Title: You're The One

Author: Barb

Classification: PG-13

A/N: Feedback is welcome, even the bad ones.

This story takes place at the end of Trojan Horse and is the third and last part following The Depth of His Love and What Have I Done? This hasn't been beta read by anyone, so all mistakes are mine.

Late Friday

USS Wake Island

Arabian Sea

Harm and Mac had had "the talk" tonight and both were feeling a little uncomfortable. Harm didn't want to say anything else, thinking surely he had made a mistake by blurting out his inner most thoughts, and was awaiting her wrath. Mac on the other hand, was feeling the tension just because she knew she had to get back to Clay as soon as possible, it's time to talk. So they grabbed the COD and then a transport for hours strapped in right next to each other. Once they got settled, they both leaned back and feigned sleep. It was easier this way, rather than having to talk or look at each other, there was too much unfinished business. They both became lost in their own thoughts for the duration and the trip was uneventful.

They disembarked from the transport and found their cars, waved goodnight, and went back to their apartments. It's Friday, so neither of them had to report to work until Monday. Plenty of time to get settled, pay some bills, clean the house and stock up on food. And get the weekly uniforms cleaned and pressed.

0742 Sunday

Harm's Apartment

North of Union Station

Harm had just gotten back from a 5-mile run and decided to take a quick shower. His hair was still wet and he had just gotten his shorts on when he heard someone knocking on the door. He grabbed his t-shirt and quickly pulled it over his head. That was probably Mattie. She was going on a day trip with a friend and her parents, and had left her iPod here last night. He laughed to himself, thinking how she had probably been running around frantically this morning, she can't live without her music, especially on a road trip. He was wondering how long it had taken her to figure out it was here. She'd lose her head if it weren't attached. He grabbed the player and swung open the door.

"Hey kiddo, I knew you'd....." he said with a smirk but his smile quickly changed when he saw who it was. "Hi Mac." He wasn't expecting to see her, especially not this early. He knew she liked to sleep in on rainy Sundays. Mac was wearing a sundress with spaghetti straps and some nice sandals. She looks great, and smells so good, even better than the other night. Must be different soap or a new perfume.

"Hi." She gave him a light smile. Harm stood there with his mouth half open and was somewhat uncomfortable because he couldn't think of a thing to say, silently wishing he had his guitar with him right about now. It's always been a good buffer for him.

"Can I come in?" Mac asked.

"Sure, come on in." You idiot, he admonished himself, could you make her feel any more unwelcome? He moved out of the way and closed the door after her, then found himself facing her. "Uh, can I get you something to drink?"

"Water would be nice, thanks." Mac replied. They walked together to the kitchen area and Harm put the iPod down on the counter. He reached for a clean glass from the dish drainer and turned on the tap to fill her glass while Mac put down her purse. Harm handed Mac the glass and then there was another knock on the door. Harm held up a finger to motion Mac to wait, grabbed the iPod, and opened the door.

"Harm, I forgot...." Mattie started to say, when Harm held out the iPod to her.

"You know me too well, this is getting scary, Harm." Mattie replied teasingly.

He smirked at that. "Have fun today, Mattie. Let me know when you get home."

"I will, thanks Harm." He closed the door and turned around to find Mac still standing there with her glass in her hand.

"If you're busy Harm, I could always come back another time." Mac said.

"No, I've got nothing to do for the rest of the day except the usual, you know, laundry, stuff like that. So you saved me actually. You know how much I hate ironing." He joked and motioned her over to the couch. "Have a seat."

"Thanks." Harm waited until Mac sat down at the end of the sofa before coming to sit next to her. Not too close, he warned himself. He remembered what happened the last time he got too close. They hadn't talked about it yet and he wasn't planning on bringing it up again. Besides, it's only been a couple of days.

"So." He smiled.

"So." She felt awkward. She raised her glass to her mouth and thought how grateful she was that she had something to do with her hands. She took a small sip of water and thought inwardly, this was going to be harder than she thought. "I just came by to talk, is that okay?"

"Of course. What is it, Mac? Is everything alright?" He asked, starting to get concerned that something has happened.

"Yeah, everything's fine," she assured him. She took a deep breath and said, "I don't know, and maybe this isn't the right time, and maybe I shouldn't even be asking you this, but I was just wondering, why did it take you so long to tell me how you felt? Why now?"

Harm wasn't prepared for such a direct question. Not here, not now. This is the second time she caught him off guard. "Well Mac, it's complicated." He said, but Mac just dropped her chin and looked up at him, eyebrows raised. He's seen that look many times when she was getting annoyed with him. Truth time. "Okay, I was scared. There, I said it."

"Scared of what?" She asked. She reached out and put her hand on his arm.

"Of you. Of wanting you so much. You know me Mac, it's always been about not letting people get close, being afraid to let go, not wanting to lose control. I know it took a long time for me...."

"Yeah, that's the understatement of the century." She laughed lightheartedly.

He smiled back. He leaned down and put his elbows on his thighs, and touched his hands to his face, then clasped his hands together. He looked at her, wishing he could read her thoughts. "It's just that I've been taking stock in my life recently Mac, and I realized after all that's happened, over the last year especially, what's really important to me. Not that I hadn't already done that. But this time was different."

"How?"

"Well, for one thing, I've never felt more disconnected from you before. You've been such a big part of my life for 8 years. I really felt like we lost each other, you know? That's never happened before. I mean, I know we've had our moments, but never anything like this."

Mac nodded and bowed her head in agreement. "Yeah, I know."

"It took us how long just to be able to be in the same room together, even longer to become friends again. I really missed you, Mac."

"I missed you too." She put down her water glass and reached for his hand, he took it. This felt so good, just to sit here like this.

"And then I realized something for the first time." He paused and Mac waited for him to continue.

"You challenge me in a way I never thought possible. Mac, you make me want to lose control. And I'm not afraid anymore." He smiled and squeezed her hand.

Mac smiled, her whole world lit up. "Wow."

"Yeah, wow. Pretty profound, huh?" They shared a laugh.

Mac sobered. "Harm, I need to tell you why I'm here."

"Okay." He swallowed, hoping this was going to be good news. Either way, he'd made the statement, he wasn't going to take it back.

"After the other night, I did an awful lot of thinking, soul searching. I don't think I've gotten too much sleep thinking about it." She took a small sip of water and continued. "I spent a lot of time evaluating my relationship with Clay. I knew it wasn't working, but I tried so hard, more than I should have I'm sure. I think I was trying to rescue him all over again, and I realize now, that that's not possible. With or without our shared experience in Paraguay, the truth is Clay is a good guy, but he doesn't have what it takes to make me happy. I broke up with him last night, and I feel so relieved, like a giant weight's been lifted off my shoulders."

Harm didn't react outwardly, but inside he was elated. He reached out to caress her leg. She felt the electricity....that's all it took for her, a look, a touch.

Mac said, "I understand what you mean about being scared, because I was scared too. Scared of letting you get too close. I thought as long as I had you there as my best friend, I could keep you at arm's length, and that was enough to made me happy, for a while. I learned something in all this too....that there's no substitute for what I really want in my heart, and that's you....as my best friend, my lover, my husband, the father of my children, the man I want to grow old with." She reached out and took his hands in hers. "I love you, Harm. And it's never been more clear to me.....you're the one."

Harm groaned with pleasure, then leaned in and took Mac's chin in his hand. He looked at her and saw the love there in her eyes. He brushed his lips to her soft ones, continuing further with a mating of tongues that ignited the heat inside them both. Harm stood up and reached out his hands for Mac to take, and she stood and slid her arms around Harm's neck, pulling him closer in a slow, tender, hug. Harm crushed her to his chest and then pulled her body against his arousal, eliciting a moan from both of them. They held on tight for a moment, savoring the feel of the heat zinging between them both. Harm leaned in for a kiss that started out slow but soon became passionate, their lips parted and their tongues tangled as they descended deeper into the heat. Harm broke away and Mac moaned in protest until he leaned over to her shoulder, and started placing barely-there kisses and working his way up to the nape of her neck, then finding her earlobe which produced a low moan of pleasure that quickly became an uncontrollable shiver. Her breathing became erratic and her knees were starting to weaken with each additional kiss, and all the while their lower bodies started swaying to their own imaginary beat.

"Mac, oh Mac, you feel so good. Mmmmm, permission to hold you like this forever."

"Mmmhmm." She says as she nuzzles his neck. Her hands start to wander underneath his t-shirt. Mmmm, his skin is so warm. She runs her hands up his back, then brings them around to the front and up his chest wall. Harm takes a slow deep breath, "Mac, your hands feel so good." He takes her lead and starts working his hands down her back and further, down to her gorgeous six, and pulled her closer to him. Mac felt the intimate contact and moaned, "Harm, it's getting really hot in here."

"I'm sorry, Mac, are we going too fast? I mean, we can slow down if that's what you want." That's not what he wanted, but he didn't want to screw this up when everything was going so much better than he had a right to ask.

"Harm, I've been waiting for this for 8 years, no, I don't want to stop, please don't stop." She pleaded. That was all the answer Harm needed. "I'm ready, Mac. I want to let go, and I want to do it with you."

"Take me, Harm. I want you."

He picked her up in his arms and carried her up to his bedroom, then set her slowly down on the floor. Harm reached down and put his hands under Mac's sundress, then reached up the length of her body to lift the dress over her head, he was speechless when he found her clad only in her panties and nothing else. "Oh Mac, you are so beautiful." He said as he looped his thumbs into her panty line and pushed them ever so slowly down her legs. That was one of the most erotic experiences he's had in a while and he is burning with need for her.

Mac reached under Harm's shirt and pulled it up over his head, when she was rewarded with a view of his chest and abs, and sculpted muscles. She massaged her hands up his abdomen and chest, and following up to his shoulders and down his arms, and Harm was breathing rapidly. They continued back down his chest to his abdomen where his shorts were waiting. She slowly put her hands into the elastic waistband and slid the shorts over his now obvious arousal and down his legs, where they were tossed into a corner of the room. She reached out for him, "Harm...."

And so it began, the world faded away and they were the only ones left in their universe. They came together finally in a slow dance of tastes, touches, and emotions the likes of which neither had experienced in their lives. The heat enveloped them and they wished to stay wrapped tightly in it for all eternity. They never wanted this all consuming agony of pleasure to end. And when they joined together, they finally understood the meaning of unconditional love, letting go, and losing control. And they were going to be okay, more than okay.