AN: I had to write my own version of a way JAG could end. Hope all who read this enjoy it. Sorry about any possible errors.
A New Start
Mac looked down at the folder the General handed her.
"Congratulations, you're being reassigned to the JAG office building in San Diego."
'Wow, this is a surprise,' Mac thought staring at the manila folder.
A murmur of congrats went around from her fellow JAG officers, and she smiled surprised and a little unsure of what was going to happen.
"Hey, that's only five hours away," Harm said giving her an encouraging smile.
"Then your really going to love your assignment," Cresswell said handing Harm his folder.
Harm looked down at his folder and looked at the General in surprise. "I'm being reassigned to Europe?"
Mac's eyes met Harm's instantly. 'Europe…what?'
"Congratulations, Captain," Cresswell said patting Harm on the back. "The job comes with the promotion."
'This can't be happening. I can't be going to San Diego and what about Harm? We'll never see each other…..Suck it up, Marine,' she ordered herself as she felt a tears starting to sting in her eyes. ' But we can't split up now! We're finallymaking progress!'Her mind screemed.
Flash back to the night before…
Mac had just found out that Mattie was awake and on the road to recovery. Mattie had already fallen asleep when Mac arrived at the hospital. As Mac looked into the room, she saw Harm sitting in a chair near the bed; his eyes were resting on Mattie.
"How's she doing?" Mac asks coming in.
"She's doing much better," Harm said. Mac could hear the relief in his voice and remembered why she was there.
"Oh...I uh...picked these up for Mattie on the way over," she said holding out fresh flowers.
"That's nice of you," Harm said putting the flowers by her bed. After a few awkward moments of silence, Harm turned back to Mac. "Feel like keeping me company for a while?"
Mac smiled and replied, "Sure."
"Why don't we sit outside the room," Harm whispered trying not to wake Mattie.
They sat together outside Mattie's hospital room, and for the next two hours talked to each other. It started to be about JAG related things but soon it progressed until they ended up on the topic of their relationship. They talked about everything from the baby deal to their past history together and finally the feelings they were trying to mask for the last nine years started to appear.
Harm put his hand on Mac's and finally got the courage to tell her just how he felt. "I've been so stressed lately, and I'm sorry I wasn't letting you in."
"You don't have to apologize," Mac said. "After all, I probably deserve it."
"No," Harm said. "You don't deserve to be locked out of my life. We've been through so much together, and I've been doing a lot of thinking lately."
One of Mac's eye brows rose curiously at what he had to say. "I really don't know what I would have done if I hadn't known you all those years. I feel like we've known each other forever and yet you don't know how I truly feel about you."
By this time in the conversation Mac's eyes were intently locked with his, and she held her breath waiting to hear what he had to say. "I want us to be together Mac. I want us to grow old together and share our hopes and dreams together. I want neither of us to be alone anymore, and I want to wrap you in my arms and tell you that I love you."
"I..."she started to say when he interrupted her.
"Wait, I'm not done. I don't want another day to go by where you don't know how I feel. It breaks me up inside when I see you at work and I can't tell you how much I care about you. I care for you so much and I don't ever wait to push you away again."
She had been totally blown away by what he said, and she honestly didn't know what to say. So instead to saying anything, she entwined her fingers in his and leaned in to kiss him.
End of flashback….
Mac had replayed that moment in her head about a thousand times after that. She was satisfied with their agreement to take it slow but they were both stillserious about a future together.
'I don't see how this is possible now,' she thought getting pulled back into reality. 'The tears were still threatening to fall but she held them in.
Harm saw the hurt look in her eyes and made an important decision as he looked back up at the General. "I was meaning to talk to you about early retirement."
The Generals face turned unreadable. "Did I hear you say early retirement?"
'What?' Mac thought looking up at Harm. 'Did I just miss something?'
"Yes, sir," Harm responded. "I've been doing some thinking lately…." He said, as his eyes lingered on Mac's. "I've got something important in my life, and I don't want to lose it."
"I see..." said the General. He looked from Harm to Mac and then back again. "Very well…we'll discus this further in my office. Now for your assignments this week," he said addressing the whole group this time. "We've got a Petty Officer charged with….."
But everyone's mind was somewhere else at the moment. Bud turned to Sturgis and mouthed, "Did we just miss something?"
Sturgis looked in Harm and Mac's direction and shrugged, as a smile appeared on his face.
Jen smiled at the puzzled expression on Vukovic's face. She assumed that Harm was thinking about early retirement to be with Mac, and she secretly felt excited for the new couple.
Meanwhile, Harm and Mac's thoughts were elsewhere. "For a second I thought you were leaving me," Mac whispered.
"I'll never leave you," Harm mouthed back.
"But I can't let you retire because of me…."
"Colonel! Commander!" Cresswell barked giving them a dirty look and making them jump in their seats. He turned his attention back to the folders he was passing out.
"We'll talk about this later," Harm said.
"But..."
"We'll make it work," he mouthed conforting her fears and giving her his flyboy smile, as he turned his attention back to Cresswell's announcement.
Mac certainly had a lot to think about as she sat there. 'It's going to be a new start for us,' she though excitedly, as she kept trying to focus her attention back on what the General had to say.
The End…or is it just the beginning...