A/N: See notes at the end regarding my thoughts on the finale! Warning to those who haven't seen the episode yet: Spoilers galore! (in my notes, not in the story)

Chapter 63:

"You'll show me, huh?" replied Harm with a smile. "Well then, I guess I'd better hurry up and get us there, hadn't I?"

"Might be worth your while, sailor" said Mac, a sensual smirk across her face.

"No doubt about that" he said as he intertwined his fingers with hers, their hands resting atop her leg.

"Will you tell me how long we're gonna be wherever it is we're going tonight?" asked Mac.

Harm thought for a moment. "We'll be there tonight, all day tomorrow and tomorrow night."

"OK" she said, "do you have anything planned for tonight?"

He looked at her, an unmistakable gleam of mischief dancing in those baby blues. "I thought you had our evening all figured out, Mrs. Mackenzie-Rabb."

Mac shook her head and laughed. "OK, I walked right into that one" she said. "Seriously, are we doing anything tonight other than the obvious?"

Harm laughed a bit before responding. "Yes, we are."

"Does it involve food?" she asked.

"I'm sure we'll eat something before the evening gets too old" said Harm.

"Can we do whatever it is you've got planned" she asked, " in the clothes we've got on, or will we need to change?"

He looked over at her and down at himself. She had on jeans and a coral colored wool sweater. He was wearing jeans, a long-sleeved blue mock turtleneck and a cream colored V-neck sweater.

"These'll do fine."

"I see" said Mac, putting her lawyer skills to work and trying to complete the puzzle. "How far are we from where we're going?"

"About 2 hours" he said, "little less, maybe."

She was about to ask another question when Harm's phone rang.

He picked it up, looked at the display and got a puzzled look on his face as he answered the call.

"Hello?" he said. "Mattie? Hey, I didn't recognize the number, where are you calling from? Oh, I got ya'. You what? Heh, I don't think so, kiddo."

"Oh boy…" thought Mac.

"Because, I said so" said Harm. "Mat-…Mattie, listen, listen before you fly off the handle like that, just listen to me. When we get back home, I'll be happy to sit down and talk about this with you, but right now the answer is no….Mattie, don't, no, Mats, please, just accept my answer for now and we'll talk about it next week. I know, life's not fair, but you'll survive. Love you." He took the phone away from his ear and shook his head.

"That didn't sound like it went over well" said Mac.

"It didn't" said Harm. "She was calling from her friend Shelly's house, wants to go to a party this coming Friday night over there, co-ed, no parents."

"I don't think so!" exclaimed Mac.

"Exactly" said Harm. "You heard what I told her, but that's not what she wanted to hear. She's pretty mad right now."

"I'm guessing she asked your folks and they said to ask you?" asked Mac.

"I guess so" he replied. "I'm sure they knew I'd say no, but since they're not really there to look after Mattie they didn't feel like it was up to them."

"Welcome to life with a teenager, my dear" said Mac, rubbing Harm's leg.

"I mean, we've had her with us for how long now" he asked, "and we've been pretty fortunate as far as this kind of thing goes, really. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Oh, yeah" agreed Mac. "She's mad now, but you and I both know she didn't really expect you to say yes to that."

"I know she didn't" said Harm, "I'd still have preferred her to use her own good judgement and not tried to use the fact that we're gone this week to her advantage."

"Well, babe" said Mac, "think of it this way - at least she asked and didn't just do it simply because we're not there to stop her. We need to make sure we give her credit where it's due."

"Good point" said Harm. He took a deep breath. "Enough of this little mess, though, let's get back to the discussion we were having before we were so rudely interrupted."

"Yeah" said Mac, "where were we?"

"I believe you were asking me twenty questions in an attempt to assertain where we're going" said Harm with a smile.

"Ah, yes" said Mac. "By now we're roughly an hour and 45 minutes away, we're heading east on I-10, hmm…."

"Hey, no cheating, Marine!" said Harm when he saw Mac reach into the back seat to get the atlas.

"Cut it out, goofball!" she exclaimed as he tried swatting the book from her hands.

"Don't make me tickle you, Mac!" said Harm, "you know I'll do it!"

"While you're driving, you'll tickle me?" she laughed. "Somehow I don't think so!"

"Oh, really?" he asked. "Now who's challenging whom, hmmm?" He kept his left hand on the wheel and both eyes on the road as his right hand went straight to Mac's "tickle spot", just below her rib cage.

"Stop! Stop!" she exclaimed between belts of laughter. "Uncle! Uncle!"

"Put the book down and I'll stop" said Harm, laughing right along with her.

She tossed the atlas back into the back seat. "See? Gone! Stop! Stop!" she begged through her laughter.

Harm stopped tickling her and instead took hold of her hand.

"See?" he said, "I tried to warn you…"

"You're obnoxious, you know that?" she asked as she straightened out her sweater.

"It's been rumored" he replied, "but the jury is still deliberating."

"HA!" exclaimed Mac, "trust me, dear, there's nothing to deliberate!"

"Are we going to…Houston?" asked Mac the closer they got to the 2 hour travel mark.

"Hey, you're a smart one" replied Harm with a grin. "Yeah, we are."

"Alright" said Mac, "what're we gonna do there?"

"Well" he answered, "tonight, we'll find our hotel and get settled, we can go grab a snack if you're hungry", he paused and looked at her, knowing the answer to that question. "OK, we will go grab a snack" he continued, "then we'll spend a quiet evening together."

"That sounds really nice" said Mac. "We've had a busy day today, which makes a quiet evening sound fantastic."

"I thought it would" said Harm, "that's one reason I planned on it."

"Does the hotel have an indoor pool?" asked Mac.

"Mm-hmm" said Harm, "but we're staying in a Jacuzzi suite, wouldn't you rather spend some time in there?"

"I will" she said, "but I really feel like swimming for some reason. What would you say to swimming for awhile before we settle into that quiet evening?"

"Sounds fine to me, babe" he replied. "Tonight, my plans are flexible. Now, tomorrow, not so much."

"Oooh boy, what're we doing tomorrow?" she asked.

Harm just shook his head and laughed. "You're without a doubt the most determined woman I've ever met. You know I'm not going to tell you and yet you keep asking."

"I figure maybe, eventually" said Mac, "you'll give in and let me in on these secret schemes of yours."

"Oh, I will" he said, "but in my time, not yours, my love."

"This place is amazing, Harm" she said as they walked into their suite at the hotel. It was a lot like the one they'd had in San Antonio, except this one was a bit bigger and laid out a little differently. The two most important things - the king sized, 4 poster bed and the Jacuzzi - were almost identical to the other ones, and overall the room was just as nice.

"Yeah, I'm pleased with it so far" said Harm, turning around to tip the bellhop for bringing their bags up.

"What's the view like out the window?" he asked as he put their suitcases on the stands.

Mac walked across the room and peeked between the drapes.

"Oh, wow…" she said. "It's beautiful, come see."

He left the suitcases alone and joined her by the window. He opened the drapes wider and they stood together, looking out on the city, all lit up. It looked so peaceful, so quiet. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her in close to him.

"Wanna go get that snack before we change to go swimming?" he asked her.

"Nah" she said, "let's go ahead and swim, and if we're hungry afterwards, we'll just call down for room service."

"Sure, whatever you want" said Harm, giving her a kiss on the lips before returning to the suitcases. He pulled his American flag patterned Tommy Hilfiger trunks from his suitcase, setting them aside as he rummaged through Mac's suitcase in search of her bikini.

"What suit did you bring, babe?" he asked her, thinking perhaps he was overlooking it.

"I brought two" she answered, "the red bikini and the purple racerback."

"Hmm…" he said as he carefully moved her clothes out of the way and looked to the bottom of her luggage, "I'm not seeing them in here."

"They're in there" she said, "I put them in myself. Lemme see if I can find them, sometimes they get folded in with other things and get lost."

"OK" said Harm, stepping aside and allowing her space to search. She took piles of clothes out and set them on the bed, looked through them all and was getting worried until…

"Bingo!" she said as she held up the red bikini top. "It was folded in with one of my sweaters, don't ask me how, but it was."

"I hope the other piece is in there someplace" said Harm. "Not that I'd mind at all if it wasn't, but I damn sure wouldn't want anyone else seeing you like that…not that we'd even try to go down there without being properly clothed, but you know what I mean."

"Relax, silly" she said, holding up the bottom half of the suit. "It's right here."

"Aw, rats" said Harm playfully. "Now I've gotta share you."

"Goofball" laughed Mac as she kicked off her shoes and pulled her sweater over her head.

Harm laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Mac as she continued to undress.

"You know, it wasn't all that long ago" he said, "when the idea of changing clothes in front of one another was…"

"Just a dream?" she said with a smile.

"Yeah" he said. "Now look at us…"

"Funny how life works sometimes, isn't it?" asked Mac as she struggled to get her bikini top tied.

"Need any help?" asked Harm as he pulled his Tommy trunks on and tied the string around the waist.

Mac laughed as she replied. "Can you help me get it tied without taking it off, throwing me on the bed and having your way with me?"

"I'll sure try" he said with a flyboy grin, "but I'm only human, Mac."

He walked over to her and took the strings of the bikini top in his hands, concentrating on getting them tied and not on the fact that she was so darned close to being naked.

"There, see?" he said, "all finished and I didn't even have to ravage you."

"Very good, babe" she replied. "But don't totally give up on that idea of ravaging me. After all, we've got all night."

"And we'll use every second."

"It's freezing in here!" she exclaimed as they returned to their room after a long, relaxing swim.

"I'll go turn the heat up if you wanna get into the hot tub" said Harm.

"OK" she answered, heading for the bathroom while he went across the room and cranked the heater up to high. By the time he got into the bathroom, she was already in the tub.

"Is the water hot enough?" he asked her as he dimmed the lights.

"It's perfect" she said, "come on in."

"Gladly" he replied with a smile as he tossed his wet towel into the corner with hers and climbed in.

"Oh yeah" he said as he slid down into the 105 degree water, "this is great."

"What're you doing all the way over there?" she asked him, "get over here with me."

"Yes, ma'am" he replied, giving her a mock salute and a flyboy smile as he slid across the built-in bench.

"Better?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap.

"Much" she answered, leaning her head back against his chest. "I really think we should get one of these at home."

Harm couldn't help but chuckle. "I know you do, babe, but I think what makes it seem so nice right now is the fact that we're here all alone, no chance for anyone to interrupt us, we can stay in as long as we choose to, etc… We wouldn't have that luxury at home, not very often anyway."

Mac sighed. "Yeah, I know. It'd still be cool to have, though."

"Oh, it no doubt would" agreed Harm, "and I didn't say we won't look into getting one, I'm just saying it won't be the same as the times we use one this week is all."

"Speaking of this week" she said, "any chance you'll tell me where else we'll be going?"

"Now what do you think?" he replied with a little smile.

"It was worth a try" she laughed.

He held her a little closer and whispered "I love you" in her ear.

"I still can't believe we did that" said Harm as they lay in the bed, hot, sweaty and tangled in the sheets.

"Why not?" asked Mac with a little giggle. "People do that stuff with this kind of bed all the time."

"Yeah" he said, "but we've never done it before, and I can't believe you brought these things!" he exclaimed, holding up a pair of fuzzy blue handcuffs.

Mac laughed and laughed. "I told you, babe" she said, "they were a gag gift from Harriet, and I figured what the hell, they may come in handy this week, so I packed them."

"Yeah, well" replied Harm, "I think she bought them a few sizes too small, look at the marks in my wrists, see right there?"

"Well, if you'd laid still!" said Mac.

"Laid still? While you did….everything you were doing to me?" asked Harm. "Are you serious?"

"Not hardly" she replied, leaning over and placing a passionate kiss on his lips.

"Well, I'm glad" he said, "because there's no way if you were in these things, you'd be able to lay still either."

"Oh" she said, a devilish grin on her face, "I might do better than you think."

"Is that a challenge, my love?" he asked as he looked into her eyes.

"Maybe" she said. "Think you've got any strength left after all that, flyboy?"

"I'm sure I can muster up some for you, baby."

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SERIES FINALE!

A/N: THEY'RE TOGETHER, THEY'RE TOGETHER! The episode, overall, was pretty good, but I was really disappointed in how the entire Harm/Mac relationship was resolved in the last 8 minutes of the show. The baby deal was mentioned in a couple brief flashbacks (one of which we'd never seen before, a continuation of one from when she told him about her endometriosis at the Admiral's Dining Out last year. Better than nothing by a long shot, but I was hoping they'd give it more attention. The kiss in his apartment was AWESOME! I was waiting for a nice, steamy love sceneto endwith them tangled in the sheets (assuming he hadn't packed those up yet, lol!), but alas, we never got it. I guess we can assume they continued beyond the kiss if we want to. :)

The last scene was really nice, but I agree with those whom I've already chatted with tonight that it would have been better if the Admiral was there. Guess at the last minute, though, it would have been hard to get him there. LOVED how Mac told Lt. Hotshot that he wasn't going with her to San Diego! Of course, we know if there was to be a season 11, he would've been there and it would've been a "I never wanted you here and don't forget it" situation, but thankfully, it won't be! We also know that even though they didn't show us who won the coin toss (which was one of my theories!) whoever won would've chosen for Mac to stay in and they'd have both gone to San Diego. We just wouldn't have ever seen Harm - he would've been talked about, but he would have always been either at his job (whatever it would have been) or taking care of Mattie or whatever. MY biggest thing, though, is would they really have let their careers stop them from being together after all that? Somehow, I don't think so. I think either of them would have given it up in a flash to be with the other.

They definitely have the makings of a WONDERFUL reunion in a few years, which I really, REALLY hope actually happens because I for one am dying to see if they ever get to have the baby they both want so badly. I'd be pulling for them anyway, but with her having the same dreadfully sucky disease as I do, it makes me want to see them succeed all the more. We'd get to see how Mattie recovers and how she adjusts to her new life with Harm as her permenant dad, which would be kinda cool. I really, really, REALLY wanna see a reuinon movie in the not-too-distant future!

I want to say a great big THANK YOU to David James Elliott and Catherine Bell,for bringingHarm and Mac to life for us all these years. We owe Catherine a special debt of gratitude for being the one who had the courage to write a letter to DBP in 1997, asking for a chance to read for the role of Mac. Because of her insistence that having Harm's new partner look like Diane would prove to be a good dramatic tool, the greatest television romance EVER was born. SO, David and Catherine, I wish you Fair Winds, Following Seas and the happiest of lives after JAG.

CONGRATULATIONS, CAPTAIN AND MRS. HARMON RABB, JR.! I'm so happy for you:)