Given pictures of CB's recent photoshoot and DJE's picture of him holding a camera...I got ideas. _

Papparazzi.

The weather was pleasant that day, an Indian Summer that staved off the dreary cold that began far too early that year. Mac hated those days especially when the rain accompanied the cooler weather.

It was nice to enjoy their outdoor patio that Harm built by hand when they first moved in and the kids were fairly young. The outdoor space took him months to build between a busy work schedule and a family that needed him.

In the end it was the one spot of their home that she adored the most. The covered patio with a wide seating area and a large, stone firepit to keep them warm on cool nights.

She loved sitting on one of the comfy outdoor sofas enjoying a good book or just relaxing with a cup of coffee. It was her spot to unwind from the days events, a sanctuary of sorts that Harm had adorned with hanging plants and rose bushes on the outside walls.

They were empty nesters now and had been for a little over four months. Thomas, their youngest, had followed in his mother's footsteps and went straight to boot at eighteen. He would soon begin the Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Program in hopes of becoming an officer and then continue to law school.

Emma, their oldest, was juggling married life along with her first year of med school. She married AJ Roberts, the same boy who would tease her mercilessly or avoid her as he got older and went through that 'girls are icky' phase. At eighteen he had to join the Naval Academy and when he returned, as an Ensign, he found the tomboyish little Rabb girl had grown into a lovely woman.

Their romance happened quite quickly, much to Harm and Bud's chagrin but it was clear the kids loved each other. And when AJ asked for her hand in marriage, Harm and Mac accepted and so did Emma.

They both still served actively in the military. Mac taking a position as a Marine liason working directly under the Commedant and Harm teaching an experimental course in Aviation for would-be pilots in the Academy. He still got behind the stick of a jet fighter whenever possible but the thrill of shooting off and landing on an aircraft carrier was severely limited.

A favor for Webb had ensured that a little over ten years prior when Harm found himself taking enemy fire and landing a badly shot up Hornet on the deck of the Seahawk. He spent several weeks in Balboa healing from shrapnel wounds and a broken heart when Mac served him with divorce papers.

She grew tired of his reckless flying obssession and after a month of living apart and several weeks of couple's counseling, he realized how selfish he'd been. Harm was hopelessly in love with his wife, the prospect of living without her wasn't a life he wanted. Furthermore, there were his kids to consider, young ones that would be raised without a father if he died. He couldn't do that to them.

And so they made a pact and shook on it, he could fly but trips to a carrier would be limited to quals and he was to let her know each and every time he came back safe.


Mac sighed contentedly as she read through an email her son had sent. He'd be home for the holidays along with AJ and Emma but for now there was just her and Harm.

While she missed their children, she cherished this quiet time with her husband. In the last few months they rekindled something that had become stagnant and found time for weekend getaways and adventures that reminded her of their younger years.

She took up painting, even sold a few at the local farmer's market while Harm tried his hand at photography. It was something she suggested when they visited Trish's studio that Spring and she noticed him staring at blown up photographs with interest.

The camera had been a gift for father's day, the bigger lense that he was currently using to zoom in on her, a recent birthday gift. It seemed the man had an eye for the camera and currently that eye was set on her.

Harm focused from across the lawn, keeping the image perposely hazy as he snapped a few shots that he would then zoom on to make clearer. Mac really was a beautiful woman and he the luckiest man to have her by his side.

Through the viewfinder he caught he reading while mindlessly twirling a strand of long her that curled at the ends. He prefered it short but the added length did frame her face a certain way and the way it felt across his bare chest when she lay on him was exhilerating.

The years really had been kind to her and in the recent months when they were all alone, Harm found himself falling in love with her more than he had been. Grinning, he zoomed in again taking in her graceful features, the pursed lips as she concentrated. Then there was a raised brow, a curving of her lips as she used the book to cover her face.

"You're like a papparazi with that thing, flyboy!"

"Can you blame me? I got such good material to work with." And he snapped a few off for good measure and then crossed the yard to his wife. "Did you know you purse you lips when you read?"

"I do not!"

"You do." He hit a few buttons on the camera and turned it around so she could see herself on the tiny screen. "It's so damned cute."

"Ugh," She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I look like a fish….Stop it!"

Harm began snapping pictures of her again, laughing when she covered her face with her hands and then tried to block the lense. "Oh c'mon. You're beautiful...a knockout."

"I'm gonna knock you out if you don't behave." She warned and when he dropped into the sofa next to her, Mac yanked the camera out of his grasp. She fiddled with the controls and searched for the folders full of recent pictures. The man had only taken one photography class and in no time was snapping photos like a pro.

There were images of flowers, planes, streets and cars. There were also images of her. Pictures taken when she wasn't looking. Candids that made her look like an accidental model. The one or two photos when he'd managed to get her to pose next to the rose garden were particularly stunning.

"This one is my favorite." He took the camera and pressed a few buttons stopping at the picture he took of her at the beach. Mac stood at the water's edge facing the setting sun, the waning light creating the perfect profile of her body's sexy female contours.

"Mmm. I like that one." She took the camera away from him, hit a few buttons and turned the lense his way, snapping a few pictures.

"Whatcha doing?" Harm questioned as she stood and began taking pictures of him. On the weekends Harm often had that messy bedhead look and deep five o'clock shadow that made him ruggedly sexy. He still was an attractive man, mouth wateringly so, the years were kind to him as well. "Maaaaac."

"Turning the tables on you…"

"Oh c'mon." His face was buried in his hands, the rich tone of his laughter delighted Mac while she gave him directions on how to sit and then how to stand. He played along, acting serious when she called for it. Smiling that infamous flyboy grin when she asked him to strike a Superman pose with his hands on his hips.

Mac followed him around the yard snapping pictures of him with his feet in the pool and others of him laying on the pool chairs. Eventually, he reached for the camera, using the strap to pull it and Mac closer to him. "How much for the shoot?"

He smiled that sexy smile, the one that promised they would wind up naked together utilizing any of the flat surfaces they'd christened of late. Mac would never look at the dining room table the same way again. "A kiss for all of the pictures."

"Just one kiss?"

She shrugged. "You're welcome to pay more...tips are also accepted."

Harm's hands cupped her face, his eyes which previously danced with flirtatious mirth darkened to that stormy blue grey. When he kissed her it was completely until she was breathless and he had to catch the camera Mac nearly dropped. "I love you. I may not tell you enough but, I do."

"I know." She leaned into him and pressed a kiss on his shoulder. "I love you too...Never thought I'd be this happy with the kids gone."

"I was worried about that too. Is it selfish to say I like an empty house and having you all to myself?"

"No, because I feel the same way." She took his hand, fingers threading through his as she led him into the house. "We haven't tried the downstairs shower. It's a little cramped but we can make it work."

When he started to take pictures as she pulled off her shirt Mac stopped him. "Leave the camera, flyboy...not all events are meant for the paparazzi."

"Aye ma'am." Harm turned the camera off and made a beeline for the bathroom where he found his very naked, very sexy wife waiting for him.