Saturday; 0019 Zulu; Harm and Mac's Home; Falls Church, Virginia

From the moment she was first placed in his arms, it was apparent that Allison Patricia Rabb was her daddy's little girl. Mac was thrilled by how much Harm doted on their daughter. The man who had once kept his feelings hidden so tightly beneath the cocky, confident surface, now was freely sharing of himself. She had always known he would make a wonderful father, but this transformation had defied nearly all of her expectations.

Nearly three weeks had passed since they'd brought baby Allie home from the hospital. While Trish, Frank and Mattie helped clean up after dinner, Mac took Allie upstairs to the baby's room where they'd set up a rocking chair so she could nurse in private. The infant was on the verge of falling asleep at her mother's breast when Harm knocked lightly on the door.

"Hi," Mac greeted with a tender smile. "We were just finishing up."

Treading softly across the carpeted floor, he bent over and planted a kiss atop Mac's head. "Why don't you go down and visit for a while? I'll put her to bed," he offered.

"Thanks."

Mac gingerly lifted Allie into Harm's waiting arms. Then, watching as he gently patted the sated infant's back, she refastened her clothing while he silently moved out into the hallway. She followed a few moments later, but didn't immediately head for the staircase. Instead, she found herself drawn to the sound of Harm's murmuring from the master bedroom.

"Good girl!" he cooed softly. "That was a big one!"

Pausing outside the door, Mac saw Harm give the sleeping baby a kiss before carefully lowering her into the bassinette. The tender way he cradled his daughter's head caught Mac's attention and she suddenly found herself overwhelmed by the realization that they were at long last a family – Harm was her family. Overcome with affection and happiness, she quietly descended the stairs.

Rather than immediately rejoining everyone in the kitchen, Mac headed out onto the front porch for a few minutes of solitude. Leaning her forearms on the railing, she gazed out into the twilight, simply enjoying the mild spring evening while it lasted. Eventually, however, the silence was broken by the sound of the front door opening and closing behind her.

"Here, put this on." Approaching, Harm draped her jacket over her shoulders. "It's a little chilly out."

"Thanks," Mac said absently. Staring unseeingly out into the darkness, she moved over to give Harm some room as he stepped up beside her. They stood together at the railing, shoulders close but not touching.

"Nice evening," he remarked.

"Very." Laughing softly at nothing in particular, Mac looked down at her hands.

"You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking is all"

"Penny for your thoughts..." he prompted.

Straightening, she took hold of the railing with both hands and looked away, her lips twitching upward. "I was just thinking about how at this time a year ago we were barely on speaking terms."

"And now..." His uneasiness evaporating, Harm couldn't help but admire the way her hair fluttered in the light breeze. You're mine, he added silently to himself, fighting the impulse to take her into his arms.

"Funny, isn't? Who would've thought we'd end up together after all we've put each other through," she mused. For a moment they stood in companionable silence, Harm watching Mac as her eyes drifted over the front lawn.

"Do you remember a conversation we had a few years ago?" he asked her.

Mac snorted. "We've had a LOT of conversations over the years. Want to narrow it down for me, Flyboy?"

"This was shortly after A.J. was born."

"You mean our little conversation about 'going halves on a kid'?"

He pondered that for a moment. "No, but it's kind of related."

"Oh." She frowned, nothing immediately coming to mind. "Can I at least get a hint?"

"You had wondered what it would be like to be as happy as Bud and Harriet."

Mac smiled as she recalled the conversation to which he was referring. They'd been walking together down a residential street in Rosslyn a few days before Little A.J.'s christening.

"And you couldn't understand how they could be that happy, what with working long hours and being up all night with the baby," she remembered aloud.

"Your exact words were, 'They don't have to find the time, they just are.' At the time I didn't really understand what you meant." Shifting, Harm looked over at her. "But I'm beginning to."

Mac looked at him thoughtfully, her tone growing serious. "I know... I can see it in your eyes when you look at Allie. In all the time we've known each other, I've never seen you this happy, Harm. You were born to be a father."

"That's only part of it." Shaking his head, he turned to face her. "I'm happy because it's you and me, Mac. Having Allie was definitely the catalyst, but it's always been about you and me."

Her pulse quickened. "What do you mean?"

"The baby deal wasn't just about the two of us having a child together. It was a way for me to ensure that you would always be in my life. I wasn't ready to admit it in so many words, but I knew that I wanted you close to me. God, Mac, I've loved you for as long as I can remember." Emboldened, he reached into his pocket. "You're my family. You always have been and always will be. I was going to give this to you later tonight, when we could be alone, but..."

"But what, Harm?"

He took a deep breath, gathering his courage. "You always said you wanted three basic things out of life, right? Well, you've got the great career and a closet full of comfortable shoes—"

"Lots and lots of them," she smiled tentatively.

"All that's missing is the good man," Harm whispered, pulling the small black box out of his pants pocket and flipping it open. "Will you marry me?"

Stunned to the core, Mac couldn't stifle the gasp that escaped as she laid eyes on the ring he held before her: a teardrop-cut emerald, surrounded by diamonds, set on a simple white gold band. They'd been moving slowly towards this point in their relationship but never in her wildest dreams had she expected him to propose so soon. Her eyes filling with joyous, hopeful tears, she stared at the ring for an instant before looking up and meeting his eyes.

"When did you..."

"Get this?"

She nodded, and Harm couldn't help his anxious chuckle. It was a rare day when he rendered his Marine speechless.

"My mom gave it to me on Christmas Eve. It was the ring my dad gave her when he asked her to marry him," he explained nervously as Mac focused once again on the ring. She still hadn't answered his question.

"It's beautiful..." Mac's fingers trembled as she reached out to tentatively trace the stones.

"Is that a yes?"

Unable to speak, she lifted her eyes to his and nodded.

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Harm's heart raced with excitement as he concentrated on getting the ring out of its velvet anchoring. When it was finally free, he reached for Mac's left hand and slid the band onto her trembling finger.

They were in each other's embrace the moment the ring was securely in place. Giving Harm a brief yet heartfelt kiss, Mac's jacket fell unnoticed to the ground as she wound her arms tightly around his neck in a joyful hug. Holding her equally close, Harm squeezed his eyes shut and burst out into excited laughter.

"I love you, Sarah."

"I love you too, Harm."

Rubbing her hand across his shoulder blades, Mac pulled back until their faces were mere centimeters apart. Her gaze searched his for the briefest of moments before their lips brushed together, melding into their first true kiss as a betrothed couple. Before it could grow out of control, however, Harm eased back and grinned happily against her mouth.

"What do you say we head inside? I'd like to introduce our family to my fiancée. Besides," he murmured as Mac pulled him in for another quick kiss, "it's starting to get cold out here."

"Is it? I hadn't noticed," she said huskily, but loosened her hold nonetheless, dropping her hands to his shoulders as she opened her eyes and smiled. "You know, we seem to be developing an affinity for front porches."

Harm's hands lingered on her spine as she bent to pick up her jacket. "It certainly seems that way, doesn't it?" he agreed with a chuckle.

Waiting patiently for him to open the door, Mac smiled as she walked past him towards the voices echoing from the kitchen. As Harm closed the door behind them, the porch was once again plunged into darkness of the descending night.

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To be continued...

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