicken Alfredo."

"Well… at least it's not fully rabbit food."

The waiter came and he took their orders and left a bottle of chilled Sparkling Apple Cider with Harm. Thanking him, he poured some for Mac and himself and stuck it back into the bucket.

"You can order something else to drink Harm, don't have to drink the same thing I do." Mac looked at him.

"That's alright Mac, I'll have whatever drink you're having."

"So…"

"So you're wondering about the story aren't you?" Harm asked her.

"You took it hostage." She replied

"Yes, yes I did." He smiled at her. "How'd you like that chapter?"

"I wasn't going to write that Harm."

"Oh?" Her best friend frowned

"What did you think about it?"

"I personally liked Prince Max…" He said wryly "It mirrors our life if we were under different circumstances."

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" She remembered back to Sydney, on the ferry- The day that would have changed everything.

"Look Mac, I'm willing to give us a try."

She looked sharply at him and cocked her eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Look, I know I've made some horrible mistakes in the past… oh… few years. And well, I know I really don't deserve a second chance, but I'd like to take a crack at it. Mac, I want you in my life not only as a best friend, but as something more…" Harm was rambling and he knew it. "You know what I mean?"

"No, enlighten me." She liked to see him squirm.

"I'm in love with you." He blurted out.

"I'm in love with you too. So what are we going to do about it?"

The pair smiled at each other and the same waiter came back with their orders.

"We'll see." Harm said. He had got everything planned out.

"So where's this next chapter of our… alternate life?"

"Right here." He patted his shirt's breast pocket and took out a floppy disk.

+++ The story +++

It was summer and 2 months past their fiasco, and they continued their relationship as though it was never interrupted. The prince stayed in Washington as Lorthien's ambassador to United States, as agreed with the Prime Minister and the Parliament of Lorthien. He was falling in love with her more and more each day.

"Mmm… that feels good." She said to him as he was brushing his lips on the back of her neck, his arms encircling her waist. The phone suddenly rings and Mac reaches out for the phone, still in Harm's embrace.

"Mackenzie."

"Hey honey."

"Oh hi mom." Harm was nuzzling her neck and she swatted his arm, then mouthed It's my mother, so behave.

"Just called to remind you about the reunion."

Ruth Mackenzie had called her daughter before about the upcoming family reunion. It was fun and rambunctious. The Mackenzie clan was large and they all lived in either Washington or around Washington. And Mac loved the atmosphere and everything about these reunions. Whoever could come would be there. This year's were going to be held in Washington at her parent's home.

"Right mom, I'll be there." Mac paused for a moment in thought "Hey mom, can I bring someone with me?"

"Sure hon. I'll see you on this weekend. Bye!" And Ruth hung up.

"Hey Harm, are you doing anything this weekend?" She asked him.

"Nope. Why?" He looked at her curiously.

"Family reunion in the suburbs. It's going to be fun. You don't have to come though. It's going to be huge. And I don't want you to feel uncomfortable…"

"I'm not going to feel uncomfortable Mac. I'll be glad to come along. I mean, if your family will have me."

"Of course they will Harm. Now care for some dinner?"

Mackenzie Home.
16 Lawson Rd.
1220

"Honey! We're out of ice!" Ruth shouted from the kitchen to her husband Joe in the backyard. Everyone was already there, all that was missing was Mac and her guest. And she had a very good idea about who it was.

Just then, a bag of ice dropped in front of her.

"Looking for this?" a voice asked behind her.

She turned around and embraced her Sarah.

"When did you get here?" Ruth inquired.

"Just now, the front door was unlocked mom."

Harm was standing at the doorway watching the mother and daughter reunion. Noticing him, Ruth looked to her daughter.

"Mom, this is Harmon Rabb Jr. Harm, this is my mom Ruth."

"Ah the infamous mother of Sarah. It's nice to meet you ma'am." He took her hand and shook it.

"Please, it's Ruth. It gets confusing here if you keep calling me ma'am or Mrs. Mackenzie. So use Ruth." She stated

"I'm going to get the bags from the jeep Mac. I'll be back." Nodding in the women's direction, he left for the door.

"He's handsome." Ruth said and smiled wryly then added "Darcy's right, he does have a nice butt."

"Mom!"

Giving her daughter another hug and went back to putting the ice into the cooler.

"So how is this going to work Sarah? The reunion's all week long! And you've got work."

"Well… I got 5 days leave approved."

"That's great honey. Go say hi to your father."

+++ 2 hours later +++

The kids were staring at Harm, who was standing there in front of them. He drew out a water gun from the back of his pants, and then grinned evilly. The kids ran screaming and laughing.

"Come back here!" He shouted. Harm stalked the grounds looking for kids and the adults were smiling at the new arrival, who was in fact a big kid himself. Suddenly, he felt someone behind him and quickly snatched whoever it was up. To his surprise, it was Ben, the 5 year old nephew of Sarah's. He giggled as Harm tucked him into his arm.

"So Ben, where is everyone?" He asked him.

"I ono." The 5 year old answered him.

"Hmm…." Then put Ben down. When Harm turned around he faced a barrage of streaming water, he was then soaked from head to toe. Cocking his eyebrow, he ran after the culprits who were trying to escape.

Mac and her cousin Lori stopped talking for a second and looked towards the sounds of screaming and laugher, only to find Harmon Rabb Jr. chasing 5 year olds and 6 year olds.

"Hey Mommeeeeeeeee" One little girl, Debra said to Lori and kept running.

"Hello ladies." Harm got there huffing and puffing "Can't talk right now, got 5 and 6 year olds to catch." Gave Mac a kiss on the cheek and kept running.

"Well he's hot." Lori said gesturing at the man "He's Harm isn't he?"

"Yep."

"Don't seem like the prince material."

Within the first two hours of the reunion, Harm had turned around the misconceptions the family had first thought about him and was they had become more at ease with him. Harm himself was enjoying every minute that he has had with the Mackenzie's and they in turn have adopted him as part of the family. Then by the night the reunion ended, Ruth pulled Mac aside and told her: "This is the one." But Mac had already known that.

***

Mac's Apartment
2345

The colonel smiled at the heart warming chapter that her flyboy had written. Then she noticed as she did with the previous chapter, he had added an extra note:

Sarah, the admiral has ordered us to take 15 days of leave, starting tomorrow. Meet me at my apartment at 0900. Love, H.

***

A/N: How was it? Pls. Review…