Harm whirled around in surprise, not having heard Loren knock and enter, believing he was still alone.

"What?"

When he saw Lt. Singer standing there, his blood ran cold. She had a shark-like smile on her face, purely predatory, the smile of a predator bearing down on it's helpless victim. And this time he was the victim.

She started walking slowly towards him, with a seductive sway to her hips, that immediately drew his eyes to them, and continued speaking loudly, just for their audience. "You know, you could've just said 'I love you, marry me.', Harm, but this'll do as well. And I accept your proposal."

By this time she was standing right before him, playing with his tie and smoothing his shirt over his chest, enjoying the feel of strong muscles underneath.

Harm was on an overload. Too much had taken place over the last few seconds. He had no clue what exactly had happened and now the woman, whom Mac had named Lt. Witch, was running her fingers over his chest very erotically and definitely possessively, causing his blood to head due south. The heat that radiated from her body, scorching him from their extreme proximity, was making it hard for him to concentrate.

He was painfully aware that he was behind the events and catching up too slowly. He was also aware that Loren knew very well what she was doing to him and was in complete control of the situation.

Which was almost as scary as anything he had ever seen.

Suddenly Loren flung her arms around his neck, cupped the back of his head and brought his lips to hers for a passionate kiss.

Harm reacted on instinct, trying to push her away from him, but her earlier actions had left him aroused and not in the condition to repell attacks by one very determined Lieutenant, who definitely knew how to kiss. Especially how to kiss to make a man drop all resistance and respond favorably.

'Oh god, this can't be happening.' thought Harm as he continued to kiss her back 'The whole damn staff is watching us and I can't stop it. And the damn woman knows it.'

In the distance they heard some strange sound. Due to the fog they were both in, it took them a while to realise that the sound was the sound of loud talking. Obviously the staff's reaction to the scene Harm and Loren had created.

And suddenly the most-feared sound of all...

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

The sound of the Admiral's demonic growl.

Harm and Loren jumped apart in surprise, their lips making a loud 'plop' when having parted, and stood there, staring at the Admiral, their chests still heaving from air-depravation due to the hot kiss.

Harriet, not knowing how to feel about it, but excited nonetheless over an engagement, declared.

"They are getting married, sir!"

"WHAT? Explain, Lt.!"

"Well, sir, we all heard the Commander propose and the Lt. accept. Then they kissed and that's where you came in, sir."

'What? They think we're getting married? No way in hell! I gotta fix this, now!'

The Admiral noticed Harm trying to say something and sent him a glare that quieted the younger man.

While Harm valued truth and justice over his own career, he still valued his own life. Therefore he wouldn't try to disobey the Admiral when the older man was in one of those moods.

Loren stood at attention, her face a mask, but small traces of the smug smile still remained.

Cheggwidden stood there, back ramrod straight, arms crossed over his chest, and scrutinised them from under a heavy scowl.

"So, you're getting married, huh?" obviously not expecting an answer, it being more of a rhetorical question. "You two aren't partners, neither do you work on the same cases, neither are you in a mentor/student relationship, so I have no reason to object. You have my blessing. Congratulations on your engagement. You have the rest of the day off to discuss how to proceed." With a decisive nod of his head he turned around and headed for his office, calling over his shoulder "Get back to work, people!"

Suddenly Harm's office was filled with people, who dared to ignore their boss's order, wishing them both happiness and offering congratulations.

It was obvious that most of them didn't know what to think or feel. This engagement was most unexpected, especially to the groom-to-be himself. Nobody was more surprised than Harm himself.

Even Mac offered congratulation, though the anger, betrayal and jealousy was clear in her eyes. Harm recognized the look because it was in his own eyes and heart when he saw her and Brumby locked in a tonsil-hockey at the Sydney airport.

At the reminder of how he felt when he saw her and Bugme together, Harm involuntarily glanced down at the ring she wore on her hand, the ring that made it known to the world that she belonged to another man.

Mac saw where he looked and deflated. She knew in her head that she had no right to feel betrayed nor jealous. She had chosen another man less than a day after he had asked her for more time, something she wasn't willing to give him, because she wanted to have it all that second. She had chosen another man over him and thus lost the right to feel betrayed or jealous because of him moving on with someone else. They still had to work together and so had to remain at least civil to each other and ignore the fact that they were with other people. She now knew how he had felt the last few months after having returned from flying, seeing her and Brumby so close and cozy with each other. She was experiencing it now that Harm was engaged to another woman and she didn't like the feeling. It hurt. A lot. She didn't know how he was able to stand seeing her and Brumby so close these past few months and now when she was wearing Brumby's ring, showing him every day that she belonged to his nemesis. She knew she wouldn't be able to watch him and Loren be together, watch them get married, Loren grow large with the child she had wanted once, introduce that child to their co-workers,... Maybe it was time to start looking for postings in Australia or even think of resigning and moving there?

Harm observed as Mac deflated and the fire in her eyes vanished as she acknowledged that she had no right to feel that way. But then she seemed to make a decision. She looked into his eyes and this time wished him congratulations with a sincere gaze.

Harm didn't know how he could've gone from making up ridiculous proposal attempts to being an engaged man himself. And that to Lt. Singer!

He had to wait until everyone filed out of his office and got back to work before he could talk to her and clear things out.

Harriet was practically bouncing from excitement and was chattering with Loren about wedding preparations and babies and everything possible. Then in a breach of protocol she hugged Harm. "I'm so happy for you, sir. You deserve this."

Harm didn't know what to make of it. On one hand he knew that Harriet believed he loved Loren considering that he had proposed to her, but on the other hand it sounded to Harm as if she thought he deserved the woman the whole office didn't like, because he took his time with Mac, trying to make sure he was ready for a relationship with her before trying anything, and thus waiting too long, having Mac go to someone else. As if Loren was his punishment for wasting time instead of going after Mac immediately, preventing them both from making a big mistake. The imagined implication made Harm a little defensive and protective of Loren, even though he had not chosen her, but was tricked into it. Tricked or not, she now seemed to be his fiancee and thus it was Harm's nature and instinct that he would protect her, even if she didn't need it, or even if she deserved it.

Bud was next, clearly happy for his friend and former mentor. He enthusiastically pumped Harm's hand and talked about the joys of marriage. Harm loved Bud like a brother, but at this point he was just about ready to bodily throw him out of the office so he could clear things out with his 'fiancee'.

And then, just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, he was proven otherwise.

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AN: please keep in mind that it was shown time and time again on the show that both Harm and Mac are jealous people. Names like Neurotic Annie, Jordan the Shrink, Bugme, Video Princess, Harm's jealous reactions to Lowne, Brumby and Webb; Mac's jealous reactions to his 3 girlfriends and to her own false assumptions about Harm being involved with other women (Bobbie, Catherine, Alicia, Jordan's shrink friend,...),.. all prove that both of them have that ugly trait. While we've seen Harm mature and his jealousy turn into resignation and defeat over her giving her affections to other men but never to him in Season 9, Mac didn't mature in that aspect. We saw strong and overt shows of jealousy several times over seasons 9 and 10 (with Catherine Gale, Alicia, Jordan's shrink friend, to some extent even over Mattie and Jen - they had Harm's attention and affections and that jealousy, beside to me incomprehensible logic, prompted her into making snide remarks over him losing interest in her (Mac) now that he had Mattie - Trojan Horse,...).

Fact is, that as soon as a third person comes between them, the other who is left alone will feel jealous, angry and rejected. Whether it's Harm or Mac. It's not bashing, it's a fact of life and it was clearly shown on the show, thus it is canon.

H&M's relationship is also too complicated and too intervowen into their lives and into the show itself, for me (or any other Harm/Other author) to just avoid dealing with it and with what it would mean for their relationship with Harm getting involved with another woman. Much as I'd love to avoid the issue of Mac, their relationship and the risk of being flamed for perceived bashing, when concerning Harm being involved with another woman I can't because it would make the story completely unbelievable.

Which is why I had to include Mac's reaction in this, and all other past or future fics, to Harm's involvement with another woman. And, being completely realistic, we have to admit that Mac's reaction to Harm getting involved with someone else would not be (and was not) good, so one can only imagine what Mac would really do on the show had Harm gotten engaged to Loren...

I shudder to imagine, cause it reminds me of the verse by William Congreve in "The Mourning Bride":

"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned,

Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned."