Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be, otherwise they would have gotten together on the show ages ago and Lt. Playboy would still be living underneath a moss-covered rock in the swamp.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Please keep them coming, they really make my day:)
Chapter 42:
"We really need to work on this, Mac" said Harm as they sat on the couch after dinner, playing with Ainsley.
"I know" replied Mac, "otherwise Ainsley will be starting junior high and we still won't be married."
"At this rate" agreed Harm, with enough of a laugh to let Mac know he wasn't serious in his comment, "that just might happen!" He knew she'd been adjusting to being a mom and him being back at work, not to mention the "no-wedding-till-I-lose-the-baby weight" stipulation, so he hadn't pushed her to talk about it until the past couple of nights.
Mac took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "I guess we should think about a date before we do anything else, huh?"
"I think that'd be a great place to start" said Harm, encouraged that they were finally getting someplace. "Any ideas?"
"Actually" said Mac, "yes."
"Really?" replied Harm, surprised but quite pleased that Mac hadn't been avoiding the wedding thoughts to the degree she'd been putting off the wedding conversation.
"What would you say to a New Years Eve wedding" asked Mac "followed by a New Years party reception?". She could see the wheels turning in Harm's mind as he processed her idea.
"I think that'd be great" he answered, "but can we pull things together that fast? I mean, it's already the middle of November."
"I'm sure we can make it work" said Mac.
"How big a wedding are you thinking of?" asked Harm, waving a rattle above Ainsley's hands.
"Big enough" she said, "but not astronomical."
"OK, babe" chuckled Harm, "I'm a guy, you've gotta be more specific than that!"
Mac laughed. "Maybe a hundred people or so" she said, "I don't think it needs to be any bigger than that, do you?"
"Nope" agreed Harm, "a hundred sounds just about right to me. Any thoughts on a site for this 'non-astronomical' wedding, my love?"
"I thought of a few possibilities" said Mac, "but there is one in particular that I'd love to have."
"What's that?" asked Harm, blowing raspberries on Ainsley's bare feet and listening to her giggle.
"Do you remember the last time we drove out to your grandma's" asked Mac, "that little church we passed?"
"Mm-hmm, the one you made me stop the car so you could get pictures of" said Harm.
"I've always dreamed of having my wedding in a church just like that" said Mac. "The stained glass windows, the bell tower with the steeple on top, it just seems so 'fairy-tale' to me I guess."
"Well, if anyone deserves a fairy-tale wedding, babe" said Harm with a smile, "it's you. Do you know how to get a hold of anyone there to check on dates and such?"
"I pulled out the pictures I took" said Mac, having to concentrate really hard on not crying at Harm's comment about deserving a fairy-tale wedding, "and the name on the sign is 'Prairie Garden Church' I was gonna look online and see if I could get a number for them, and if not I'll call information and see if they've got a listing."
"OK" said Harm, picking Ainsley up and cradling her in his arms. "See what you can find out, and we'll go from there as far as finalizing anything. Sound alright?"
"Yeah, sounds fine" agreed Mac. "I've ordered a few wedding catalogs, you know, invitations and dresses and stuff. They should be here within a week or so. Since we're looking at a small time frame, I only ordered catalogs from places promising a 7 business day turnaround."
"That's neat" said Harm, "but just so you know, I'll gladly give you my input on anything you ask for it on, but for the most part anything you choose will be just fine with me."
"Spoken like a true groom" laughed Mac.
"Probably so" said Harm, "but there's a reason for that: the men aren't half a choosy about colors and dress styles and flowers as the women are."
"And why is that?" asked Mac, knowing the answer already but having a little fun.
"Because" said Harm, the smile already spreading across his face, "they're far too interested in what comes after the wedding!"
"Just what does come after our wedding, flyboy?" asked Mac, knowing Harm wouldn't tell her but asking just to get a rise out of him.
"That's for me to know, my dear" he replied, "and you to find out."
"Its gonna take a lot to top the proposal" said Mac, having way too much fun with this little game, "I just hope you're up for the challenge."
"Challenge?" asked Harm, having perhaps more fun than Mac was with their little exchange. "The only challenge will be behaving myself until after the reception." In actuality, he knew the biggest challenge of their wedding day would be keeping his emotions at bay and not dissolving into a sobbing heap when Mac walked towards him in her wedding gown, but he wasn't about to let her know that.
"Oh, I think you can handle it" said Mac. She was going to continue the banter when Ainsley began to fuss. "Looks like someone's ready for her bedtime snack."
"Want me to change her first? asked Harm as he stood up with the baby.
"Yeah, why don't you" replied Mac, "every time we wait until after she eats, she falls asleep eating and we have to wake her up to change her."
"Come on, baby girl" said Harm as he walked towards the nursery. Mac could hear Ainsley voicing her displeasure at having her diaper and clothes changed, and decided to see if she could give Harm a hand.
"Having trouble, babe?" she asked Harm as she entered the nursery.
"No, we're fine" he replied as he fastened her clean diaper, "she's just hungry and tired." He slipped her into a cotton sleeper and snapped it up the front.
"There, all done" he said as he picked her up and kissed her head before handing her to Mac.
"Let's eat, huh sweet girl?" said Mac as she took a seat in the glider rocker. Harm put the wet diaper into the diaper pail and went to wash his hands.
"Can you turn the lights off and just leave her lamp on, please babe?" asked Mac as he walked by.
"Sure" he replied, flipping the switch on his way out the door. He washed his hands, then decided to get online and see if he could track down the church info Mac was after. He entered the words "Prairie Garden Church" into the search engine, and it returned hundreds of hits.
"OK" he said to himself, "gonna hafta narrow this down a little." He got up and headed towards the nursery to ask Mac if she remembered the name of the town where the church was located. When he arrived there, the sight before him made his heart melt. Ainsley had finished eating, and Mac was rocking her gently while looking at her with more love than Harm had ever seen her look at anyone, even himself. The only light in the room was from the lamp atop the dresser, and the little bit that shown in from the streetlight outside. Harm stood in the doorway for a moment, taking in the beauty before him. Eventually, Mac looked up.
"Hey" she whispered, "how long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough" he said with a warm smile on his face.
"Long enough for what?" she asked, still rocking the baby.
"To realize that this is what you were made to do" he replied, walking towards her and kneeling beside the chair. "You were put on this earth to be a mother, to be her mother." He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Ainsley's head, then looked back up at Mac.
Mac felt her eyes fill with tears as she looked into his. "And you were meant to be her father. When I think of all the others who passed through my life, I know not one of them would have gone through what it took to get her here. We were meant to do this together."
"I know" he replied quietly, "and I'm so glad we did." They sat in silence for a few more moments before Harm remembered why he went in there in the first place.
"Oh yeah" he said, "I was going to ask you if you remember the name of the town where the church is? I'm trying to find the info for you but the search with just the name is too broad."
"I don't remember off-hand" replied Mac, "but I'll know it when I see it. I'll look in the atlas and see if it jumps out at me."
"Alright" agreed Harm. "You want me to put her to bed?"
"Yeah, that'd be great" said Mac, kissing her daughter one more time before handing her over to her daddy. Harm carried the sleeping cherub around the corner to the master bedroom.
"Sleep tight, precious" he whispered as he kissed her cheek and laid her into the bassinette. He covered her with a little blanket and closed the door part way before returning to the office.
"I can't seem to find it in here" said Mac, carefully reading through the atlas index of cities in Virginia. "Do you think Grams would know what we're talking about if we were to ask her about it?"
"She might" answered Harm, "I mean, she doesn't get out that way much, but she's lived there for so long she very well might know about it. I can call her tomorrow after I get home if you'd like me to."
"Yeah, I would" said Mac. "I suppose if all else fails, we can just drive out there ourselves one weekend soon and find it in person."
"If Gram's can't help us" said Harm, "then we'll do just that, OK?"
"OK" agreed Mac with a big yawn.
"Looks like it's past someone's bedtime" joked Harm.
"I think you're right" said Mac. "Let's work on this more after you talk to Gram's tomorrow."
"Sure" said Harm. "You really think we can make this happen in less than two months, huh?"
"I really do" said Mac, stretching in her chair. "Once we can get the location and date set, the rest is just details."
"Are you thinking of doing all the planning yourself?" asked Harm, hoping she wasn't.
"No, definitely not" answered Mac, "Harriet and Jen offered to do a lot of it."
"I'm glad to hear it" said Harm.
"I'll do what I can while I'm still on leave" said Mac, "but I'll have plenty of help with whatever I need help with, honest."
"I'm glad" said Harm again, "I don't want this to overwhelm you, Mac."
"It won't" she said, "but the 3 a.m. feeding might if we don't get to bed."
"Understood, my love" said Harm. He turned the computer off, took Mac's hand in his own and together they called it a night.
A/N: If anyone knows the name of the town where Gram's farm is from the show, please let me know! I'm drawing a total blank...