Title: New York Weekend

Summary: When Mac expresses her longing for a romantic weekend getaway, Harm decides to go for it.

Note: This is my first story in about 10 years, so I am really nervous about posting it. But here we go!

Written for the Mistletoe Challenge.

The challenge: Must use 'Mistletoe' in a scene with Harm and Mac.

Rules: None.

Any season. AU. Add it to a current story. Write a new story. One shot. Two shot, whatever you want.

18 DECEMBER 2002

NEW YORK CITY

MACS POV

I admire all the twinkly lights surrounding me. This city is so beautiful, especially this time of year. She glances at the man walking next to her, also admiring their surroundings, but she can tell he's nervous as well. We are strolling through the streets of New York, following a route passing all the festive Christmas displays. We walk rather close to each other, side by side. Sometimes, when his hands aren't in his pockets to protect them from the cold, the backs of our hands touch, sending a jolt of electricity through my body. But never does he grab my hand. Sometimes we joke around and laugh nervously, sometimes we manage to relax and actually enjoy each other's presence. How on earth have we ended up here? At the most romantic place on earth during Christmas time? I think back to the conversation we had the week before in the bullpen with Harriet about the conference held in New York we were all attending. That little moment that got this all started.

"You're not flying back with us?" I ask Harriet, who put a smile on her face.

"No, we're staying a bit longer. Bud is taking me to The Grand for a romantic weekend in New York at Christmas time." Her eyes sparkling when thinking about it, Harriet turns away with a huge grin on her face. I stare after her with an open mouth and let out a sigh. "Ooh, that's so romantic! I wish someone would take me there…But I guess that ship has sailed."

Harm had been standing behind me and steps closer to me.

"Well, don't give up entirely, Mac. There's still hope for the future." He chuckles, trying to cheer me up. I turn around to face him.

"Yeah, right. I don't see anyone in the near future taking me on some romantic trip. I just have to come to terms with that." I sigh and walk back into my office. He follows me and pauses in the doorframe.

"What if I'd take you?" He folds his arms over his chest and raises his eyebrows in question.

"Ha, that's very sweet of you, but I don't think your colleague and best friend taking you would really count." I smile at the irony that is my life. I move around some files, not really taking him seriously.

He is silent for a while and stares at his toes. "What if we didn't go as colleagues?

Startled, I look up at him.I can't believe what I'm hearing. Is this really serious? I can't really tell. "What do you mean?"

" I mean, I can be romantic." In spite of his slight awkwardness, his cocky grin makes an appearance.

"Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

I can't really tell if he's being sarcastic or not. But if it would have been a joke, wouldn't he have broke it off already? What are you up to, Harmon Rabb?

"Okay." I challenge him. " Book it." Let him sweat for a moment... But he doesn't back down.

"Okay, I will." He turns on his heels, but doesn't seem nearly as nervous as I would have expected him to be. What is he planning?

Now we are walking side by side, attending the sites of New York. After the conference, everybody else left to return to Washington, except for them and Bud and Harriet. They had plans to go to a theatre performance, so they went and we agreed to meet each other later that evening for drinks. They didn't ask questions, but I can tell Harriet was just as confused about this whole situation as I was.

Unfortunately, a few hours later it still was as awkward between us as it had started out. It is wonderful to be here with him, but I can't shake the feeling that we're only here because he is trying to do me a favor. As a friend, because he knows me so well. Or should I consider this an actual date? I am not sure. If he would only just grab my hand, instead of only gracing it every once in a while…

"So, where are you taking me?" I put my hands in my pocket and search for eye contact, but he keeps looking the other way, almost like he is avoiding my gaze.

"You'll see. We're almost there." He grins without looking at me.

I'm kind of full of this whole mysterious act. Not knowing where we are going and what to think of it. It is just like our whole relationship has been for the past 6 years, so I actually don't know why I am so surprised. I decide to just cut to the chase and rip the bandaid off. What are we doing here? "You didn't have to do this, Harm."

"I promised you I would sweep you off your feet, right?" Now he finally looks at me and gives me his adorable smile. My knees immediately go weak and I lose all my determination I had a few minutes back.

"That's true. But don't think I'm going to kiss you underneath a mistletoe or anything." I joke, because I am starting to think more and more this was just a friendly thing we're doing here and I should read nothing into it.

"Oh, you just wait and see."

I glance at him in confusion. Did he really just insinuate I would want to kiss him after I find out where we are going?

He stops at a magnificent building and ushers me inside. The lobby is incredulously decorated with lights and Christmas ornaments and in the middle of the room is a giant Christmas tree. We take the elevator up and don't say a word. We just wait in an awkward, but anxious silence.

And damn Harm, was he right. When the elevator doors open, we step into the place where we are going to have dinner. It takes my breath away. We are standing at the top floor of the skyscraper in a covered and heated garden terrace restaurant. Plants and lights are everywhere around me and don't forget to mention, it has a magnificent view over the city. The waiter seats us at a table close to the railing, with a stunning view of the city lights. Harm elegantly pulls out a chair for me and I gracefully comply, my mind struggling if I should leave my coat on or take it off. I smile at him and his twinkly eyes stare back at me. He is proud that he managed to make me speechless, I can tell.

We enjoy a wonderful meal. He doesn't drink during dinner. Normally he always orders some wine, especially in a fancy restaurant like this. But now he drinks tonic with a twist, just like me. I wonder if it is just out of solidarity, or it has something to do with the kiss we might be going to share under the beforementioned mistletoe. I don't know and I tell myself to stop overanalyzing everything. You're at a roof terrace in New York having dinner with a gorgeous man, you idiot. Just enjoy it! But the past years of my relationship with Harm has made me dissecting every bit of every moment we shared.

NEW YORK

18 DECEMBER 2002

HARMS POV

She is nervous, I can tell. We don't chit chat as much as we are used to, but that is partially caused by my own nerves. I can't believe I got her to agree to spend the weekend in New York with me. I have to pinch myself every 10 minutes to make sure she is really here, in that great woolly white coat of hers that complements her skin beautifully. Or when she took her coat off, to reveal a stunning black longsleeved dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. I hope she's not cold, maybe I should have mentioned that we were going to eat outside. But then again, the heaters seem to be doing their job. Once we sat down at our table, I tried to be more entertaining and when she laughs at a few of my jokes, I relax a little. The ice seems to be defrosting and when she smiles, I lose myself in the twinkles in her eyes. She seems to be coming out of her shell, but I wonder how far I can go before she crawls back in again. I had heard of this place from Bobbie Latham a couple of months back and I thought this would be the perfect place for us to get closer and talk about us. If only I had the guts to bring it up. I am hoping she senses everything I'm trying here, but I am not sure she does. Some awkwardness is still hanging in the air between us. I booked us two rooms in hotel The Grand, just nearby. Two, because I didn't want to assume anything or make her feel pressured in any way. But she doesn't know that yet, just like she still doesn't know how she makes me feel.

When the dessert menu comes, I suggest we share some. I thought it would be the most innocent attempt to get a little closer to her, maybe grace her hand once or twice more like I did when we were walking in the streets. I should have grabbed her hand, but for some reason, I chickened out. I am still not sure if she agreed to be here with me because I wanted to humor her as a friend, or that she gets that I am really trying here. That this is suppose to be a very romantic date. I gather all my courage and decide to take the plunge.

"So, are you enjoying yourself so far?"

" I certainly am, Harm. This place is magnificent. Not to mention the delicious food."

Great, I forgot she was a lawyer: perfectly capable of answering my question while cleverly avoiding what I actually wanted to hear. That might be the reason why we never got anywhere before.

"And what about the company?" I look up from staring at my wine glass, searching for her eyes.

Her eyes avoid mine and she starts fidgeting with her spoon. " I eh.."

Oh God, here it comes. I shouldn't have asked her. I might have preferred staying in our awkard limbo about the intention of this whole thing than to be rejected by her. I can't take it.

She meets my gaze and lingers for a moment before smiling lightly. "It depends."

"It depends?" I chuckle a bit of disbelief. I had different possible answers in mind, varying from the loving kind to the rejecting kind, but not this. "On what?"

"On my companion's intentions." She folds her hand under her chin.

What? How can she doubt my intentions, after everything I have been doing here? Why can't she just for once be honest about her feelings instead of constantly giving me this multi interpretable riddles? In an instant, my emotions take over and I'm done.

"Well, if all of this doesn't make my intentions clear," I wave my hand around in clarification, "I don't know what will, Mac." I push my chair back and calmly walk away.

18 DECEMBER 2002

NEW YORK CITY

MACS POV

What on earth just happened? I thought we were slowly getting past the awkwardness of the evening and we were getting someweere, although it still was not clear to me where exactly we were going. That's why I decided to ask him about his intentions. Not the cryptic comments and innuendos like always, but an actual answer to what his intentions with this whole weekend were. But I guess it backfired. I don't know how, because I don't think my question was that outrageous, but apparently I hit a nerve. And the way he just walked away broke my heart a little bit.

From the way he looked at me, that moment I instantly knew that this whole thing had been real. Oh god, what have I done? As much as I have doubted the past hours if this was what I thought it was, what I hoped it would be, he had been real all along. And apparently thought he was being very clear about it. This has always been the thing with us, there was never clarity. For two people who were so good with words in the courtroom, it was a farce at how bad we are in communicating with each other. But now I know, he was for real. And I think we should be very clear about it now.

I grab my coat and hurry to the elevator. I hope it is not too late to catch him. I anxiously wait for the elevator to reach the lobby and when the doors open and I am about to rush out to the street to try to catch him, I see him sitting in the lobby lounge chairs next to the Christmas tree. His head buried in his hands, obviously let down.

I slow my pace and walk up to him. He notices me and stares at his feet.

"I'm glad you're still here." I tell him and give him a careful smile.

"I eh, realized you didn't know at what hotel we were staying, but my pride wouldn't let me go back up there, so…"

I stare at him for a moment, not able to hide a small smirk. "I thought you would take me to The Grand?"

He smirks at my cheeky comment. "I did. You know I am a man of my word."

He is right. It's one of the things I love most about him. He never breaks a promise and always goes the extra mile. Why the ** have I been reading all of this wrong the entire time? It hurts me to see him like this and I really want to tell him how I feel, but I don't know how.

"Harm, get up."

"No." He protests, obviously still a bit angry at my unwillingless to play along the game just now.

"Rabb, get up. That's an order."

I grab his elbow and he grumpily obliges. I drag him through the hall to the doors of the hotel lobby.

It takes him a minute before he realises why I dragged him here. His eyes glance up at the mistletoe hanging above our heads, but I can't get him to give me that flyboy smile that I am longing for. "You were right."

"About what?"

I take his face in my hands. "About me wanting to kiss you." I lean a little closer, our lips just inches apart. Harm's breathing is ragged and finally, for the first time this night I have his full and undivided attention. I lean forward and kiss him with all my being. He is surprised at first, but when my lips press on his, he wraps his arms around my waist and presses me against him. After a few seconds, we both pull back, gazing in each other's eyes. There is tension between us, both trying to grasp the fact that this is really happening. Then, Harm finally grants me his flyboy smile and I start to laugh, leaning forward again to kiss him again. This time, it's not a chaste kiss but his tongue runs over my lips and I open my mouth for our tongues to meet. The kiss soon becomes more and more heated and we almost forget we're standing in a hotel lobby, but I cannot help myself. And apparently, neither can he. When things are about to get out of hand, we stop to catch our breaths. He slowly raises his hand and wipes a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Get my intentions now, marine?"

"Loud and clear, sailor." I smirk and he finally grabs my hand. Together we walk back into the twinkly streets of New York City.