AN – I want to thank you all for the reviews and I'm sorry for not posting yesterday, but real life has crossed my way and I had no chance to post :-) I hope it won't happen again, butthere may be delays in my postings. It can be only a few hours but it can be more than that. All I can say is that I promise to do my best to post each day, and I like to keep my promises :-) Anyway, here's part 14... enjoy (I hope). Take care - Michi

A Snowy Weekend – Part 14

Disclaimer - See part one for all important information

10:03 AM

Little AJ and Mac, with Jimmy safely placed on her lap, were sitting at the dinning room table, anxiously awaiting Harm to come back from the kitchen. The walls, roof, and chimney pieces for the gingerbread house laid on the table, just like the goodies for the decoration.

Mac had a hard time keeping Jimmy's little fingers from pilfering the gumdrops out of the candy bowl. Each time she caught his quick fingers he giggled and babbled happily, enjoying the little game between them. In the meantime, Little AJ's eyes were glued to the kitchen entrance, impatiently waiting for his uncle to come out of that room.

The sound of Harm's happy whistles and the rumbling noises of an electric mixer were flouting through the apartment, mixed with the soft jazz music, which still played on the CD player.

Just a few minutes ago, Harm had had a hard time believing his eyes when Mac had pulled the mixer out from her cabinet. He'd shaken his head and couldn't stop himself from making a smart-ass comment about it. "Wow, looks like there's still hope for you, Mac. You have a mixer in your kitchen. I'm impressed, Colonel. Really impressed."

Mac had only shrugged her shoulders and then gave him her explanation with a smirk. "I got the mixer for free when I bought my new coffee maker. It was a 'Two for one'-week at the department store. It was either the mixer or an egg cooker. I actually thought about giving you the mixer for Christmas this year, but just for that comment, Commander, I may rethink my decision." Then she'd given him a cute smile before turning around, leaving the kitchen and a chuckling Harm behind.

"Okay, here comes the glue," Harm announced as soon as he was done with the icing, setting the bowl and an icing bag onto the table.

Mac and the boys quickly cheered and made the wave. "So… what now?" Mac wanted to know and finally gave Jimmy one of the sweets he was able to eat out of the candy bowl.

"Let me guess, you've never made a gingerbread house before. Am I right?"

"You bet. But my uncle once told me that I had a lot of fun crushing the one he made when I was three years old," Mac teasingly answered him. "That was the first and last time he let me near his gingerbread houses."

Harm raised his eyebrow and quickly turned his gaze to Little AJ. "You'll be the guard of this house, buddy. Don't let your aunt near it. Got it?" He asked and held his hand to his godson.

Little AJ delightfully nodded and shook Harm's outstretched hand. "Got it," he announced and started to giggle when he saw the look he got from his aunt.

"Traitor," she murmured and then placed her mouth next to Jimmy's right ear. "Guess we'll have to sneak up on them then, Jimmy." As if he knew exactly what she meant, Jimmy answered her with giggles and bounced on her lap, clapping his hands in delight. Mac nodded her head and smirked at Harm. "Bring it on, Navy."

"You're on, Marine," Harm replied and rubbed his hands. Then he turned his gaze back to Little AJ. "How about you, AJ? Have you ever made a gingerbread house?"

"Uh-uh." Little AJ shook his head. "No, never."

"Well, then it's about time for you to learn how to build one," Harm announced and checked out if everything they needed was on the table. "Mac, you don't have by chance four soup cans I could borrow? Oh wait, that's a stupid question," Harm said with a chuckle, knowing that Mac always had some in her apartment. He walked back into the kitchen and got four cans out of Mac's cupboard. "Okay, now I think we have everything we need."

"Actually, no, there's still something missing," Mac notified and stood up to place Jimmy into his highchair. "Something you taught me this weekend." She made her way to the CD player and turned off the jazz music, replacing it with another CD.

"What's missing?"

"The Christmas spirit."

Harm groaned and rolled his eyes as soon as he discovered the song Mac was playing now. "Oh, come on, Mac. You've got to be kidding me," he said, trying to sound disgusted. Harm's eyes intriguingly followed each of her steps as she walked to the Christmas tree to turn on the strands of lights.

"What? That's absolutely Christmasish, Harm," Mac told him with a smile and sat down right next to him. "And the boys love it. Right, AJ?"

Little AJ didn't care about giving his aunt an answer and had much more fun with singing the legendary Christmas song 'Christmas Don't Be Late' with Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Harm anxiously looked at AJ, then back at Mac and put his mouth right next to her ear. "How many songs like this one do we have to go through?" He wanted to know, fearing the answer.

Mac chuckled. "Don't worry, Harm. Only this song is from the Chipmunks. It's a compilation of Christmas songs. Of course there's also a song sung by the Smurfs."

"Now you're kidding, right?"

"Yes."

Harm sighed in relief. "Thank god. For a second you got me worried there, Marine."

Mac just smiled at him. "Let's start with the gingerbread house. I bet it will make AJ stop singing in a heartbeat."

Together they winced when AJ didn't get the right tone. "Yeah, that sounds like a very good idea," Harm commented and took the now filled icing bag into his hands.

They were right. As soon as Harm said they should start making the gingerbread house, Little AJ stopped the singing and intriguingly listened to his godfather's explanations.

Both Little AJ and Mac helped him to attach the wall pieces with the icing one at a time. As soon as all four walls were glued together, Harm used the four soup cans to hold them up while the icing hardened. It took about thirty minutes before it was firm enough to continue with the roof. They spent these thirty minutes fooling around and listening to little AJ sing.

Since Harm wanted to teach them how to make a gingerbread house, he gave Mac the icing bag and explained to her what to do next. "The ceiling is your job, Marine."

Mac nodded her head and took the icing bag from Harm. Slowly she added the icing to the top edges of the walls and then carefully set the roof pieces in place. Harm watched her and suddenly started to chuckle.

"What?" Mac asked in bewilderment. "What's so funny?" She wanted to know before continuing with her work.

"You really look cute when you're focused on something," Harm told her and pointed to her face. "The way you're sticking your tongue out is simply adorable."

Mac slightly blushed, immediately pulled her tongue back into her mouth and then laid down the icing bag.

As soon as the icing was done hardening, it was Little AJ's job to work on the decorations. The first one to go into place was the top of the roof. Harm told him to line it with the extra icing. After that, it was AJ's decision to place peppermint candies along the top, leaving enough space for his uncle to place the chimney in the middle of the roof. "How's that, Uncle Harm?"

"Perfect, AJ."

Next he added lines with the icing on the roof, decorating them with little sugar candies he found in Mac's candy bowl. When he was done with the lines, he gave the icing bag back to Harm. "Here, Uncle Harm. You're next."

Harm thought for a second about how to continue and finally decided to add swirl designs onto the roof with the icing. Then he added icicles made of icing to the roofline. "Looks like the roof is done," he finally announced and smiled at Mac. "Now it's your turn to do some decorating. Why don't you go ahead and create the front and the back of our little house?"

"This should be fun," Mac muttered, slightly feeling unsteady. Finally she decided to start with a wreath on top; made of the same little sugar candies Little AJ had used and some gumdrops.

After that, she painted a door and a window with the icing, this time using rolled flat gumdrops to color the windows. The frame of the door she made with colored chocolate drops.

As soon as Mac was done with the front side of the house, they turned it around so that she was able to work on the backside, making two more windows with icing and rolled flat gumdrops. "What's next?" Mac asked and glanced at Harm.

"Now, for the big finale, I think Jimmy should add his doing," Harm answered and quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

"You already want him to crush our house?" Mac asked with a smirk.

After a few seconds, Harm came back and took Jimmy out of his highchair, placing him onto his lap. He got a spatula from Mac's kitchen and put it into Jimmy's little hand, covering it with his bigger one so that his godson wouldn't lose the grip.

Together they started to add the snow on the ground, using the spatula to spread icing all over the cardboard base, on which the house stood. Both Jimmy and Harm were competing over who had the brightest smile on his face. Their giggles and laughter sounded like music to Mac's ears.

She was lost in thought and dreamily watched Harm playing and laughing with the boys. It was clearly visible for Mac just how much Harm adored children, how much he's meant to be a father. 'How much I want him to be the father of my children. He'll be a great dad one day,' she thought to herself and couldn't hide the little smile that took place on her face.

Unknown to her, one single teardrop ran down her cheek and she only realized it when Harm softly started to wipe it off with his thumb, just the way he had done so many times in the past. She looked up into his eyes, into a gaze so full of love and understanding.

As soon as Mac felt that Harm started to withdraw his hand from her face, she held it and leant her cheek against the palm of his hand. "You'll be a great dad one day, Harm," Mac quietly spoke out the thought she had had a few seconds ago.

Harm gave her a tender smile, never breaking their eye contact. "Only if I can have the woman I want to have as the mother of my children," he gently told her and tried to let his eyes speak the words he couldn't seem to find at the moment. For now it simply wasn't the right time, nor was it the right place. He smiled and gave her a short nod, silently telling her that everything would be okay.

Mac could only reply with a smile and a nod of her own. Turning her head, she planted a soft tender kiss on the palm of his hand before she squeezed and let go of it. Then she took a gumdrop out of the bowl and started to create a walkway in front of the house while Little AJ placed a few of the chocolate drops to the now snowy looking ground.

"There, all done," Harm finally said. "Our very own gingerbread house."

"It looks beautiful, Uncle Harm," Little AJ responded and you could hear the pride in his voice.

"Yeah, it really does," Mac softly agreed and placed one of the leftover gumdrops into her mouth. "Thanks for showing us how to make one. It was a lot of fun to work on it," she said and suddenly her stomach rumbled.

Harm laughed and shook his head. "I bet I know what's next on our agenda, Ninjagirl."

"Yeah, right about now some food sounds like a very good idea."

"Do you have something particular in mind?" Harm asked, and let Jimmy down on his feet so that he could go play with his toys.

"I still have some leftover chicken soup I made. There's enough left for the four of us," Mac explained and got up from her chair. "And no smart-ass comment, Sailor," Mac immediately added before Harm could reply.

Harm could only laugh and he lifted his hands in surrender. "I wouldn't dare, Marine. I wouldn't dare."

"Good, good. You're a very wise man."

Harm smirked. "I do have my moments. Why don't you make our lunch while I try to work more on the files I have left? Maybe after lunch, when Jimmy is taking his nap, we will be able to get the rest done."

"Sounds good to me. The sooner we're done, the more time we have to spend with much more important things," Mac gently said and gave him a soft smile.

"My thought exactly," Harm responded with a wink and a flyboy grin.

TBC…