Warmth

Mac was freezing. Absolutely, possitively freezing to the point that even the bedsheets made her cold. a bad snowstorm had heHarm holded up in a hotell Just outside of Virginia. Unfortunately, the heavy snow had knocked out the power. and with it the heating unit making her room practically an icebox.

They were staying in separate rooms a dividing door between them and, in the still of the night Mac stared at the door. Neither of rhem ever kept it locked. Never had, even when they recently met and began their partnership, the door was unlocked although neither of them opened without warning.

When she couldn't take shivering any longer, maxed it up bundled herself in the blankets and headed towards the door.

Harm was cold as well, tossing and turning to find a warmer spot to sleep it. He wasn't shivering, not yer but could feel his feet go numb. He'd even gotten up to put socks on. "Harm?" He heard her voice. Speaking softly his name. And in the darkness of the room, he noticed a figure. moving towards him.

"Mac? You okay?"

"I'm freezing. Powers out, no heater...I can't stop shivering." She paused hoping he would get the meaning in her words, the subtle hint of what she needed. When he didn't say anything, she offered a suggestion. "I was thinking about the mountains...the dessert, we kept each other warm?"

"Body heat?" He perked up at the idea, cuddling up in bed with Mac did not sound half bad. In fact, he loved the idea.

"Yeah." He could hear her teeth clattering. "Please."

Harm pulled the blankets off of him, suddenly noticing just how cold the room had become. "C'mon, Marine." He patted the bed chuckling as she rushed to his side, unraveled her blanket and placing it above the two of them.

"Dont laugh." She snuggled close to his body startled when she heard Harm hiss. "You okay?"

"Christ, Mac...you're an icecicle." Without question he pulled her closer and then made sure that the blankets were secure. His hands then began rapidly running over her body, using friction until she stopped shivering. "Better?"

"Much, thank you." Involuntarily, she took a deep breath; smelling the scent of him: a combination of Harm, aftershave and cologne. It was a clean scent, manly. God the man smelled so good. It forced her to snuggle closer, her nose and mouth nuzzling his neck when she settled her head on his shoulder.

"Uh, Mac?"

"Sorry...you umm...well, you smell good."

She did too, like that shampoo with a hint of that perfume he'd gifted her for Christmas. "Heh. Uh, thanks."

They lay together for several long minutes, Mac finally begining to drift to sleep whrn he said her name. "Mac?"

"Yeah?"

"I like this..."

"Being cold?"

Harm rolled his eyes. As often as he was clueless about them, Mac could be equally so. "No...you...me...this." To make his point, he squeezed her tightly and then let go. "I can get used to this..."

"We don't need a snowstorm for it."

No, they didn't, he knew but, they hadn't been this close in forever...not since Afghanistan and that was far too long ago and ruined by a bombing run. "We've been dancing around this...us...for a while now..."

"Is there an us? You've mentioned it twice now."

Harm sighed, why was it so hard for him to say tye words. "Yeah. I think there could be...and I'm not talking about being friends...I...well...I uh..."

"You love me." She said the words for him, letting Harm off the hook and swore he stopped breathing for a moment. "I love you, too."

"You do?" He had the audacity to seem surprised. "How long?"

"Since we met...kinda fell for you a little...kept falling a little more and more...I just...you didn't seem interested."

"That's not..." He stopped himself from arguing as memories collided, all the times he'd pushed aside his feelings for selfish reasons. "I'm sorry, Mac... I don't think I realized my feelings for you until I almost lost you."

"Same, Flyboy and I don't want to feel that again."

His arms tightened around her, his head turned just enough so that Harm's lips brushed hers. The kiss was sweet, gentle, loving. He would have rolled them over, covered her body with his and ravaged her senseless if they weren't both so cold. Plus, he wanted the lights on, to see all of her. He broke the kiss only to confirm the words he couldn't say before. "I love you, Sarah."