AN: Ready for more fluff or are you already hacking up the last piece ;-) ? Just bare with me.

Disclaimer: You couldn't possibly stomach another disclaimer like the last one, so I'll just keep it simple. Characters: Not mine. Disclaimer: Mine. Who else could come up with this...whatever you wanna name it. Oh well.

On with the next piece...

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"You know I love you, right Harm?"

He nodded, kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah, I know, though for a moment I thought you were just using me for my body."

She laughed, running one slim hand through the downy hairs on his chest.

"Well, that too of course…you never answered my question, though. What time is it?"

He grinned again, reaching over for his watch on the nightstand. Picking it up, he read:

"05.34"

He was met with a stunned silence, followed by a cry of disbelieve and glee as she's made a calculation in her head. They'd been talking for one and a half hour last night and it was close to 04.30 when she'd asked him to make love tonight. Which made this lovemaking…

"An hour straight? Harm, did we just…for an hour straight? No wonder I can't feel my body anymore."

Feeling more than a little cocky at the realization (he never figured he still had this much stamina), he deadpanned:

"Don't worry, you can feel mine."

"That's what got us here in the first place."

"That's not such a bad place to be. Besides, you asked for it, remember?"

"Whatever happened to taking the blame together? But you're right, I don't think there's a place I'd rather be."

She lifted her head to place a soft kiss on his lips.

"We'll get it right this time, Harm."

It was a question as well as a promise and he sealed it with another kiss.

"We will, Sarah, we will."

Satisfied with his assurance, she put her weary head on his chest, yawned and promptly fell into a deep sleep again, if only for a few hours.

When he saw his mother in the kitchen that morning, he didn't have to say a word. She knew they'd figured it out when she'd found her son's bedroom unoccupied. She saw it in his posture when he moved around her kitchen with the same familiarity as if he was home.

The weight had been lifted off his broad shoulders, a new light flickered in his eyes, his flyboy grin was glued on his face and even though he looked tired, it was a very different kind of exhaustion altogether. Oh, to be young and in love…

Harm was busying himself putting a breakfast feast on a tray. A stack of waffles, another one of pancakes, fresh strawberries with cream, juice, coffee…he was pulling out all the stops.

"Who's gonna eat all that, Harm?"

He grinned, snatching a strawberry from the bowl.

"Obviously you haven't ever seen Mac eat."

"It's not that bad, Squid."

Standing in the doorway was his Marine, still wearing one of Harm's shirts. She appeared as tired and crumpled as her son, but she was sporting the same grin and looked young and vibrant. Trish immediately noticed her son's glance over his girlfriend's long tanned legs and bit back a laugh. Here he thought he wasn't obvious.

"Good morning, Sailor. Good morning Trish."

Mac stifled a yawn.

"Morning dear. You sleep well?"

She asked that on purpose and couldn't help but laugh out loud when both of them blushed ever so little. Mac was the first one to compose herself in true Marine manner.

"Very well, thank you. Short but sweet."

"That's good dear. Help yourself to some breakfast. There's fresh coffee in the pot."

"Oh no, you're not."

Harm swatted her hand away from the pot. Annoyed, she pulled herself free from him.

"What do you think you're doing? You know better than to come in between me and my food."

She tried again, but his tall frame blocked her way.

"Harm…"

Her tone sounded threatening.

"Just a minute, Jarhead."

He put a quick kiss on her pouting lips, which at least removed the frown from her pretty face. Then at least he got enough of her attention to state his intentions.

"You see, sweet thing, I've got this whole Prince Charming thing going on, and here you are messing it all up. Now you turn around, march your pretty six back upstairs and let me treat you to a nice breakfast in bed the way it's supposed to be."

She just grinned at that, since suddenly this entire situations seemed all to unreal for her. Behold her Prince Charming. Only days before she was certain she would never see him again, and that this simple fact was unfortunate, but not to be changed.

And than yesterday. Yesterday, when she felt so lost, so upset with herself, so utterly humiliated, he'd been there for her in a way she hadn't even dared to dream of any more.

Today…he was wearing nothing but his boxers, his hair was tousled, he had a wicked grin on his face and…were those scratch marks? Nothing in this man resembled either the correct Commander or the martyr. Finally, Mac knew what he was like being hers. He was simply adorable. Her Prince Charming. What a difference a day makes.

She indulged, knowing it was probably the best way to get something to eat anyway. And she was starving, since she skipped dinner last night.

She crawled back between the pile of rumpled sheets in their bed and pretended to be asleep, meanwhile fighting a losing battle against her upcoming giggles. Well, he just had to excuse her for not being all so mushy and romantic. Not that she didn't enjoy it…

After a few minutes she heard him slowly come upstairs, muffling u curse when the plates of food on the tray started shifting. Mac stifled another giggle. So much for being romantic. She only hoped he wouldn't have a rose wedged between his teeth.

He kicked the door open with his foot before carrying the tray inside. She snuck a quick peak, relieved that, although the rose was there, it was placed in a delicate glass vase.

He made a big show out of kissing her awake, while she still struggled to remain serious. Only when the kisses grew more heated, did she finally relent. Who needed breakfast if you had the sailor of your dreams to nibble on?

By the time they were finished with their little sidetrack, both their coffee and the stack of pancakes were cold, but neither seemed to mind.

"So Sailor…tell me about Jessica McAffee from next door…"

Harm laughed, choking in his coffee.

"Where did that come from?"

"You told me there was a story to be told."

He grinned, lost in memory.

"Let me just give you the highlights. She was a seventeen year old, cute as a button neighbor, and in desperate search of a date for prom night. I was eighteen, at the academy, home early for the weekend and conveniently there. In uniform. We made quite the couple. And she turned out to be a very feisty young lady."

"And…?"

"And nothing. Mom walked in on us before things could get interesting."

"Poor Harm. Did she punish you hard?"

"Not really. She was more upset than anything else. Having to listen to Frank giving me the sex-talk was punishment enough, believe me. I tried to tell him we all got talks like that at the academy every single time we left the premises, all about conducting ourselves as the officers we were about to become, well, you know the rules...but he still couldn't just let me go. And as much as I hated the repeated warnings of my superior officers, it could never top the one I had with Frank. My lord, that sex-talk was awkward, for the both of us."

She laughed out loud, until a dark cloud seemed to settle over her good mood again. He immediately registered.

"Mac…what is bothering you this time? And don't say it's nothing, I know that look."

"Okay, so there's something, but it's stupid."

"Tell me Mac. Don't turn this into another mind game."

She sighed. "When will you be leaving to go to DC?

"In a few hours. Why? You scared again? I thought we've been through this?"

"We have, that's not what I'm worried about. It's just that…I'll miss you. It won't change anything between us once you're home right?"

Here she goes again! Is she infuriating or what? She's got me annoyed and I'm writing the darn story myself! Anyway, just wanted to keep rockin'your boat.Harm's answer comes in the next to you soon! If I still have any readers left, that is...