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Part 5

It was quarter to eleven and Harm and Mac sat with the Admiral, eating their meal. Mac silently thanked her decision not to buy a full-length facemask, like Carolyn Imes had done, who sat at the next table, constantly pulling at her mask, so she could get food underneath it to her mouth.

"I'll die of starvation before this night is up," she had complained to them.

When they were done, the Admiral had stood and offered his hand to Mac.

"Well," Mac thought to herself, "I'm not going to sit here all night, waiting for Harm to make a move."

She gratefully accepted the Admiral's offer.

"As she walked away, Harm silently cursed himself, "For goodness sake, man! Pull your head out of your six!"

As the song just about came to an end, he downed the rest of his drink and prepared to make his move. He walked out onto the dance floor as the orchestra slowed.

"I'm sorry to cut in," he told the Admiral, "but I was wondering if I'd have the pleasure of a dance with Mac?"

The Admiral gestured for him to proceed. Harm turned to Mac, dressed in a floor length, silky red dress and a red ribbon choker around her neck and held out his hand.

"How about it, Mac? May I have this dance?"

Mac smiled inwardly as she nodded and Harm took her into his arms.

"Finally," She thought to herself, contentedly, "things are finally going somewhere."

But Mac had just no idea just how far this night would go.

OOOO

Later that evening, at quarter to twelve, Harm and Mac were still on the dance floor and had now been joined by two other couples, Harriet and Bud and Cathy and Mikey. As the song finished, Cathy and Mikey returned to the tables to talk and rest their weary feet.

The other two pairs remained, but after a few minutes, Harm whispered in Mac's ear,

"How about we take this somewhere more private?"

Mac nodded, so Harm took her hand and led her to the balcony doors.

As they left, Harriet commented to Bud, "I'm so glad those two have become so much closer. They've been practically joined at the hip for the last hour."

"Yeah, and what about Cathy and Mikey?" Bud added.

Harriet gave a smile and nod of approval.

Outside, on the balcony, Harm and Mac stood, hand in hand, listening as the crowd inside started to count down to the midnight unmasking. Harm held Mac close as midnight rang out and then removed her mask, and she his.

"Happy 4th of July, Sarah," he told her, softly, as he lowered his lips to hers.

OOOO

At the table inside, Mikey, Cathy, AJ, Carolyn Imes, Bud and Harriet sat around the table, engaged in an excited conversation.

"Wait a minute," Cathy paused, "Where are Harm and Mac?"

"Bud and I saw them head out onto the balcony. They must have wanted to discuss something. I'd give them some time," Harriet told her.

"About time," Mikey and Cathy suddenly came out with, at exactly the same moment.

"You said it!" The Admiral agreed.

OOOO

Harm and Mac gently swayed together to the faint beat of the music coming from inside the embassy. Harm cupped Mac's cheek in one hand, staring deeply into her eyes, while his other hand rested on the small of her back.

"Mac," Harm told her, "I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to get my act into gear. I don't know how you ever got the idea that I didn't want you, that I couldn't love you. But nothing could be further from the truth. I've spent every day I've known you doing just that. From the second we met in the rose garden, even before that, because even when I was young, I used to think about the person I would eventually spend my lifetime loving, growing old with…and never in my wildest dreams did I think that it would be as wonderful a person as you."

As Mac listened, a single tear dripped down her cheek and Harm brushed it away with a gentle wipe of his thumb.

"I'm sorry I was scared of throwing away the best friendship of my life to move onto something more with you."

At this, Mac went to protest, but Harm held up his hand to silence her.

"Please Mac, let me try to get this out. You know me, if I don't just out with it now, I might never."

"Okay," Mac conceded quietly, "go ahead, Harm."

"Then," Harm told her, "I realized that I would never throw our friendship away, that it would always be there, that it always has been. Anyway, I know we said that we would test the waters before we moved onto anything serious, that we'd take things slowly, but I can't even start to contemplate the rest of my life without you in it."

At that moment, Mac was too busy staring into Harm's deep blue eyes to notice his left hand dipping into his jacket pocket.

"Mac," he continued, "I loved you every day for the last six years that we've been partnered together at JAG, hell, everyday of my life, because you're the one who I'm destined to be with."

Mac's mouth dropped open as Harm dropped down on one knee and brought forward a small, square jewelry box in his left hand.

"Mac," he continued, "there's nothing more I'd love more than to wake every morning with you in my arms."

He paused for a second and looked deep into Mac's brimming eyes.

"Sarah," he asked, "will you marry me?"

Mac cried tears of pure joy as she gathered herself together enough to respond,

"Yes. Yes! There's nothing I want more!"

OOOO

OOOO Continued in SP 7: Sleepless Nights OOOO