Disclaimer: JAG is the property of Donald P. Bellisario, Paramount Pictures, CBS Television and Belisarius Productions. I hope I spelled all of that stuff right.

Author's Notes: Phew! Sorry for the wait, I never intended to wait this long to post the rest of this story. First was down and I couldn't update, then when I could, my computer underwent some virusthingy that slowed down the entire system. I could barely instant message people. Needless to say, the story was finished and I couldn't access it until now. The computer now works and I can now post the rest! I will not drag this out any longer and will post both Chapter 8 and 9 together. I wanted to finish this before Thanksgiving and I'm cutting it close! Lastly, thank you to everyone who reviewed this story and saw it through! You rock! I'm hoping you'll enjoy theend ofthis story!

"Unfinished Business"

by e-dog

Chapter Eight: Declaring What We Really Want

11:55 pm

Manderlee

October 30, 2014

Everyone understood why Jenn ended the party prematurely. Mattie was injured. What they didn't quite understand was who or what hurt Mattie in the first place. Of course, out of curiosity and concern, they asked what was wrong but Jenn and Jason remained pretty tightlipped about the whole thing and Mattie had retreated to her room so no one could ask her. Even Little AJ, who had witnessed the incident, couldn't quite find the words. He simply said, "She fell."

When asked of his rope burn he couldn't explain that one either.

The house was pretty messy with old plates, napkins, random pieces of chips and pretzels on the floors. Jason was going around with a huge trash bag gathering everything. He spotted Jenn packing up food that could be saved and he huffed loudly. She looked at him and asked, "You okay?"

"No. We looked like idiots tonight, Jenn," Jason rattled off. "We know about Harm and Mac, but no one else does. What happened tonight, couldn't be explained!"

"Jason...," Jenn sighed and walked over to him. "We can't worry about that now, okay? Let them think we're weird."

"I know, I know," he mumbled and tied up the full bag of trash. He sat down on the couch and rubbed his tired eyes. "It's just hard not being able to tell them, without them thinking we're nuts. Everyone was so worried and we couldn't hide the fact that she has bruises!"

Jenn leaned over to him and kissed his shoulder before stating, "What's important now is that Mattie is okay. Little AJ survived his little rope burn and no one else was seriously hurt."

Unfortunately, Jenn was wrong and other people were hurt. Harm and Mac. The two ghosts were standing in the corner of the room, hugging each other. Simon's lie and ultimate demise proved one thing: Forgiving him didn't set them free. They were still ghosts and deep down...that hurt. That hurt a lot. In the last six days, they had watched two ghosts depart this world, finally leaving this pointless existence. And they were still here. Not to mention, now they were becoming a nuisance, forcing the Tiner family to cover up what was really going on this house. They had to cover up the fact that Harm and Mac were still here in spirit...and that a former ghost named Simon Tanveer was the one who attacked Mattie and Little AJ.

Harm rubbed Mac's shoulder and whispered, "We will figure this out."

She looked up at him, her eyes sad, disappointed, angry and frustrated. It amazed him he could read all of that just with one glance. She didn't reply. She only hugged him tighter and he responded by wrapping both arms around her tenderly.

All four of them looked up when a clock struck midnight. It was now officially Halloween. Jenn yawned and suggested to Jason that they go to sleep and finish cleaning up in the morning. He easily complied and they climbed the stairs to rest.

9:38 am

October 31, 2014

Mattie rubbed her sore neck as she descended from upstairs to raid the kitchen. All night, she really couldn't sleep. Repeat images of the night before kept invading her dreams and they were relentless. So much had happened. Little AJ told her she was a medium. Simon almost killed her. Then Simon crossed over to what seemed like a very bad place and Harm and Mac looked so forlorn before she saw them disappear. Once her foot hit the last step, she looked around and noticed something immediately. The house was clean. In fact, it was spotless.

She tiptoed her way through the family room, which was entirely neat and tidy. Most of the decorations were left up, but the trash was gone. The food was put away. She entered the kitchen and saw a note on the fridge. She took it off and read it out loud, "We thought that after last night, you shouldn't have to deal with the cleaning up. –Harm and Mac."

Mattie nodded in approval and opened the fridge. She grabbed the milk, poured a glass and said out loud, "Thanks guys."

"You're welcome," Harm responded, absentmindedly.

Mattie spit the milk out forcefully at the sound of his voice and slowly turned around. Harm was floating there next to the pantry door studying something on the floor, but when he saw her spew the milk everywhere, his attention was now on her.

She slowly approached him and called softly, "Harm?"

He looked at her surprised, "You heard me. You can see me?"

"Uh...I guess I can," Mattie nodded, then added. "You're so much clearer now too. Last night, you were kinda blurry..."

"Oh," was all he could manage to say. They stood there, studying each other. Wondering what the next move should be. He folded his arms across his chest and rocked in the air and said, "Sooo, I guess AJ was right. About you being a medium."

"I guess so," she replied and pulled out a chair. "You wanna sit?"

"Sure," he nodded quickly and floated over and rested on the chair. He watched her slow movements as she pulled out the chair for herself. He understood that this was all very strange for her, but it was also strange for him! After all this time...she could see him. She could finally hear him. He wanted to be cautious. He didn't want to make this any more unusual then it already was.

"Wow, I can't believe this," Mattie took a seat next to him and closed her eyes. "How is this possible?"

"Like AJ said, maybe this is just one thing that can't be explained," Harm tried to help, but knew his words were just filler. Despite that fact, he firmly believed that everything happened for a reason. If Mattie could see him now, then there was a reason behind it. He just wondered if he would ever find out why. He decided to start the conversation up again and said, "Mac and I...We have determined that maybe it's our destiny to stay this way."

Mattie looked up and showed concern for Harm. For the first time, she could read his face. Hear his voice. This was so much better than reading his scribble. It was easier to understand him. An excitement started to build inside her. The kind when you're discovering something incredible and can't wait to share it with the world. She gave him a warm smile and said, "You won't be a ghost forever, Harm. You have to move on."

"But why?" he asked her and hunched forward in frustration. "So far, nothing has worked. And besides, I'm beginning to like living with you again."

"If you don't move on, then the people that love you...," Mattie began, trying not to tear up. She wanted nothing more than to hang with Harm again, but they both knew it would never be the same. She forged on and finished, "Then the people that love you will never move on. Not when they know you are still here."

Harm sighed, seeing what his presence had really done to Mattie. At first, she was excited to know they were here...now it was almost like a burden. He looked at her desperately. "All this time, I've been trying to figure it out for myself and everything we thought would work...didn't. I need help, Mattie."

The young woman took on a thoughtful expression. Never had Harm ever pleaded for help before. It was a shock and an insightful look as to who Harmon Rabb, Jr. really was. It was a shame she was getting to know him for the first time after his death. She wondered aloud, "What was Clay's reason for moving on?"

She saw Harm put on a somewhat disgusted face, which made her laugh. He rolled his eyes and said, "He wanted Mac to know that he loved her. That he always did...blah, blah, blah."

Mattie chuckled at that, then added, "Simon also wanted to hear words. He needed to hear you forgive him."

Harm nodded to confirm and asked, "So, what's the connection?"

Mattie tried to formulate the right response and then asked him, "Clay wanted Mac to know he loved her. Simon wanted to hear your forgiveness. I guess what you need to ask yourself is, are you and Mac going after what you both really want? Are there things you two need to say to each other?"

Harm scrunched his forehead in thought and leaned back in the chair. He repeated the questions over in his head, trying to come up with an answer. All this time, he had been trying to find a way to be at peace because he truly believed that's what he wanted. He wanted to never feel thirsty and not be able to drink. He wanted to never feel hungry and not be able to eat. He wanted to sleep for days and days, just to put a dent in the fatigue that plagued him all the time. However, now, he wasn't even sure if he wanted those things anymore. He had lived withoutthem for so long, it was routine now.

"Harm?" Mattie called him, breaking him from his thoughts. "You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Mattie," he smiled and lifted up from the chair. "Are you okay?"

"Well, I'm talking to a ghost," she smiled. "How do you think I feel?"

"Good point," Harm grinned and went to head outside. "I'm going out to the beach to talk to Mac. You can come join us, if you want."

"Maybe later," Mattie nodded as she watched Harm pass through the glass patio door. She turned back to the table and rubbed her eyes. "I definitely need some coffee now. Or a Valium."

Harm found Mac sitting on the beach and sat down next to her. Something felt eerily similar about today. The way the surf hit the sand. The breeze blowing exceptionally fair. The way they were sitting on the sand even felt familiar. She merely nodded, acknowledging he was there, but she didn't say anything. She continued to look out at the water with a longing stare. Like she wanted to go out there, just to see how far the ocean stretched.

Suddenly, he wished he was out on a carrier, but was surprised to find out he didn't want to fly F-14s. Instead, he pictured himself in some heated debate with Mac over a dereliction of duty case against the CO. She was putting up a good defense, but his case was more solid and she knew it. Even still, she wasn't giving up. She was fighting him on every point and he was loving every minute of it. He blinked his eyes out of the daydream and smiled at the lost courtroom rivalry. He stole a glance at her and felt a weight lift up off of him. He knew what he wanted. In fact, he had know all along, but just didn't see it.

He cleared his throat and asked her, "Remember when I asked you what you wanted? The day we died?"

She looked at him curiously, wondering why he was bringing that up. Finally, she nodded and replied, "Yeah."

"What did you say?" he asked, knowing this line of questioning was confusing her.

"I said...," she paused to try and word it correctly. "I wasn't sure of what I wanted."

"And that you were sick of dissecting relationships," Harm added with a small grin.

"Your point?" she laughed and hit him on the arm.

"Are you sure of what you want now?" he asked seriously and turned to completely face her. "Can you say with all your heart what you really want right now?"

Mac almost put on a face of alarm at the question and leaned back slightly. She put on a look of bewilderment instead and tried to think, but ultimately came up with an answer of, "I don't know."

Harm sighed slightly and grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly. "Are you sure?"

Mac hesitated, catching the look in his eyes. There was something there she hadn't noticed before. In fact, it amazed her it took her this long to see it. Unconditional love. Or in the case of their relationship, unrequited love. She imagined it had always been there, but now she was witnessing it first hand. She was truly seeing Harmon Rabb, Jr. Her silence was making him uncomfortable, so she got out, "No, I'm not sure."

He gave a weak smile and never broke his eye contact with her. "You know what I want?"

"What?"

"To never lose you," he said, his words echoed of another time and place. "I don't want to lose you."

She smiled softly in return and gave him the same response she did all those years ago, only this time the words held a different meaning, "You will never lose me."

Harm suddenly looked relieved, stood up and pulled her up with him. They ventured out to the surf and then he drew her in for a hug. He breathed in deeply and continued to say, "Mac, I need something from you."

She pulled out of his embrace slightly and nodded for him to continue. He took a minute to gather himself and asked confidently, "I need you to tell me, honestly...if you ever really loved him."

"Clay?" she asked.

"Any of them...Mic...Dalton...Farrow ," he listed.

"Farrow?" Mac cocked an eyebrow at him. She wanted to be honest with him, but Farrow? She shook her head confused and asked, "Why Farrow? Harm, you didn't even know me when I dated him! How could you be jealous then?"

"Jealous?" Harm quickly objected. "I wasn't jealous...I mean...it was more like a what if? scenario..."

"What if?" Mac repeated, now looking amused at Harm's bumbling demeanor.

"Yeah, you know, what if you and Farrow hooked up years later while you worked at JAG," Harm said quickly, trying to make it sound like it was no big deal. He even chuckled uneasily remembering the fortune cookie flashbacks and added, "Just hypothetically speaking..."

"Right," Mac laughed lightly and turned away from him, returning her gaze to the ocean. "If I answer that hypothetical question for you, will you be honest with me?"

"I will," he replied sincerely.

She twiddled her thumbs first, then answered, "At one point, I did love them all. If I didn't, then there would've been no point in risking my career for any of them..."

"Oh," Harm responded quietly, sounding a little let down by the answer. He couldn't expect her to stay single forever, but a piece of him always felt she loved him too. "Thanks for being honest."

"I'm not finished," she smiled at him gently and faced him. "I loved them, but I was never in love with them. I could never give Clay all of me, just as Clay could never give me all of him."

"So, you're a commitment phobic too?" he jested, pretending to be very surprised. Deep down, he felt alleviated of all the stress that question put him under. Maybe he was the reason she could never fully love Clayton Webb.

She laughed at him and playfully returned, "As if you ever compromised anything for a woman?"

He smiled, knowing that was coming. He looked at her and said ambitiously, "I did once. I gave up my career for a woman. At the time, I think she believed that I was trying to play 'hero' and make her look incompetent. However, what she didn't know was this: I did it because I knew if I didn't go after her, I would lose the woman I loved."

"Wow," she released the air she was holding, which really wasn't anything at all considering they didn't need to breathe. "We never really talked about that..."

Harm shook his head in the negative and she put on a face of regret. She walked herself right into this conversation, but had to finish it. Well, as Harm put it ten years ago, they had all the time in the world to straighten things out. Now was a good as time as any. "To be honest, Harm...I think I did know the real reason you came after me."

"Huh?" Harm stepped back, looking a little surprised. He shook his head in bewilderment, "You should've taken me up on my offer and given me an instruction manual on how you operate, because by the way you were acting..."

"You shocked me, Harm," she cut him off. "The Harm I thought I knew...I just didn't think you would do that! I mean, I guess I figured you would beg Chegwidden for some leave or a TAD assignment...but to give up your career for me? Before that point, I thought nothing would surpass your love for the Navy. Nothing."

"Then why was it so hard for you to understand?" Harm sighed and let his arms hang at his side. "Why wasn't that enough?"

"Because I was this close to being tortured. Another man, just like you, put himself in harm's way to protect me! I was confused. Too many things were happening at once," she listed and added, "I thought you would understand that I needed some comfort. The way you just expected me to drop everything and say, You're my hero, disgusted me."

"Mac, that's not what I expected of you," Harm argued, not aware his actions gave off that vibe. He was mostly acting out of line because of her gesture towards Clay. Even still, he did feel cheated. Like his sacrifice meant nothing to her.

"And you say I need an instruction manual," Mac looked down at the sand, half afraid of what was going to be said next and half relieved this was finally being brought up.

"Okay, okay," Harm threw up his hands in surrender. "We obviously have some issues communicating what we really want."

"You think?" she chuckled and her laugh finally broke the tension. He managed to laugh softly right along with her, feeling at ease this conversation resulted in some progress. It was nice to have some insight as to how they were feeling, but Paraguay was nearly 11 years ago. They had changed so much since then, now the incident seemed trivial. Especially considering now, they were dead. Their forced laughter subsided and silence began to ring clear. Now the question was, what now?

After a few minutes had passed, she let a smile cross her face involuntarily and said quietly, "I think I know what are 'unfinished business' really was."

Harm nodded, already knowing the answer as well. It wasn't Mattie, or Webb or Simon. It was never those things and since they were too stubborn to talk about it they used those reasons to avoid it. They used those reasons for so long, they began to believe it. He looked at her and said with just as much placidity, "It was us."

The word "us" hung in the air, just waiting for someone to grab hold of it again. Before the silence became too awkward, she finally agreed with a nod of her head. Yes, he was right. She slipped her hand into his and strongly suggested, "So let's resolve this now."

He tightened the grip on her hand in accord. For the first time since he suggested it, they were finally going to make their existence more enjoyable. He paused for a millisecond, knowing the importance of this moment. He leaned down hesitantly and kissed her as solidly on the lips as best he could. He released his lips from hers and she whispered softly, "I love you."

"I love you too," he answered with all the strength left in him. Those words had left his lips so many times before to so many different women, but this time he meant it. He meant it with all of his heart and soul. It was then Mattie's theory became clear. They needed to hear the words.

He gave a small smile and added matter of factly, "I can't believe it took us ten years to figure that out."

"I can," Mattie remarked out loud, but covered her mouth. She had just arrived, but didn't want to interrupt their conversation, so she hung around for a minute waiting for them to finish. The two ghosts turned around, half scolding her with their eyes for eavesdropping, but also looking quite embarrassed as well. The young woman shrugged and said, "I'm sorry. You did say I could join you later. I didn't mean to listen in..."

Harm held up his hand to say it was okay, then waved her over. "It's okay. We were just admiring the view."

Mattie instantly took him up on his invitation and scampered over to them. Harm wrapped his ghostly arm around her, while Mac wrapped her arm around his waist. A sudden sadness washed over him just as their was slight change in the wind. He looked over his shoulder and confirmed his suspicion.

It was time.

To be continued...