Thanks for the patience, understanding and the death threats! ;) All are welcomed. Two more parts to go after this one! Here's a reason to hate Webb the Weasel a bit more. Hehehe!

Enjoy!

J.

Thanks to: XBlueShadowX, Aimee5, Charmboy4, starryeyes10, Nikki, dansingwolf, jag4ever, lei, Jackia, EternalSleep, Cristina, Tina Frank, achaon, Abigaile, Hieros Gamos, froggy0319, joanoa, JadeAlmasy, SpaceMan546, dansingwolf, carbygirl , JAGJenni, Manda, starryeyes, BiteBeccy, ng59678, LtColDevilDog, martini, mizukimarr, jtbwriter, Macaroon, Lissie, n.k, Lt.jgMegAustin, cbw, dansingwolf, Apion, alix33, jnp, MacHarm4Ever, Tania, Macaroon, harmfan, Jagnut, Claire Vincent, Navy Babeand anyone else I missed for the Feedback..

Part 13 – Don't Break Promises

They were walking down a path within the White House's rose garden, hand in hand, out of uniform. She was wearing a dressy sundress and he was in slacks and a dress shirt. They'd stopped by a bench and sat down, just staring at each other and the wonders of the beautiful Washington spring. "You're healed now, Harm. . . It's time to wake up." Mac told him and when he tried to speak, he found himself unable to. She laughed at him and shook her head. "No silly, you have to wake up."

July 14, 2005
2230 Zulu
Mac's Apartment
Georgetown

It took him a few minutes more to fully come out of the dream and when he did, Harm felt alive again. Slowly, he sat up in bed then stretched to get his body working again. For the first time in months he wasn't dazed, nor tired, nor in the haze that plagued him due to the drug use. He felt whole again, like the man he used to be. A whole man in need of a shower.

"Oooh God." He moaned softly as he stepped into the hot steam of the shower. It felt good to be able to do this on his own again, to wash away the grime that he felt on his skin. Taking some of Mac's lavender soap, he lathered himself up and washed twice, reveling in feeling clean. Harm leaned against the shower, letting the spray hit his face and found himself not to be afraid of it. "Thank God." He said softly, sailors weren't supposed to be afraid of water.

Stepping out and wrapping a towel around his waist, he proceeded on locating a razor and shaving off the slight facial hair that had grown in the last few days. He found the box of clothing that Mac had left in her room and pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a black tank top along with a fresh set of boxers. When he was done dressing, he headed out of the bedroom in search of Mac.

The sound of pots and pans banging gave away her location. With a smile he headed towards the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe as he watched her work on what seemed to be lasagna.

Intently, she studied the instructions in back of the 'ready bake' lasagna strips and began lining them on the pan. That's when she felt him watching her. As she turned around, she hoped to God that today wouldn't be another battle with him, she wasn't sure she could handle it on the little sleep that she had. "Hey." Mac said softly, hoping not to scare him in any way. "How long have you been up?"

With a shrug he stepped further into the kitchen, stopping to lean against one of the counters. "A little while. . . I needed a shower, decided to see where you were."

"I was a little distracted." She said sheepishly and stepped past him to grab the cheese out of the fridge.

"Apparently."

"Well, I am working on a lasagna. . .I didn't know if you could take hard food so there's still some soup."

"Cooking again, huh?" He said with a nod in the general direction she was occupying.

Mac turned to him and smiled slightly. "I ah, was a bit out of sorts so I decided to cook. . .It's no big deal."

When Mac went to reach into the fridge again, Harm stopped her, turning her body so that he could look into her yes. "Thanks Mac, for everything."

"Thank you."

He cocked his head to the side. After all of the hell that he'd put her through, she was going to thank him? "What are you thanking me for?"

"For helping me stay sober." She said sincerely, drowning in the blue of his eyes. Right at this moment, as he stood there, fresh from his shower and in those jeans and a tank top, Mac wanted so much to kiss him, to do something to show him how much she really wanted him.

Harm did catch that look of desire in her eyes but pushed it away for the same reason he always did: fear. "That's. . . that's what best friends do, Mac."

"Is that all we are? Best friends?" There was a slight twinge of disappointment. Mac felt a thousand miles away, back on that ferry in Sydney Harbor when she'd laid her heart on the line and he'd crushed it. What would he do now?

Harm couldn't tell you how it happened, but, somehow, they were holding each other. "Yes." It was the wrong answer, he knew it the moment her walls went back up again. When she lowered her head in disappointment, he tucked a finger under her chin and eased her head up. "But that's not all I want to be. . ." They held each others gaze, both barely breathing in anticipation of what would come. Harm's gaze traveled to her lips, so full and inviting. He lowered his head then stopped for a moment to notice that Mac's lips were parted, her head was slightly thrown back and her eyes were closed. She wanted him to kiss her and he wanted the same.

His tongue darted out of his mouth to moisten his lips. But, neither of them moved fast enough and an interruption came in the form of someone knocking on the door. "Damnit!" She hissed, opening her eyes to find Harm looking slightly upset. "Stay here."

Eyes closed and fists balled at his sides, Harm leaned towards the fridge and banged his head on it a few times. Why did something always find a way to screw up their moment? And now, they were finally so close. "Where is he?" A familiar voice said and a moment later, Clayton Webb appeared with Mac on his tails. "Good, you're up. I need to know what happened."

Harm let out a deep and annoyed sigh. "Well, hello to you too Clay." He glanced over at Mac who mouthed the words 'I'm sorry.' Straightening he headed past Webb and towards the living room. "Take a load off."

Mac tugged Harm to the side. "Are you okay?"

He nodded and gave her a lopsided smile. "I need to get this over with." Studying Webb, he noted the agent to be jumpier than usual. "What's going on Clay?"

"First, tell me what you know. . . we'll go on from there." Harm gave Webb the basic details of what happened with the planes and how Andy Watson had died by his hand. He briefly touched on the torture techniques and the morphine addiction. As they conversed, Webb assured that the three men with him and Andy had been sent by the CIA and been missing for several months. "All of this Aurora business has created one hell of a maelstrom."

"What's going on?" Harm glanced towards Mac, noting that she was sitting away from the two of them being suspiciously quite.

That was a good question, one that Webb didn't quite have answers to. "I don't know. . . but something really big is in the works."

"And by that you mean?"

So many things had happened since he'd last been at Mac's apartment. Now, if the things he pieced together were true, it was someone from his side, not Harm, guilty of treason. "Kershaw was seriously injured in a hit and run near his home. . .I don't think it was an accident." Taking out a folder from his briefcase, he presented it to Harm and motioned for him to check it. "These were in his possession."

Harm glanced through the files, reading what appeared to be, "Codes?"

Clay nodded. "Non of it made sense until now. . . I think someone in the agency is working for the other side and they are trying to blame it all on you."

"Who?"

"I'm not sure. . .I think the Assistant Director, Ray Levine might have a clue, but I've known him for ages. . . he trained me. . . I don't see him as the type to sell out."

Harm turned another page to find, what appeared to be a satellite image of the planes. "These are in the Appalachians. . . But, that can't be."

Webb creased his forehead in confusion. "Wasn't that where you were held?"

"No! It was in Canada, the Maritimes to be correct."

"That can't be." He insisted, after all, the images showed the location of both planes and satellite imagery was rarely wrong.

"Yes it can. . . I know I was out of it but I do remember crossing the goddamn border, took me days to figure out how to do it without the boarder patrols finding me."

"Why hide from boarder patrols?" Webb asked suspiciously.

Harm knew why that question was raised, Webb still didn't trust him. "Temir, the man that held me, showed me files that I was being hunted for treason. I wasn't going to give myself into the patrols without trying to clear my name."

Both men stared at each other for a moment, each thinking of a plausible explanation. It would be pretty impossible to bring two planes of that nature, or any big machine over the boarder without tipping people off. "Maybe they were sent over, figuring that since you escaped you knew where they were and they didn't want you finding them again."

Harm shook his head. "If that were they case, they would just travel farther up North in Canada, not risk heading to the States. Besides, I removed the master control panel, those things won't be able to move unless they were hoisted up and placed on something mobile."

"By train." He offered only to be met by Harm's dry chuckle.

"What are you? A moron? It's not that easy." Quickly he grabbed a sheet of paper and worked on making a paper plane. He used it in presenting Webb with his professional opinion, pointing out the engines and wings and how delicate the plane really was. "So, you see, they aren't just going to just hoist it away not without damaging some integral parts of it's structure."

But, Webb was stubborn on his point. "Look, the satellite images show the damned planes are here, in the States. . . After I found this on Kershaw, we checked the Canadian images, nothing showed up." Clay studied Harm for a moment, the man seemed to be lost in confused thought. "Are you sure you were in Canada? You could have been here all the time? I mean they pumped you full of stuff, Harm."

"Okay, fine, I am not sure, bits and pieces are hazy." Harm held his hands up in surrender, though paperwork could be tampered, it was a little difficult to mess around with satellite images. Besides, it's the CIA we're talking about, they held the market in figuring out where things were. "I am assuming you guys are gonna go on in and get the planes?"

"It's not that simple." Webb said without reservation and added, "I need you to come with me."

That comment had Mac, who'd been silent up to now, ready to kill the agent. "He isn't going anywhere, Webb. . . What you are going to do is clear his name and get him off of your damned payroll once and for all."

"Ah, she speaks, I was wondering when you'd jump in." Was his snarky reply, he completely ignored the fact that Mac was seething and turned his attention to Harm. "You owe me Rabb."

"How do you figure that?" Harm yelled in exasperation. "By my count, you owe me. . . TWICE. If I hadn't have called your mother and told her we were heading to Manderlee all three of us would have been dead." Standing, he walked over to Webb, jabbing his chest to make his point. "If I didn't weasel my way into Paraguay, you and Mac would have been dead. . . Or did you forget the condition you were in when we found you?"

Clay shoved Harm's hand away from him. "Screw you, Rabb."

"No, Webb. . . I am tired of being screwed by YOU and the Agency. . ." Turning away, Harm walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to pull out a bottle of water. "Go Alone."

"You can't mean that." Clay yelled from the dining room, stepping backwards at Harm made his way back out.

His 6 foot 4 frame stalked into the room, glaring the agent down with his most menacing glare. "I am tired of the CIA using people like Mac and I because you can."

"People like Mac and you? Who do you think you are Superman?"

"You know what I mean. . .Indispensable for your needs, well trained. People who give a damn about this country and would do anything to protect it."

"Not my fault you two are good." Webb scoffed, turning slightly to glare at Mac who seemed to be unsure as to how all of this transpired.

"Good, huh? You telling me there was a shortage of women when you went to Paraguay and nearly got my best friend killed?"

Clay pointed at Mac and walked towards her direction, keeping a distance away from Harm. "She was the most skilled for it."

"Oh yea?" But, Harm knew differently. Or, let's just say, he knew a different side to the story. One that he was 100 percent sure Clay didn't divulge to Mac. "How about telling her the truth Clay. . ." He waved off Clay's attempt of breaking his rhythm and honed in on the agent. "Tell her how you waited until the last moment. . . Tell her how the CIA made sure I as in the brig for longer than I was supposed to in hopes I would be out of the way as you made off with Mac."

That last part was the final nail in the coffin. Mac glanced between Harm and Clay, boring her eyes into her ex. "Is that true?"

Turning to Mac, Clay moved forward, hoping to pacify a situation that he had finally lost all control of. "Sarah. . ."

"Is that true?!" Mac yelled at him feeling even more hurt and betrayed that she had after he was supposedly lost at sea. She knew Harm wouldn't lie to her, especially about something so important. At the moment, she felt like the worlds biggest fool for ever trusting anything the spook had to say. "Answer me Clay or, so help me, I won't be responsible for my actions."

As much as he had some control over Mac in the past, it was gone now. Completely obliterated and shattered. For the first time in a long time, he was afraid of a woman. But, Webb didn't a chance to put a word in. Harm had walked between him and Mac, standing close to her as he kept filling her in with things that shouldn't have been. "He knew that with me in the brig, even if I got out, Chegwidden wouldn't let me go with you. . . He also waited until the last minute to go, with no back up, just you." Looking at Mac, his eyes were sad, almost as if asking forgiveness over shattering her images of her former lover. She nodded at him, realizing just how much of a creep the man really was.

Clay cringed at the silent interaction. It was just one, of many that had disturbed him through the time he'd known Harm and Mac. How was it that they could hold a complete conversation just out of one look? Breaking their gaze, he finally managed to have the courage to speak up. "Look, I know you have grievances."

"Grievances?" Mac turned to Webb, giving off a mirthless laugh. "No, Clay, I don't have grievances. I am pissed off!. . . And I am not going through hoops for you anymore. And neither is Harm."

Webb just smiled knowing that wasn't entirely true. "Not even to clear Harm's name?"

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Harm yelled.

Okay, so maybe that ruse didn't work. So, Clayton Webb turned to something he wasn't proud of doing: begging. "Harm. . . I need your help, there is no telling what they'd do with the planes."

"Not my problem."

That was unnerving. What happened to the Harmon Rabb who would risk life and limb to protect the USA? Clay shook his head in disgust. This Harmon Rabb wasn't the same. "What happened to you up there?"

"What happened? Do you want to hear everything again in even more graphic detail?" Harm grabbed the spook by the lapels. "Have you ever had to shoot your partner because he begged you to?. . .You are a stupid, petty little man. . . We were friends once, Webb. . . but after what you put Mac and I through. . . that friendship is over."

"A man does what he must-in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures. . ."

Harm stifled a laugh. "Quoting JFK now?" He wanted to bash Webb into a million pieces and never hear from him again. But, there was a point in going back and forth; Harm was still a US Naval Officer, one duty bound to protect the USA at any costs. "If the planes are there, we can't even fly them out. I yanked their master control panel and destroyed them."

"You're really contemplating this aren't you?" Mac asked noting the expression on Harm's face changing from anger to concern.

"We don't need to get them out of there, just make sure they are there and then call in for backup. . . We'll be in and out, I promise." He knew he was winning Harm over on the idea. "Look, I don't know who in the agency I can trust. . . and this isn't just about you, Rabb. . .It's about finding out why the training pilots turned and who's been leaking intel. . .We gave an oath to protect this country and there is no telling what they'll do if they manage to figure out how to use those planes."

Harm looked at Mac and the at Clay. His speech didn't make him give in, only the thoughts of protecting those he took an oath to protect. "Fine, I'll go."

Mac tugged on his arm, getting him to pay attention to her. "Are you insane?"

"Apparently."

She saw the determination in his eyes that she wanted to quash. Damn him and his superhero complex. "I don't want you to go, Harm." Mac pleaded.

Harm lowered his head, trying not to be consumed by her gaze. He didn't want to leave, not now or ever, but this was something that he was involved in. He had to see it to the end. "I know. . . but I have to."

They glanced at each other again, each remembering the near kiss. There was a thread of desire between the two of them. One that, both of them realized, might never be quenched. "I am not going to stop you. . .Even though I want to. . .Just promise to be safe."

Before he realized it, her arms came around him, holding him as tight as she possibly could. "I'm coming back you know? I promise."

"And you don't break promises." Mac affirmed as she released him from her embrace and stepped away, preparing herself to miss him all over again.

--

Jackia – Thank you! Temir will get his eventually, we hope. ;) And Harm is getting there, but he won't be completely 100 percent even if he thinks he is.

Xblue – Yes, a sequel and a BAD bangish cliffhanger. ;) Yep, the smiley's are like addictive. For me it's the ;) – winks. We used to joke that we had a nervous twitch which is why I put ;) so much. LOL! ;)

NavyBabe – Now why do you go around calling me Evil? Huh? Huh? :::looks at the story::: oh yea! ;) I am glad Mac threw it away which was uncharacteristic of her, she probably would have eaten it first. LOL.

Cristina – There is a confusion as to who the real bad guys are. It shall all be cleared up in the next story! I promise.

Carby – My plans are nutty, some work. . . problem is taking all of the "details" of this story and remembering to stick them to the next story. All I am saying is that I am taking notes next time!

Amanda – Tête-à-tête means: face to face – I like using it, cos it sounds so cool. ;) LOL! I need a life. LOL!

Nikki – Yea and in this part a near-miss/near kiss LOL!! I think these two are going to explode eventually if some lovin' don't happen between them. Hehehe. So thou art another Cancer? Me too! July 3rd here. :D – Which I made up to be Mac's b-day. She acts like a cancer methinks! ;)

BiteBeccy – Killing Steele at this moment will not be productive to the story. So no I will NOT kill him. But, mac will hurt him ;)

Froggy – Yes, I am a tease! Confessions of love may come in tandem. Tht is all I am saying bout that ;)

Harmfan – Mac is out of sorts, the woman has been through hell in this story. Not as bad as Harm has but she's taking things hard. Thing with Mac is that she is underestimating Steele because he is such a bad lawyer and to her, she doesn't see him as intimidating. That will change in the next chappie.

Charmboy – See! I givethe and taketh away. ;) And look! You signed in! What is that? Twice in a row!! You go dood! LOL!! ;) They won't have the time to sleep together in this story. Sorry! :( Perhaps story 2. Muahahaa!!

Tina – Oh they'll talk a helluva lot more. And yea, kicking him where it hurts will be a huge possibility. ;)

JTB – Yea, Chris is total slime. And our fav Marine will see just how much slime he is. Let's just say not all of his marbles are in the same jar.