Disclaimer: Wish they were mine, they're not, never will be, etc... :)
A/N: I'm back, and doing a good bit better than I was the last time I posted. I'm still not doing great (no real hope of "great"), but better, so I'll take it. Thanks to everyone who wished me well, thought about me, prayed for me, and most of all, who read and reviewed my story. :)
This chapter is really long, but there wasn't a good place to break it into two, so I decided since I haven't posted in a week, I'd make this one a biggie! It's also rated M, which I don't usually do but again, it just worked too well with the storyline, and I don't think too many of my fellow shippers will complain too bitterly. Also, the restaurant scene is dedicated to my hubby, who'd think Mac has definitely got the right idea. ;)
A great big, humongous, giant thank you goes out to LadyCommish for her work on the beach scene (95 percent of it was penned by her, so if you like it, the credit goes to her! I'll take the blame if you don't like it, lol), and for her creative nudges when I got stuck along the way throughout this chapter. You're an amazing writer, girly:) Please, please, please, take some time to check out her JAG fic, "Can We Ever Get Back To Before". I've gotten a sneak peek at the plotline, and believe me, if you've found my story worth reading, you'll love hers. It's very emotionally charged and paints some highly poigniant pictures that I hope everyone will see.
Chapter 66:
"You sure you don't want me to drive?" she asked as they approached the car after checking out of the hotel. They'd only gotten about 5 hours of sleep by the time the returned from the pharmacy and finally settled in, but 5 hours was certainly better than nothing.
"I'm fine, Mac" he replied. "If it was my right arm, I'd have more trouble."
"Well" she said, "if you start hurting too much, promise me you'll let me take over."
"Agreed" he replied with a smile. "Besides, we've only got a little over 200 miles to drive today, no biggie."
"So we should be there by mid-afternoon, huh?" asked Mac as they reached the car.
"That's the plan" said Harm, "but you never know…"
"That's great" said Mac as she spoke on the phone with her mother-in-law. "You two are really wonderful with her…no, seriously, you are. We know you do, she obviously loves both of you very much, too."
"Hey" said Harm in a loud whisper, "ask her if the insurance company has called them about the Cadillac yet."
"Harm wants me to ask you if you've heard from the insurance company about the Caddy?" said Mac. "Right…oh, of course….uh-huh" she continued as she listened to Trish's reply.
Moving the phone slightly away from her mouth, she relayed the answers to Harm. "She says yes, they called once to say the claim was being processed, and another time to say it was going to take longer than initially stated."
"Figures" said Harm, taking a glance in his rear-view mirror, "a lot of times those places don't move very fast anyway, but with this being a little bit complicated, I expected as much."
Mac nodded at his comments while still listening to Trish.
"OK….yeah, we will. Right, Saturday night. Sounds great! Kiss our girl for us and tell her we'll be home in a few days. We love you, too. OK, bye-bye."
"Everything going good?" asked Harm.
"Yeah" answered Mac as she dropped her phone back into her purse. "Ainsley is doing fine, her schedule is back to normal now. Your mom said they've been taking her all over the place. They've been to the mall, the grocery store, and several restaurants."
"That's mom and Frank for you" laughed Harm. "Always on the go."
"Uh-huh" agreed Mac. "She said the 'bottle battle' is drawing to a close. She's taking it with less fuss each time, which is a good thing, I suppose…" Her voice trailed off and Harm could tell she wasn't telling him everything.
"Mac" he said, looking over at her, "what's wrong?"
She let out a deep sigh before speaking. "We've already talked about it, Harm. I'm just…worried…"
He'd suspected that was the problem, but wanted to make sure before saying anything.
"Hey now" he said, "you're right, we have talked about this and not only have we talked about it, we agreed on how and when we'll handle it, remember?"
"I remember" she said, "but as her mother I can't help worrying. I know it's not something you can understand and I'm not asking you to, but what I am asking is for you to try and be sensitive to how big a deal this is to me and how it pains me to think about it."
"Oh, babe" he said, looking at her as much as he could while maintaining proper focus on the road, "I know how important it is to you, I really do. I'm not trying to be insensitive at all, I'm only trying to reiterate that there's nothing either of us can do about the matter until we get home in another 3 days, so we need to try and let it go until then."
Mac was silent for a moment. Harm wasn't sure if he'd made the issue better or worse until finally, she spoke.
"You're right" she said, her tone showing a far improved optimism. "It is what it is, so let's enjoy these next 3 days."
Harm breathed an inner sigh of relief. "I'm so glad to hear you say that, babe. You're gonna love this last stop, I'm sure of it."
"Oh, you are, huh?" she replied with a hint of a smile.
"Mm-hmm" he answered, "it's very much your kind of place."
"This place is awesome!" exclaimed Mac as they stepped out onto the balcony of their waterfront room at one of the finest hotels in Corpus Christi, Texas. Harm had booked a room on the 15th floor, overlooking the bay and surrounding beach. "Look at this view, Harm, wow…"
"Yeah, it's really something, huh?" he replied, his right hand on his hip while he kept his left one against his abdomen. His wrist was still very sore and he knew he had to be careful with it.
"The water goes on for miles" said Mac as she drew in a deep breath, "and just smell that sea air…"
"It may smell nice from up here" laughed Harm, "but wait till we get down there along the shoreline. It'll smell like dead fish."
"Gross!" said Mac. "Well, maybe we just won't go down there!"
"Sorry, my darling" he said, stepping closer to her so he could wrap his right arm around her waist, "not an option."
"Oh, really?" queried Mac. "Any why, pray tell, not?"
"Because" he answered, "you can't come to Corpus Christi and not at least walk along the beach."
"I guess you have a point" she resigned, "but if it's too nasty, we're making it a very short walk, agreed?"
"Most definitely" answered Harm, leaning in to kiss the bare skin between her ear and neck.
"Hey now" she said, bending her head out of his way, "watch it, sailor - you know what that does to me."
"Yeah, I do" he replied, "precisely why I'm stopping right……now…no, now……maybe now..."
"Harmon David - cut it out!" she said. "You said we have dinner reservations in half an hour, remember?"
"Oh yeah, dinner" said Harm, still clearly more interested in nibbling at Mac's neck than on anything the menu could possibly offer him.
"But, after we eat" said Mac as she peered into his bone-chilling blue eyes, "we can have our dessert…up here."
Without breaking the contact between his eyes and hers, he answered.
"I'll be sure to save lots of room."
"Who was it that told you about this place again?" asked Mac as she tossed a few more popcorn shrimp into her mouth as they sat at a corner table of the completely packed establishment.
"Jen" answered Harm . "Her aunt and uncle live in Dallas and vacation here every spring. They say this is the best seafood joint in town, hence the need for reservations no matter when you try to come."
"Well, not that we have anything to compare it to locally" said Mac, reaching for her Texas-sized iced tea, "but it's definitely some of the best I've ever tasted. How's yours?"
"Excellent" replied Harm, dipping another coconut shrimp into the plum sauce and taking a big bite. "I gotta learn how to make these things."
"How are you folks doing?" asked the waitress as she passed by their table.
"We're good, thank you" said Mac.
"Great" said the waitress, "let me know if you need anything, OK?"
"Yes, thank you" said Harm, having swallowed the last bite of shrimp.
"Even the fries are better here than anyplace else I can think of" said Mac, using one to scoop up a huge dollop of ketchup.
Harm chuckled at her. "Want some fries to go with your ketchup, babe?"
Mac smiled as she munched the ketchup-slathered fry. "Hey now, I don't tell you how to eat, so you just hush up!"
"I'm just amused by that, babe" he said, taking a sip of his tea. "When did this start? I mean, you haven't always had this…affinity for ketchup or I would have noticed."
"Actually" she said, pausing to swallow, "I have always had it, I just didn't always act on it when you were around to see it."
"So you'd save your ketchup binges for when you dined alone?" asked Harm, obviously entertained by the notion.
"Mm-hmm" said Mac, nodding her head with a big smile on her face. "Before we got together, when I'd drive-thru Beltway on my way home, I'd go home and get out my favorite dinner plate, put the burger on it and the fries beside the burger, then squeeze a huge puddle of ketchup between the two. I'd dip everything in it - burger and fries - and when it was gone, I'd get more."
Harm could do nothing but shake his head and laugh.
"What?" she asked. "What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing, babe" replied Harm, still laughing a bit. "When did you decide to 'go public' with this obsession?"
"You didn't notice it when I was pregnant?" she asked. "That's when it got really bad!"
He thought for a second. "Yeah, actually now that I think about it, I do remember you going a little crazy with the red stuff back then. Obviously giving birth didn't decrease the cravings?"
"Nope" she said, "and between all that I consumed while I was carrying her and what I'm eating while I'm nursing her, I'll be amazed if she doesn't grow up addicted to this stuff!"
Harm laughed once more. "Well if that's how this works, I need to get you to start eating some of the things I like so my kid will stand a chance at liking the good things in life: rabbit food, mea-"
"Don't you dare say 'meatless meatloaf', flyboy!" exclaimed Mac through her own laughter. "There's no way I'll go near that stuff again as long as I live, and certainly no way I'll force it upon our daughter!"
"Aw, come on, babe' he said, "it's not that bad - you can even douse it with that stuff" he continued, pointing to the ketchup bottle in front of her.
"All the ketchup in the world" said Mac, "wouldn't make your meatloaf edible, my dear."
"Oh Mac" said Harm, playfully clutching his chest, "you wound me."
Mac shook her head and laughed. "Goofball…"
"Hey" he said, tossing his napkin onto his plate, "finish up there and we'll go for that walk along the beach."
"Aye aye, sir" she replied, laughing as she munched down the last of her fries.
"You warm enough, babe?" he asked her as they strolled slowly along the shoreline. The air was chilly, only around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and she looked like she was cold.
"I'm fine" she said, pulling her jacket a bit tighter around herself. "I think it's safe to say we're doing this a few months early, huh?"
"If by early" said Harm, "you mean are we avoiding all the spring breakers and beach bunnies, the answer is yes. I like being here this time of year, though, not entirely sure why."
"Maybe because you pretty much have your pick of sunbathing spots?" asked Mac through a chuckle.
Harm shrugged. "Maybe, but there's just something about being near the water in the winter. I can't put my finger on it, but there's….there's just something."
"Did you ever come here with" Mac paused and gave a quick second thought to her question before continuing, "with your dad?"
Harm shook his head. "No, never did. He would have loved it, though, no doubt about that."
"I'm sure you're right" said Mac, squeezing his hand a little tighter as they carried along.
"The sky is so clear tonight" he said, slowing the pace a trifle to gaze upward. "I love to fly on nights like tonight."
"Mmmm…" said Mac, "I know you do, babe. I can see it in your eyes when you talk about it. There's a gleam there that only comes out when you talk about flying."
"Really?" he asked, not realizing that it was so obvious to her.
"Really" she replied, "there's a gleam that I see only when you talk about flying, there's another that I call your 'daddy gleam', which shows up anytime Ainsley's name is spoken by anyone - see, right there, there it is!"
He didn't deny it, he knew she wasn't kidding.
"Any more 'gleams' I should know about, Marine?" he asked.
She thought for a second, a smile creeping across her face as she formulated a reply.
"Just one" she said, looking up at him.
"Oh, really?" he answered in his "come-and-get-it" voice as he peered into her gorgeous brown eyes.
"Mm-hmm" she said, running her hand against the left side of his chest.
"This 'gleam'" he asked, his voice soft and desirable, "can you see it now?"
"Oh, yeah" she answered as she closed the space between their lips. As the kiss deepened in intensity, each of them knew what the other was thinking. Without so much as a single spoken syllable, keeping the kiss intact, they found their way to a cluster of palm trees several yards beyond the path they'd been walking, slipping inside without even realizing it.
Ordinarily, he'd wrap Mac up in his strong embrace and pull her gently to the ground, but with his sutured wrist that wasn't an option this time.
"You're gonna have to meet me halfway, babe" he said as he pulled his lips from hers only long enough to get his point across as he carefully knelt down in the sand.
Mac followed him willingly, dropping to her knees in front of him, arms going around his neck. "Harm, are you sure we should be doing this out here like this?" she asked not breaking contact with his body.
"Are you too cold?" he asked.
"I'm a little cold, but..." She kissed his lips lightly. "Someone might see us."
She moved her lips to his neck.
He thought for a moment - true, someone could see them, but the chances of that happening were slim, far too slim for them to pass up the opportunity to make love on the beach, under the clear, starry sky.
"Don't worry, babe" he said, kissing her cheek, "we're all alone, no one's going to see us."
"Are you sure?" she asked. "Think how it would look, two JAG officers detained for indecent exposure. What would we tell the General?" This while she slipped her hands down his back into his pants pockets to cup his rear.
"If it happened" he said, his right hand carefully moving down to do to her as she was doing to him, "it'd look bad, yes, but, really Mac, who's gonna catch us out here? It's dark, it's quiet, we're hidden in these trees..."
Mac still didn't feel right about this, but it was a very romantic notion, making love on the beach under the stars. "Alright," she agreed and leaned in for a kiss coming on strong, using her tongue to open his mouth and explore the inner reaches of that area. She loved kissing him, just the taste of him on her lips made her insides knot, she saw spots before her eyes. She'd made love to other men, but she'd never felt this total loss of control before. "Lay me down, Harm," she instructed. "Show me you love me."
That was all he needed to hear. With his right arm, he gently laid her down in the sand, taking care to insure her head didn't hit any rocks or stones that may have been hidden. He then straddled her body with his own, both still fully clothed, both wondering how best to change that.
Mac took the lead, tugging at the bottom of his green sweater. She pulled on it until he got the message and lifted himself off of her to remove the clothing that was causing her distress. Sweater and undershirt removed her turned his attention to her. Under her touch he felt hot, despite the chill in the air.
He unbuttoned her jacket, gingerly moving his left hand only as much as necessary. He sat her up a little so she could slide her arms out, then laid her back upon the sand. Reaching underneath her sweatshirt, he un-tucked her turtleneck shirt with his right hand, sliding his fingers sensuously around the waistband of her jeans before moving them inside her shirt to the little bow on the front of her bra.
Mac was breathing hard by this time. "Get them off, Harm," she encouraged. "I want you to touch me, I want your mouth on me."
He maneuvered the hem of both her shirts up towards her shoulders as she wriggled a bit to assist him. Within moments, she'd slipped her arms out of both garments in one simple motion, and she jumped just a bit when the skin on her back made contact with the cold sand.
He pulled the shirts over her head and tossed them aside, allowing her to lie flat upon the sand in front of him. With his right hand, he slid two fingers beneath her bra, gently caressing her warm, baby-soft flesh.
Mac let out a long sigh, "Oh, that's...that's good, Baby. That feels so good," she told him wiggling a little, unable to keep her body still.
He loved hearing her talk like that, loved knowing that the more he did to her, the more she'd say to him. He let his fingers move towards the top of her left breast and slide ever-so-lightly over her nipple. He'd spend some time with that nipple, intrigued by its many uses. The first time he'd touched her, it was tight and tiny, like a rose that had budded but had not yet bloomed. Now, once he removed the lacy barrier between his thumb and her breast he'd see that bud in full bloom, fulfilling its true purpose. He remembered the first time after Ainsley's birth, Sarah had actually feared he'd find her less attractive because of the changes that pregnancy and nursing caused, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Mac let out a long moan which brought him out of his reverie. "You know exactly how I like it. The bras hurting, Harm. Take it off. I want your mouth on me." She instructed while reaching for his the fly of his pants.
He moved his body just enough to where he felt her hands brush against the very place he wanted to feel her. Sliding his good hand around behind her, he released the clasp on the bra, bringing the straps down off her shoulders as he pulled the constricting garment off of her body. "It's gone, baby" he purred, moving his hips against her hand once more as he brought his mouth to where she asked him to be and began to use his tongue and lips to give her pleasure where she wanted it. "Tell me if I hurt you," he instructed. "Or tell me if you like it."
"I like it very much," she panted, lifting her upper body so her nipple was fully in his mouth. It seemed that Mac couldn't stay still as he used his tongue, teeth and hands to pleasure the sensitive orbs. Breastfeeding their daughter had...it made her breasts look different, which he liked, but it also made them act different, which he loved.
All the while she pushed his jeans down over his hips, "I'm going to need you soon, Babe. I want you to be inside me when it comes," she told him. "Please," she begged.
Knowing he wasn't far from needing her as well, he shifted his focus from her breasts to the button and zipper on her jeans. He conquered the zipper first, the easier of the two fasteners, then tried to one-hand the button to no avail.
Harm looked at Mac, a pleading look in his eyes. She smiled a tiny smile and easily unfastened the troublesome buttons on her jeans before wiggling and moving up and down to help him get the aggravating garment off. Her panties followed quickly, leaving Mac's body perfectly exposed to his view, the cold winter air causing neither one a thought.
"There you go," she said in a whisper. "I'm ready, Harm. I need it now. I'm aching for you, Sailor," she said seductively.
He reached out and caressed the slight protrusion on her stomach that was evidence this woman was not only his wife, but someone's mother. Mac worked her abs endlessly trying to rid herself of that bit of evidence, but he secretly found it to be one of the most sensuous things about her. Again her voice, husky with arousal broke into his thoughts.
"I love it when you call me 'Sailor'" he whispered back. He also loved it when she told him exactly what she needed - the where, the how, the when. Sometimes, their lovemaking was tender and silent with him attending to her every need while only the occasional "oh" or "mmm" echoed from her lips. Tonight, however, would not be one of those nights. He wanted her in every way that she wanted him, and there'd be little from here out that one could call "tender" or "silent".
Mac moved her legs apart a bit so that he could crawl in between her thighs. "Your hands Harm. I want your hands," she told him.
"You got 'em, baby" he replied huskily, sliding his right hand to the place she needed it to be. Slowly, almost more slowly than she could stand it, he moved his fingers around until he found her most sensitive spot.
Mac arched her back and leaned into his warm hand. It felt wonderful there between her legs, rough calloused fingers rubbing the most private areas of her femininity. Soon though that wasn't enough and, the ability to speak having left her as soon as his fingers entered, she began to whimper.
"You like that, baby?" he asked, knowing she did, knowing every move he made was driving her closer and closer to the edge, himself not far behind.
Mac tossed her head in what would normally be considered a negative reply, but Harm realized it for what it was. Complete inability to vocalize her needs. All she could do was make little sounds until finally, "Harm," she cried out. "Please."
"Ssh," he comforted. "It's alright. Relax, baby. I'm going to make your earth move" he told her.
Instead of raising his hips and taking her in the usual manner, he instead lifted her left leg onto his right shoulder. He moved to follow suit with her right leg, and he winced at the pull of the stitches.
"Sarah, honey, lift you leg up here for me."
"Harm, what..." she panted not sure what he meant to do.
"Just trust me, Baby," he assured her. "You'll like this."
Sarah obliged him and lifted her leg and with his guidance positioned it similarly to her left one. Mac kept her eyes opened as she watched him, unsure of his motivations. When she saw him disappear between her thighs, she knew exactly what he intended.
She'd never… "Harm, I don't think…" she began.
"Don't think, love. Don't think," he told her. "Feel."
"Harm," Mac moaned and moved her hips up and down a bit to simulate the motion she wanted. "Now."
"Not yet," he whispered, taking a breath. "You're not ready yet."
"Not ready yet!" Mac thought he'd lost his mind. His mouth was driving her insane. Then he really did it. He found her spot again, the spot his hands had given so much pleasure. Only this time…
"Aah!" she cried out as his mouth simulated the motions that he would soon take with another part of his body. He pressed his tongue against her, moving back and forth, up and down, until she could no longer hold back her first climax. Once he felt her release, Harm backed off and slowly began to kiss his way up her body, her feminine juices still on his lips.
Paying careful attention to her navel, breasts, and the delicate curves of her neck, her made his way up her body until his mouth hovered just over hers. Sarah saw his eyes, burning hot with desire, and she felt his manhood, hard and strong against her soft thigh.
With his mouth hovering just over hers he whispered, "I love you, Mrs. Rabb."
That seemed to awaken the senses that had been overcome just a few moments ago. Suddenly, Mac was able to move again, and she reached for his chest giving him a little shove before rolling him over so that she now lay on top of him.
Harm reached up and began to play with her breasts again. He knew she loved for him to touch them, be with his hand or with his mouth. While he worked there, she reached inside the boxers he was yet to shed, his entire body tensing as she moved her hands about, eventually clinging to the waistband just below his navel.
"These have to go" she whispered deeply, taking hold of the waistband and tugging just a little. He lifted his hips enough for her to slide the garment off and cast it into the dark.
He watched her move her hands toward where their bodies were touching in nearly the most intimate way possible, and knew what she was doing. He'd done it to her, he'd made her wait, beg, only to have him deny her what she wanted most.
Now, he replaced her hand with his and began again to raise her to the heights of passion. He found her most erotic spot and flicked it with his thumb, eliciting a moan from her that he was proud to take credit for.
Using just his thumb he rubbed her there and felt her grow wetter than he remembered her ever doing. It had to be the beach, or the sand…maybe it was the moonlight, but the sounds she was making and the chills he was feeling as they prepared each others bodies for their inevitable joining were nothing short of divine.
With his injured hand he reached up and drew her down so their lips could meet. Their desire for one another finally exploded as their lips touched once more. Using his urgent kisses to hold Mac's mouth to his, he took hold of her hips, and guided her over him.
After a few awkward moments, their bodies and their mouths began to move in a simultaneous rhythm. She was tight, even after giving birth, and as he lifted his hips to meet her movements, he marveled at how remarkable it was that he never hurt her in this dance. Mac began to draw away from the kiss to sit up fully on him making it easier to do what she desired, what she knew he wanted from her. Harm however would not break the connection. He wanted his wife connected to him by any manner possible.
Mac wrapped her legs around him and rode him hard, neither partner saying any cogent words. The more she pushed the more he shoved, matching her move for move. He felt his breath quicken, his heart start to race, and his vision began to cloud. He was at the edge, he was ready, but he wanted to bring her to climax again, this time joined with him. He reached between them again and touched that special little place. He stroked it with his calloused finger, once, twice, three times until he felt the first little shiver run through her.
As he felt her inner muscles clamp down around him he let out a long cry as he felt himself release, leaving the evidence of his love for her inside her body. Mac followed him over the edge with a cry of her own, before she felt herself collapse onto his chest as limp as a rag doll.
Mac lay across Harm's chest, both of them breathing hard, trying to calm the frantic beating of their hearts. Harm managed finally to close his arm around her back and began to rub up and down, soothing her. Mac just lay against him, her head near his heart, her entire form shaking.
"You weren't kidding when you said you were gonna make my earth move, Sailor. That was the best we've ever had, don't you think?" she asked him as her fingers caressed his chest.
Harm tightened his grip on her a bit and dropped a tender kiss on the top of her head, "It was pretty amazing Ninja Girl. But I think the best time was..." He paused. He didn't want to bring that up, it'd taken them too long to deal with the loss.
"You can think of a time we've had better than this?" she asked moving her head a little so she could see his face. "Do tell, flyboy, do tell."
"No," he shook his head. "This was too beautiful a night to ruin it." He leaned up to take her lips in a tender kiss.
Sensing that he really didn't want to elaborate, Mac chose to let it go, instead shifting her thoughts towards the end of their week away from home and their reunion with their sweet baby girl.
"I can't wait to get home," she said seemingly all of a sudden. Harm was taken a back a bit. She wanted to go home, even after this.
"I miss her" she said, "a lot."
"So do I," he sympathized. "And I worry about her. I can't stop worrying, and she's with my mother and Frank." He shook his head. "That's, that's just crazy of me…"
"It's natural for us to worry about her" Mac replied, "we're her parents, that's what we do - we love her, we take care of her and we worry about her when she's not within an arms reach of us. Nothing wrong with it, babe, it's called parenthood."
"I know, Mac, but..." he sighed. "Are you sure you pumped enough milk?"
She looked at him, surprised at such an out-of-the-blue question. "Yeah, why? Is that what you're worried about?"
"I don't know...it just came to me," he sighed. "But if you're sure. I mean you would know, right?"
"I'm sure I left more than enough, babe" she said. "I began stocking up a solid month before we left, and I know the one bottle a night you've been giving her didn't use up very much, so there was more than enough there to last her a week."
"Okay," Harm relented then caressed her naked back. "You getting cold?" he asked pulling her closer.
"Yeah" she replied, her body finally cooling off from their white-hot escapade. "I'm all sandy, too" she added with a smile.
"But it was worth it, wasn't it?" he asked holding her tightly. "As for being cold, what do you say we pull on our pants and use our tops as blankets. I still want to feel your body on mine."
"Mmmm" she answered, "that sounds nice. You sure we can control ourselves with only half our clothes on? I mean, I'd hate to have to jump your bones again just as we get thawed out." She looked at him with a sneaky smile.
"I think this old man is too tired for another round like that," Harm chuckled. "Let's just rest a minute and head back to the room. The last thing we need is to be discovered by Boy Scouts at first light."
"Boy Scouts?" she said with a laugh, "that'd be the ultimate embarrassment, not to mention we'd probably be arrested once the screaming stopped!"
"I don't know about arrested, Mac, but...Let's just hold each other for awhile, then go back to the room and take a nice long shower."
"OK, babe" she said with a shiver, "toss me my pants, will you, please? I think I'm getting goose bumps on top of my goose bumps."
"Here you go, Love," he told her handing her her panties and her jeans. "Have I told you lately that you are the most beautiful thing that I've ever seen. Especially now, after Ainsley."
She stopped reaching out for her clothes, her body, mind and heart frozen at the kind, tender words her husband had just said to her. "No... you, you haven't said that, babe."
"Then I've been remiss," he replied. "You are so incredible, Sarah. Every bit of you. I love you so much," he told her, his voice catching just a bit. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
He reached out to brush a stray hair off her face.
She couldn't keep herself from crying at that moment. She'd known for years that he loved her, loved the way she looked from the day they'd met, but still a tiny voice in the back of her mind would taunt her on occasion, telling her the pregnancy had ruined the best things about her body.
"I..." she said, "I don't know... what I'd do without you, either" she stumbled out between the teardrops. "You're my...my everything. Without you...Ainsley wouldn't..." She stopped there, bringing her hands towards her face to hide the gentle, happy sobs.
"Ah," he sighed and moved to take her into his arms. "Ssh, I'm sorry, Babe. I didn't mean to make you cry," he apologized as he rocked her in his arm. "I just...I know sometimes you think or you worry that I don't find you attractive since the baby, but that's not true. In fact, you're even more beautiful to me now."
Looking up at him as the tears continued to travel down her cheeks, she asked a question that had been hiding inside her heart for months. "How so? I'm not built like I used to be, like I was when we fell in love."
"Well, you're softer," he said caressing the curves of her hips. "You're fuller," he moved to her breasts. "And...this body," he touched her abdomen. "How could I not find beauty in the thing that gave me my most precious possession?"
She felt as though her heart had just melted into a puddle within her soul. Placing her hand atop his, which was still resting on her abdomen, she looked once more into his eyes, the same gorgeous color as their daughter's. "Have I thanked you lately" she asked, "for that same precious possession?"
"I think that performance earlier was thanks enough," he replied. "Come on now, get those pants on. I don't want you sick."
Sniffling a little, managing a simple smile at the man she loved more than any other, she nodded, taking the clothes from his hand and slipping them on. "I think it's gotten colder since we left the restaurant, do you?"
"Yeah," he replied. "The sun's completely gone down and the wind's kicking up." He said this as he pulled on his own pants and gathered their discarded clothing. Laying out flat once he put on his pants, he opened his arm so she could cuddle against him.
"You just want to crawl underneath all 4 shirts?" she asked as she laid her head upon his chest.
"Yep," he replied. "We'll only be here for a few minutes. Just until I can stretch the kinks out of my back."
Taking hold of her turtleneck shirt, she spread it over herself, then laid back against him as he did the same with his undershirt and sweater. "Thanks, babe" she said as he handed her her sweatshirt. "I can't imagine why you have a kinked back, got any ideas?" she asked sleepily.
"Too many punch outs," he replied, stifling a yawn. "Add those to a romp on the beach with my beautiful wife..." He raised his eyebrows and left it open ended.
She snuggled a bit closer to him, rubbing her cheek against his chest, "Hmm, that would do it."
Harm's next conscious thought was the that of giggling. Who was that? It wasn't Ainsley, she was at home, Mac, well that's not Mac's giggle.
But that was Mac's scream.
At the sound Harm bolted upright, eyes flying open to fix, not on some horrible robber or mugger like he feared but a troop of boy scouts who were curiously lifting up the sweater covering Mac's upper body.
"HEY!" He yelled at the youngsters standing far too close to his half-dressed wife for either his comfort or hers. The boys froze, expressions mimicking those of a deer caught in the headlights as Harm rose to his feet.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" he asked them, glaring at each of the boys as he spoke. "Didn't anyone ever teach you how to respect a lady?" The boys remained stuck where they stood, as if the sand had reached out and taken hold of their ankles, forcing them to accept the barrage of questions Harm threw their way.
"Harm, calm down," Mac said still fighting sleep. "They're just kids."
"Yeah," the boy whose hands had acutally been on Mac's shirt echoed. "We're just kids. You can't do anything to us."
"Oh, yes they can" said a booming voice from behind the youngsters, "and so can I!" The troop leader, a large, intimidating form of a man had caught up with his boys, and was mortified to learn what they'd done after running so far ahead of him.
"Sir" he said to Harm, "please allow me to apologize for the inexcusable behavior of these young men. I allowed them to get too far ahead of me, something which they clearly can't be trusted to handle at this point in time."
Turning to Mac, yet trying not to look at her as he spoke, the troop leader continued to apologize. "Ma'am, I'm terribly sorry, these boys should be ashamed of themselves, and please believe me when I say their parents will be told of what happened and they will be punished."
"Don't be too hard on them," Mac sighed. "They're just kids and we really shouldn't have been here anyway. Harm, why are we still here?" she directed the question at her husband.
Seeing that the situation was resolved, the troop leader thought it best to take his leave and let this couple sort out the issue of how exactly they ended up sleeping on that beach. "Well, I'll leave you to your privacy," he told them. "Again, you both have my deepest apologies."
"Thank you" replied Harm as the leader and his charges took their leave. He stood beside Mac, barefoot, jeans on but not fastened and shirtless. He rubbed his hands over his face, wincing when he bumped his stitches a little too hard. "How...why aren't we in bed?" he asked. "Guess we nodded off and never made it there, huh?"
"You guess," she nodded and he could see she was perturbed. "This.." she motioned to her still prostrate body and the pile of clothes. "Was your bright idea, Sailor. I knew we shouldn't have done this. I told you."
Harm sighed. She was right, she had told him, and he sweet-talked her into doing it anyway. Still, his mind argued, she didn't have any qualms about it once they got going... "Yeah, you told me" agreed Harm, "but I don't recall any complaints once I..." he pointed his hand towards her lower half.
"Well, no, but that's because you sandbagged me into this. I didn't want to do this, but you kept pushing," she spat at him quickly pulling on her bra and shirt with as much modesty as possible.
Harm was unpleasantly amazed at her rebuttal. "Mac... how, how can you be this upset with me after last night? Only a few hours ago you were more than happy to be here and doing everything we were doing, and now you act as if I clubbed you over the head and dragged you out here! I thought last night was 'the best we've ever had'!"
"That's not the point," she said. "You promised me no one would see us, and the next think I know I'm being groped by teenagers and my husband doesn't even ask me if I'm all right?"
He took a deep breath. She was right. He'd been so flustered by everything that he never gave a thought to asking her if she was OK.
"I'm sorry, baby" he said, sitting back down in the sand beside her. "Are you OK?"
"No!" Mac snapped. "This shouldn't have happened, Harm. We should be at our hotel, with our phones and, you don't get to be sweet and say sorry and think it's all better. You promised we would be alone." Mac's eyes were filling with tears and even to her own mind, her anger made very little sense.
"I'm getting out of here," she told him and started up the beach carrying her shoes.
"Come on, Mac" he said, the defensiveness starting to show through his words as he grabbed his own shoes and took off after her. "How the hell was I supposed to know we'd fall asleep on the beach, half-dressed, and be discovered by anybody! How?"
"You should have listened to me," she countered. "You never listen! You always have to do what you want to do, the rest of us be damned."
She started walking away again and Harm took a few steps to catch up with her. He reached out for her wrist and pulled gently until she stopped and faced him. "Sarah..." he sighed. "Where is this coming from? Tell me why you feel you have to say these things Sarah, on our honeymoon of all places. Please, because I know you and I know that this has nothing to do with those scouts. Tell me what I've done to upset you because I can't apologize, I can't fix it if I don't know."
She looked down at the sand, out at the water, up at the sky, anyplace except into the eyes of her husband. He was right, this wasn't about what happened with the scouts, not by a long shot.
"It's..." she began, pausing to find her words. "It's everything, it's nothing, it's... it's guilt, I guess."
Harm gently reached out and caressed her cheek, distressed but not surprised to feel a slight wetness there. "About leaving the baby?" he ventured.
She nodded and wiped away a few of her own tears. "Yeah, but not only that, it's just... I mean, this week has been so special and last night, God last night was amazing, and...oh dammit, I can't even explain it, Harm!" She stepped towards him, wrapped her arms around his chest and gently cried.
Harm tightened his arms around her and slowly rocked her in his embrace. "I can," Harm replied. "You and I tried so hard to have a baby before we got married. Then it happened and we waited to get married. Then we got married and we came down here and felt what its like to have no one or no thing to answer to and although we miss out little angel at home, a little part of us, wishes this week never had to end." He kissed the top of her head. "Am I right, Sarah?"
Stepping back just a little so she could look him in the eye, she nodded. "Yes. That's it. That's exactly it. Part of me, the mother in me" she sniffled, "feels horrible for leaving our baby for a week so we could see the sights and have sex on the beach, but another part of me, the wife in me, doesn't want this week to end. Doesn't want last night to be once in a lifetime. I don't know...how to balance the two."
Harm lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the backs of both gently. "I think you do it like you do everything else, Sweetheart. One day at a time."
She gave him a little smile, how could she not after what he'd just said to her? "I guess so" she said. "I know it'll get easier as time goes on, but it's awfully hard right now."
"I know," he sympathized. "And I'm sorry about before. I know I promised you we would be alone, but I didn't force you Mac, you know that and I know you know that, but it still hurt to hear you say that."
"I'm sorry" she replied as she brushed a few remaining tears from her eyes, "you're absolutely right. Last night was something we both wanted to do, we both know that, and now that we did, I'll never, ever forget it."
"Neither will I" he said, leaning in to plant a tiny kiss upon her lips. "Are we okay now?" he asked. "Are you ready to go back to our room and get that shower?"
"We're OK now, babe" she said, "honest. And yes, a shower sounds wonderful, though I don't think I'll ever get all the sand out of my hair."
"Well, maybe I could give you a hand with that," Harm teased wrapping his arm around her waist as they started off the beach.
"Mmmm...maybe so" replied Mac, "but only if you keep those stitches dry."
Harm chuckled, "I think I can manage that."
A/N: The honeymoon is almost over, but they've still got 2 days left... ;)