Disclaimer: yeah, whatever... :)
A/N: Glad folks are enjoying the reception! Grab a plate, have some food, don't forget the punch!
As mentioned in the previous chapter, this chapter originally had song lyrics in it, so try to imagine them as you read. :)
Chapter 52
"Wasn't that beautiful?" asked the DJ.
The applause continued as Mac and Ainsley made their way out of the spotlight.
"It's time now" he said, "for the Mother/Son dance. Mrs. Burnett, please join your son on the dance floor."
Trish got up from her chair, smiled at Frank, and walked towards a waiting Harm. When she was a few steps away, a familiar Celine Dion song began to play. Harm took his mother's right hand in his left. She put her left hand upon his shoulder, and he placed his right hand upon her waist. They danced in silence through the first verse, and she looked up into his deep blue eyes as the chorus began.
"Why this song, Harm?" she asked him quietly as they continued to dance.
"It says everything I wanted you to hear from me tonight" he said. "I'd never have become the man I am without you." He looked like he had more he wanted to say, but he felt the tears coming and looked up at the ceiling instead.
"Your father would be so proud of the man you've become, honey" said Trish. "He'd just adore Mac and the baby, you know that, don't you?"
Harm could only nod, still too emotional to speak.
"Look at me, sweetie" said his mother, the lyrics to the song fading into the background of their conversation.
Harm too a deep breath and did as she asked. She saw the tears in his eyes.
"If I could do only one thing with my life" she said, "I'd want to be your mother."
Harm's bottom lip began to quiver.
"I thank God everyday for you, Harmon David. For the blessing you were to your father and I, and for the wonderful, amazing man that you've become. Mac is a very lucky woman to have you as her husband"
"Mom - " he started to interrupt, but she continued speaking.
"and Ainsley couldn't ask for a better father in all the world. I love you so much, son."
"I know" said Harm as the song drew to a close, his voice deeply shaky with emotion. He pulled his mother close and gave her a long hug. When he pulled back and looked at her face, he realized he wasn't the only one crying.
"How touching was that, my friends?" asked Alex. "Let's hear it again for our groom and his lovely mother!"
Applause filled the room once more.
"That was so sweet, babe" said Mac when Harm joined her and Ainsley at a table off to the side.
"Thanks" he replied, wiping his eyes again. "It was hard to get through, though, damn."
"Emotional, huh?" asked Mac.
"Oh yeah" he answered. "I guess I shoulda known, but…"
"It's OK" said Mac, rubbing his back a little. "There's no shame in tearing up while dancing with your mother on your wedding day."
"No" he said with a smile, "I guess not."
"Hey" said Mattie as she walked up to the happy couple, "when's the party gonna start?"
"The food's already out, kiddo. You mean when's the wild and crazy dance music gonna start?" asked Mac.
"Yeah" said Mattie, "I'm ready to dance!"
"Shouldn't be much longer" said Harm. "Those were the only two special dances we decided to do, so anytime now…"
Just then, Alex stepped back up to the microphone.
"Are we ready to get this party started?" he asked enthusiastically. He was answered with a roar of cheers and applause.
"OK then" he continued, "let's CELEBRATE!" As the sounds of the well-known song "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang filled the room, dozens of people poured onto the dance floor.
"Woohoo!" said Mattie, kicking her high-heeled shoes off next to Harm and Mac's table, "Party time!".
"Lemme take Ainsley so the two of you can dance" said Trish to Mac, holding her hands out to take her granddaughter.
"Alright" said Harm, giving the baby a kiss as he took her from Mac and passed her off to his mom. "Shall we?" he asked Mac.
"Lead the way, flyboy" said Mac. He took her by the hand and together they found a space on the dance floor, where Harm showed off some incredibly cool moves.
"How come I've never seen you dance like this before?" asked Mac.
"I dunno" he said, "I guess I'm usually too self-conscious to really let go and have fun, but I figure tonight, what the hell, right?" He flashed her a flyboy smile as they continued to dance.
"Be careful with that smile" said Mac, "you know what it can do to a girl."
"I don't care what it can do to any girl but you" he said, flashing it full-force once more.
"You just wait, flyboy" she said, a sultry look in her eye.
"Is that a threat or a promise?" he asked, very much enjoying their little tease.
"Promise." said Mac.
"I'll hold you to it" replied Harm, just as the song ended and the DJ came back on.
"Are we having FUN yet?" asked an enthusiastic Alex. "Alright, gonna slow it down a bit. This next song was a special request from our Matron of Honor, dedicated to the bride and groom and since her dedication was soooo pretty, I'm gonna have her come back up here and tell it to you herself." He spotted Harriet in the crowd. "Come back up here, hon!"
Harriet laughed and shook her head as she made her way to the DJ's station.
"OK" she said, "the song I requested is 'I Love The Way You Love Me' by John Michael Montgomery. It's kind of an old one and it's country and all, and I know neither of y'all are into country music at all, but it's one of my favorites and it just suits you so perfectly that I had to ask Alex to play it for you."
"Aww" said Mac, Harm's arm wrapped around her, "that's so sweet, Harriet."
"Thanks" replied Harriet, "now, get out there and dance!" As she left the DJ station, Alex started the CD and the slow, romantic tune began.
"I don't think I've ever heard this song before" said Harm as he slow-danced with his bride.
"I've heard it a time or two" said Mac as the chorus began, "she's right, you know. It really does suit us."
"I do love the way you love me" said Harm.
"I know" she answered, looking up into his eyes. "I love the way you love me, too."
They looked around to see who else was sharing in this special dance. Bud and Harriet were a few feet away from them, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder as they both held little AJ up close.
"Where's Jimmy, I wonder?" said Mac.
"Bud said he fell asleep not long after we left Mount Union" said Harm. "He's upstairs asleep in one of the bedrooms."
"Ah, OK" said Mac. "I just now noticed he's not running around here."
Sturgis and Varese were on the other side of the dance floor, apparently lost in the moment. Jen and Sergei and Trish and Frank were dancing next to each other.
"I wonder if there's anything to that" said Harm, nodding towards his little brother and Jen.
Mac looked over at them and smiled. "I dunno" she said, "but if so, we'll find out in due time." She and Harm continued their dance for the remainder of the song, kissing at least a half dozen times before it was over.
"Such a pretty song!" exclaimed Alex as it drew to a close. "Hope everyone enjoyed it. Up next is another special request" he said, "this one from a couple of the bridesmaids."
"Oh boy" said Mac, "this could be anything…"
Alex continued to speak. "From the 'Top Gun' movie soundtrack, here's 'Playing With the Boys', especially for Mattie and Chloe."
"Why doesn't that surprise me" laughed Harm as the first notes of the Kenny Loggins tune took him back a few years.
"Wanna dance, my dear?" asked Mac. "We're already out here."
"Like I said before" answered Harm with a smile, "what the hell?"
"Do your see your mommy and daddy out there, Ainsley?" asked Trish to her granddaughter as they sat at a table across the room, watching Harm and Mac dance in the crowd. "They sure are having fun, huh? I'm glad, they need to have some fun - not that you aren't fun to be with sweetie, but they need some 'baby-free' time now and then, right? Of course they do."
Ainsley began to squirm and fuss, and Trish instinctively looked at her watch.
"She hungry?" asked Frank.
"I think so" answered Trish. "She had that bottle at the church, but that was over 3 hours ago."
"I can go fix her one" offered Frank, "Harm showed me all the tricks."
"Thanks" said Trish, standing up to walk around with the upset baby. By the time Frank returned with the warm bottle of milk, Ainsley was fit to be tied.
"Oh, shhh…" said Trish, taking her into another room so as not to disturb the party. "Just a second" she said as she got the baby situated and got a bib around her little neck. "We can't get milk on your pretty dress, no, we can't." She took the cap off the bottle and put it into Ainsley's mouth, but the baby spit it out and continued to cry.
"What is it, baby girl?" asked Trish, feeling the temperature of the milk. "Grandpa didn't get it too hot. What's the matter? You don't want it?" She tried putting the bottle in Ainsley's mouth again, and again, Ainsley refused it in no uncertain terms.
"I understand, baby" said Trish as she put the cap back on the bottle. "You want the real thing, huh?" She lifted the baby up to her shoulder and carried her back to the table in the living room where Frank and Grams were still sitting. Mattie and Chloe's song had ended several minutes before, and the DJ was playing all sorts of different tunes. It was neat to be on the dance floor, but also neat to just sit back and watch.
"What's wrong?" asked Frank when Trish sat down with the crying baby. "Wasn't she hungry?"
"Oh, she's plenty hungry" said Trish, "but Mac's gonna have to feed her. She's adamantly refusing that bottle."
"That's no surprise" said Grams, "poor thing, her whole schedule is totally out of whack, it's a wonder it took her until now to get upset."
"Yeah" agreed Trish, "where's Mac? I don't see her on the dance floor anymore."
"I think she went to the restroom" said Frank, "there's Harm right there though" he added, pointing to his step-son visiting with a few of the guests.
"Could you go get him, please?' asked Trish. "Maybe Ainsley will calm down some for him while we wait for momma."
"Sure" said Frank. Trish watched as her husband walked across the room and politely tapped her son on the shoulder. She noticed Harm look over at her and the baby, then immediately wrap up the conversation he was having with the guests, following Frank back to the table.
"Come here, sweet girl" said Harm, reaching out for his daughter before he was even close enough to touch her. "Let's go find mommy, OK?"
Ainsley continued to cry.
"Sorry, mom" said Harm. "We were hoping she wouldn't do this tonight."
"Oh, don't be sorry, Harm" said Trish. "You never know what a baby may do, and in a strange environment like this, it was bound to happen."
"I know" he said, "we're more thinking about all next week and how we won't be around like we are tonight."
"We'll be fine" assured Trish. "I could have kept offering her the bottle tonight, but since Mac's here, I decided not to."
"That's fine" said Harm, "I know you can handle anything she may throw at you while we're gone."
"Hey" said Grams as she spied Mac coming out of the restroom, "there's momma now." Mac stepped out of the restroom and looked over towards the table where the family had been gathered. Seeing Harm holding a very discontent baby, she walked over as fast as she could.
"What happened?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.
"Nothing" said Harm, very matter-of-factly, "she's hungry and won't take her bottle for my mom, so mom decided rather than make her take it, she'd just have you feed her."
"OK, sure" said Mac, relieved that the problem was such a simple one to fix. Well, relatively simple… "I'll take her into the den and feed her, then she should fall asleep, hopefully anyway."
"I think she will" said Trish, "she's so sleepy."
"Thanks for coming to get us, mom" said Harm.
"You're welcome, son" she replied as Harm and Mac headed for the den.
"I know, sweetie" said Mac over the cries of her daughter. "I know, but this is gonna take a minute, mommy has to get out of this dress."
"You have to take the whole thing off to feed her?" asked Harm, a bit befuddled.
"No, not the whole thing" answered Mac, "but I need you to undo the zipper in the back and then all the hooks on the bustier, please." Under any other circumstances, Harm would have found such a request to be a major turn-on, but this was different.
"Hey, not bad at all, sailor" joked Mac as Harm unhooked the last little hook less than 2 minutes after he unzipped the dress. She moved everything out of the way and got Ainsley settled at what Harm often jokingly referred to as "the bar".
"Just wait till later" he said, with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face.
"Threat or promise?" asked Mac, rekindling their banter from before.
"Oh, promise" he said, "definitely promise."
"I'll hold you to it" said Mac. They smiled at one another for a moment before a figure passing by caught their attention.
"Hey, there you are" said Mattie as she entered the room. She was about to ask why they'd gone AWOL from their own party when she looked at Mac and figured it all out.
"Didn't want the bottle I take it?" she asked.
"Nope" said Harm, "grandma tried but she wouldn't take it."
"Sorry about that, Mac" said Mattie, "I know you guys were hoping she wouldn't do that tonight."
"We were" said Mac, "but it's OK, she's just really tired and Trish didn't see a need to fight her on taking the bottle, which won't be an option once we leave here tonight, but for now, it's fine."
"How much longer do you think you'll be?" asked Mattie.
"Are they missing us out there?" asked Harm.
"Not that I've noticed" said Mattie, "but chances are it won't be too long, I mean, it's your party!"
"We should be back out there in 15 minutes or so" said Mac. "How's the food going over? People enjoying it?" She and Harm had opted to go with a finger-food buffet instead of a sit-down meal. It just seemed to fit better with the New Years party atmosphere they wanted.
"Oh yeah" said Mattie, "the shrimp trays are a huge hit, and the mini egg rolls are going as fast as the caterers can bring them out."
"Are they keeping the punch bowl filled?" asked Harm, ample beverages being a big concern to him.
"I haven't seen it get less than half full all night" said Mattie. "They're really doing a great job."
"Well, good" said Mac. "Go on ahead back out there, Mats. We'll be back as soon as we get her settled, OK?"
"Sounds good" said Mattie. "Will you guys be cutting the cake anytime soon?"
"Yes" said Harm, "now, go have some fun, kiddo, we'll rejoin you as soon as we can."
"I'm going, I'm going" said Mattie as she exited the den.
"I guess we should do the cake pretty soon after we get back out there, huh?" asked Harm.
"Probably so" answered Mac, shifting Ainsley in her lap just a little. "That way if people want to leave, they can."
"Mac, who are you thinking wants to leave?" asked Harm. "I mean, these folks came all the way out here for this party, it's New Years Eve, no one is leaving, babe, I assure you."
"You're probably right" she said, "maybe I'm just thinking about when we'll get to leave…"
Harm laughed as he soon caught on to what Mac was doing.
"Nice try, Marine" he said, "but I'm not telling you where we're going on the honeymoon, end of discussion."
"Not even a hint?" asked Mac, sounding like a child trying to figure out her birthday present.
"Not even a hint of a hint" smiled Harm. "You've waited this long, you can wait a little longer."
"This better be worth the wait, flyboy" she said, knowing full good and well that it'd be totally worth the wait, but enjoying the playful conversation.
"I think you'll find it to be worth the wait and then some" he casually replied. "Now, finish feeding our daughter so we can go cut into that pretty cake out there, my dear."
"Yes, sir" said Mac, winking at Harm as she sat the baby up to burp. She knew whatever he had planned was going to be amazing, and while she was dying to find out what it was, part of her didn't mind being kept in suspense. It just gave her something to look forward to, something that could no doubt never be topped.
A/N: It seems like many of us feel the same when it comes to JAG ending in 4 weeks - we're happy and sad all rolled into one. I've been watching the older episodes on the USA Network lately, and it's just so sad to realize that they've deteriorated soooo much from only a few years back. Sigh... I've got a few of my favorites saved on my Tivo, among them are "Each of Us Angels", "Ghosts of Christmas Past", and, of course, "The Four Percent Solution", though watching that one only makes the current storyline suck even more!
However... we've got 3 weeks left until the series finale, and we may as well TRY to find some way to enjoy them. They are what they are, after all... :(