Disclaimer: See first chapter.

A/N: On a happy distraction-from-reality note, we start from Harm's POV again.

To all the peace-loving people on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border – I hope and pray peace and quiet times will come soon. Be strong.

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(Present time)

I knew that performing any experiments at work would be unwelcome as well as slightly dangerous to us both. The walls tend to have ears, especially in JAG HQ. So at work everything was absolutely normal. This only served my plan to observe isolated moments in time of invasion of Mac's personal space.

So far each incident brought satisfying results. I was testing the line, careful to pull back just before crossing it, retreating to the safety of the land of friendship.

And then – and I swear it was unintentional; I rocked the boat.

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(Experiment 3)

Friday night seemed like a perfect time for Harm's third experiment. He called Mac and invited her over for dinner. It took about 5 minutes of persuasion but it was worth it.

Just as he'd suspected, Mac ignored his experiments so far and acted completely normal. Dinner was fun and light. One thing Harm loved about his friendship with Mac was that they could sit down and talk about everything and anything for hours. A conversation could start around a case or something they saw on the news and somehow evolve to a debate about the price of vegetables and the arrangement of aisles in grocery stores.

Having finished the meal and the cup of coffee that followed it, Mac started clearing the table. The plan was pretty much complete in Harm's head before Mac even got there, but the time since she did served to perfect it.

He followed her closely with the remaining dishes, careful to keep some distance until she was at the counter. As Mac leaned to place things in the sink Harm move a bit closer and placed the few items on the nearest surface.

Mac turned from the sink and found herself in the exact same situation she was in at the bar; in debt to a few air molecules that were the only thing that existed between her control and her lack thereof.

Slowly she lifted her head to meet his gaze. Big mistake. She no longer owed any debts as his hands touched her waist, then glided to the small of her back and with a gentle tug eliminated any and all space between their bodies.

Distantly she wondered why he was doing things so infuriatingly slow. A little voice in the back of her mind yelled 'kiss me already!'. Had it been anyone but Harm she would have initiated the kiss long ago, but here she needed affirmation, she needed assurance before she sank completely.

Harm, thankfully, didn't drag it too much longer and brought his lips down to hers in what started as gentle pressure and slowly but surely became a breath and heart taking kiss. The kiss was slow and sweet, a first experimental kiss, reminiscent of the one they shared so many years ago on a dock.

"We're getting really good at saying goodbye" Harm didn't realize he had spoken until he heard his own voice. Yet another scene replayed in his mind, but this time the statement wasn't loaded, just a reference to their past that for a change held some promise for their future. The sadness in Mac's voice didn't fail to register as she answered "Practice makes perfect..."

Harm pulled back just as slowly as he had approached, severing physical contact but staying within reach.

Mac was left in a more unstable state than she ever remembered being in. Slightly trembling, her finger reached up to softly trace over his bottom lip, as it spread in his smile, then her hand dropped back to her side and her eyes followed it.

For the life of him, Harm could not move. This experiment was supposed to be the most daring one so far and it's objectives have been met and surpassed but he forgot to plan beyond the moment's success and was now somewhat paralyzed by the fear of ruining one of the best things in his life.

Mac on her part was working on getting her body back under control. Finally she raised her head and had to smile faintly at the traces of panic in her best friend's features. She knew it was up to her to save the moment again.

"Goodnight, Harm, thanks for dinner." Unable to stop herself, she caressed his arm from shoulder to elbow, and with a last smile turned to leave.

Harm snapped back to life when she touched him and flashed back a smile. "You're welcome... Have a safe drive home." He added when she reached the door.

Mac simply nodded and smiled again.

The door closed silently, and two pairs of eyes momentarily closed with it.

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I spent the entire drive singing along to my favorite CD, focusing on the lyrics and pushing any and all thoughts from my mind.

Slamming my apartment door wasn't nearly enough to release all the aggression bubbling within. I feel like screaming my lungs out. This just can not be real. Life can not be this cruel. Three different events in less than a week have to mean something. There's no way he just kissed me like that for no reason. But then the fear in his face was unmistakable, so what the hell does he want? What is he so afraid of?

Pacing back and forth isn't really helping, I decide after about two turns. That first moment on my couch was fine; nothing out of the usual for us. The second made me shake. The third threw me right off my feet.

Realization hits me with such a force I'm surprised I'm still standing. I backed out. It's my fault I'm standing alone in my apartment. Well, it's also his fault for making me so damned unsure of myself in regards to him that the slightest change in his expression sends me packing. But the situation was firmly in my hands and I could have taken it in a direction of my choice.

My brain catches up with the rest of my body only when I'm already outside the building, on the way to regain the control over my so called life.

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Harm opened the door with a surprised look that turned into a small grin as he saw Mac's expression of full determination.

What came out of her mouth was the one sentence that had been repeating in her mind since she left him earlier. "I think we should practice on 'hello'"

He raised an eyebrow and opened the door wide for her to enter. Mac took the few necessary steps to bring her inside the apartment and clear the path for him to close the door behind her, but no more. She was dead serious and the slight smile on his lips faded away.

Coming to stand before her, Harm took Mac's hand in his and pulled her gently towards him.

"Hello, Sarah." He uttered quietly just before leaning down to kiss her. It was a pretty accurate repeat of their goodbye kiss earlier that night, only this time her hands came up to his chest and she molded herself into him as he too gathered her even closer.

Her hands moved over his chest and then to his broad shoulders, reaching his neck and his hair. She couldn't get over the rightness of feeling him against her. All the analyzing she ever did went down the drain as she felt him pressed against her. She felt it so deeply that it made her wonder why she ever doubted it. How did she not see the hypocrisy of trusting her feelings yet fighting them when they really mattered? They fit, that's all there was to it.

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Epilogue to follow :-)