A / N - Ah, in no way was I trying to sound anti-Mac. It's just I sometimes think that both parties are the most stubborn people I've ever seen (for such succesful lawyers, that is.) Both need to start thinking things out a bit more rationally :)


Mac sauntered up to her room, and bit her bottom lip with contemplation. She brushed his fingers up against the doorknob, making several attempts to open the door with no such luck. For the fourth time, she shoved the keycard in and pulled it out, nudging her shoulder against the jammed door this time to be surprised by the ease in which it opened. As she went in muttering to herself, she had one goal in mind – to get Harm out of her system.

Her glory was cut short when she saw her bed. Although it was neatly made up and in a much better condition than what she left it in, Mac's anger quickly inclined to total rage as she saw what sat neatly between the pillows. Squarely on the center of the mattress, plain in view from all areas of the room was Harmon Rabb's cover.

Mac ignored it after a moment of deliberating and dashed into the bathroom to clean up for the night. When she exited, the white accessory, decorated with the American naval insignia and gold laurels had not moved, much to her discontent. Mac took a few hesitant steps towards the bed and awkwardly leaned over to move the horrid thing that had invaded her room. She picked it up delicately and held in front of her with her forefinger and thumb, concentrating on it with sheer reflection. After a moment, she laughed and lobbed it towards the couch, where it landed precariously after hitting the side window.


Harm furrowed his brow as he took long strides to Mac's room with his briefcase in hand. He had already loaded up his luggage into the car, but had failed to hear from Mac since last night's events; they were supposed to check out in less than fifteen minutes. As he approached her room, he saw the door was slightly ajar. Motivated by both instinct and worry, he swung the door open to see Mac crouched over her things as she packed away the last of her belongings.

"Don't you ever knock?" she sighed.

Harm put his briefcase down and crossed his arms. "I saw the door open a bit and didn't think."

"Yeah, I left it that way," she said curtly. Then after a moment, she turned to him and added with a scathing tone, "You really don't do much thinking, do you?"

Harm swallowed hard and nodded, deciding to be the bigger person in their squabbles for once. "Yes, about that…"

She stood up and walked to the couch, grabbing Harm's carelessly thrown cover and standing behind her bag. "You forgot this last night."

He nodded and took a step forward to accept it. "I know."

"Why didn't you come back and get it?" she asked. "Didn't have the guts?"

Harm shrugged and jingled the car keys in his right pocket.

Mac smiled and shook her head, understanding his actions despite the lack of response. "First time for everything. Commander Harmon Rabb not having the guts to do something."

"It seems to always be like that with you. It's different."

"Only me," she stated, remembering Australia once again. "You know, maybe you should start getting a few new lines, Harm."

"I don't understand what more you want from me."

She wore a look of sheer exasperation on her face. "Why couldn't you do this before? Any time. There were so many times…I don't understand."

"Why didn't you ever do anything?" he threw back.

"We'd better get going, it started to rain again last night and if it continues, we'll get back to D.C. next week," Mac said, ignoring his attempt to challenge her growing staunchness.

Harm stood surprised, hoping that they could rectify everything from the evening before. His partner didn't think so, however, and grabbed her roll-along and left the room. Harm followed her and they went down the elevator in silence. He had just wished yesterday could have gone well. If he had judged the situation better, rather than berating her as he did, they might've been in a different situation.

The sound of the elevator door opening jarred him from his reverie as he exited behind Mac.

"Why don't you check out, I can put my stuff in the car," Mac said as she held out her hand for the keys to the Nissan. Harm reluctantly fished them from his right pocket and let them fall into the palm of her right hand.

Mac quickly walked to the car outside, where the rain had already started to shower down. She groaned and jogged the rest of the way from the protection of the hotel roof. She managed to swing the trunk open and threw her suitcase in, slamming it shut once more. As she ran to the passenger side of the car, she shoved the key into the hole, and tried to turn it when it jammed. The damn key refused to budge as she stood out in the increasingly heavy downpour. The rain dampened her hair, and sent locks of it in front of her face, obstructing her view.

"Holy God. First last night in the hotel, and now this," she growled and pulled the key out. All of a sudden, she felt Harm's presence behind her as he held an umbrella out over them.

"Having trouble, stranger?" he said, gently prying the key from her fingers. She shrugged and tried to edge away from him, but his umbrella followed her deftly.

"Why don't you give it a try?" she said impatiently when he made no move to give them entry to the car.

Harm locked his eyes with hers and let out a puff of air. "Let me explain, Mac. I mean, you don't need to accept it, and I'm not pressuring you into anything."

She arched an eyebrow and after a moment of contemplation, she let him speak.

"Last night, I was out of line – it's just after Paraguay, I didn't know what to think anymore. All my friends, my support, and everything I knew were back at JAG. I had no where to go and now, we're finally piecing it back and when you said that you wanted to sort it out, I just assumed you meant no. Did it mean no?" He felt strange, he realized. That was one of the first times he had ever been so verbal about all he had experienced in Paraguay, and it surprised him that he would be talking to Sarah Mackenzie, of all people, about all of it.

Mac frowned and crossed her arms. "You didn't let me finish my thought. I thought we should've waited before…everything. After Webb and all – it's not you."

A huge twang of hurt ran threw him as he realized she spoke in the past tense. "Can we…still wait for everything?"

"I thought you said you wouldn't."

"I was angry. I've realized no matter what I do, I'll end up waiting for this - us. I just thought that I don't want to wait forever. I want now." He leaned forward a bit. "Or at least soon, if that's what you want."

"So as long as it's not forever, you're alright?" Mac asked, amused by his strange line of conversation.

"Yes," he agreed hastily as she took a step forward.

Mac chose her words carefully. "I'm sure we can reach a compromise that both parties will accept."

"Are you sure?" he whispered. He was so close now that they could here each other despite the roar of the rain coming down around them.

She nodded. "Permission to confer with counsel?"

He didn't even get a response out before she pressed her lips to his in a long, much needed kiss. It was not an embrace of passion or total urgency, as they had experienced in the past. This time, it was one of consummation, something that both would hold more dear than anything they had done before.

"So…" Harm managed to breath out.

"I'm not saying never," Mac said. "Not this time."

He let his forehead rest against hers gently. "I really don't know if this is real or…something else."

Mac bit her bottom lip and laughed. "Now, that we're at a middle ground, I think I might need one last thing."

"Shoot."

"For you to drop that damned article 32 against Lieutenant Gray."

"Yeah," Harm grinned. "Those tactics will get you no where, Colonel. I think we're fine the way we are."


A / N - To clear up any and all ambiguity, I will be adding an epilogue of sorts soon, but this ends the main plot. Again, thank you for the reviews :)