Everything is Going to be Okay
Author: PreppyPrincess5103
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Harm. & Mac struggle with a long-distance relationship after his return to flying.
Notes: My apologies for how short this part is. It's short for two reasons: 1) I wanted to end with a little cliffhanger. 2) If I didn't break it here, it would have been an insanely long chapter.
Part 11
Mac handed her military ID to the young man at the gate. He scanned it with his handheld scanner and handed it back to her. "Enjoy your afternoon, ma'am."
She tucked the ID away and looked at him. "I'm here for the Patrick Henry homecoming. Can you direct me to the best place to park?"
"Yes ma'am." He pulled a laminated map out of his guard house and showed her where she currently was, and showed her the best route to get to where she needed to be. "With your credentials you can park pretty much anywhere, but I recommend this lot."
She studied the map for another moment and then smiled. "Thank you very much." She waited for the electric arm to raise and then drove through it. She followed the directions the guard had given her and pulled into the lot. Apparently, everyone was excited - the lot was filling quickly, and she pulled into the first spot she saw. She locked the car behind her and instinctively followed the groups of women and children. Most of these women probably had instructions from their FRG leaders, and likely had a better idea of where to go than she did.
Most of the women were dressed to kill, and carried poster board signs. The children wore various shades of red, white, and blue and carried small American flags. She felt more than a little out of place being on this side of a homecoming. A woman walked past her in a skintight dress, with impeccable hair and makeup, and suddenly she felt completely underdressed. Although her belly was so full of butterflies, she didn't think she would be able to walk in heels as high as some of these women were wearing.
Once everyone stopped walking the crowds began to separate into small groups based on squadron, and she stepped out of the way. She leaned against a short brick wall and watched the crowd. It wasn't long before her isolation made her stand out, and an incredibly young woman with a clipboard made her way over.
"Excuse me, do you need help finding your husband's squadron?"
Mac straightened and smiled politely. "I'm fine here, thank you." She sighed inwardly as the younger woman's smile dimmed a little. "My significant other is a pilot."
Her eyes went to Mac's left hand, and the remainder of the smile disappeared. "Ma'am, if you don't have a valid dependent ID, you're going to need to stay with your sponsor."
Mac pulled her wallet from her purse and extended her ID to the woman. She bit back a smile as her eyes widened. "I'm fine where I'm at. But thank you for your concern."
"Yes ma'am."
She hurried away and Mac watched as she approached a small group of women a few yards away. She reclined against the wall again and took a deep breath. There was nothing to do now but wait.
Harm slung his sea bag over his shoulder and for the first time in six months and eight days, his feet were on dry land. He stepped out of the way so the people behind him could disembark, while he scanned the crowd for her. His eyes flitted past the groups of women holding signs and carrying children, and landed on a solitary figure leaning against a wall. She hadn't noticed him yet, so he took advantage of this opportunity and stared. Her jeans were impossibly snug and she wore a short-sleeved mustard-yellow wrap top with white polka dots. Her hair was even longer than it had been the last time he saw her, and was pushed back with her sunglasses. His breath caught in his throat and he felt his heart speed up. Even dressed more casually than the other women, she was still the more beautiful than anyone had a right to be. He watched as she turned her head, and her eyed locked with his. He smiled, and they both began moving toward one another.
When he was close enough to touch her, he let the bag fall from his shoulder and his hands went to her waist. One hand slid from her waist to the small of her back and he pulled her against him. "Hi," he said, his voice coming out as a whisper.
"Hi." She circled her arms around his neck and smiled brightly at him.
He lowered his head to capture her lips with his, and stifled a moan as she parted her lips to deepen the kiss. After a minute, he remembered he was in uniform and forced himself to pull away. He kissed her lightly, and then lowered his forehead to hers. "I've missed you so damned much."
She tightened her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. "I've missed you too."
He held her for a long moment and then pulled back. He placed a tender kiss on her forehead and ran his thumb over her cheekbone and down her jaw. "Let's get out of here."
She looked at his small bag and frowned. "Don't you need to wait for the rest of your things?"
Harm shook his head. "I'll get them when I come back for my in-processing tomorrow." He hoisted his bag back over his shoulder, and then took her hand in his. They made their way through the crowd of reunited families, his eyes watering as he saw a young sailor crying while holding a small baby, realizing this man was meeting his child for the first time. Once they reached the parking lot where her rental car was parked, he threw his bag in the backseat and climbed in the passenger side. Once the were both in the car, he reached for her again. The kiss was more intense in the relative privacy of the car. He pulled away from her lips and placed soft kisses on her jaw, before moving to her neck.
"Harm," she started, "we have a very nice hotel room waiting for us in Destin."
He pulled back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't think I can make it to Destin," he said, his voice low and husky. "An hour drive is too long when it's been over six months."
She smiled at him and ran her hand over his chest. "There's a motel down the street." His brilliant smile nearly took her breath away, and she took a deep breath before putting the key in the ignition. He rested his hand on her thigh as she made her way to the motel she had passed earlier. She pulled into a parking space and they both unbuckled their seatbelts. She looked at him & frowned. "What are you doing?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Going to check us in?"
She shook her head. "I'd rather you didn't. Not while you're in uniform." She glanced at the one level motel and smirked. "Don't worry; I don't think this place will wipe out my bank account. I'll be right back."
He waited impatiently for her to return, his fingers tapping against his thigh. He was a little ashamed at how desperately he needed to be with her. He was relieved that she seemingly wanted to be with him just as much. He adjusted the rearview mirror and watched for her return. It was only a few minutes before she was leaving the office, a piece of paper in hand.
Mac opened the car door and tossed her purse and the paper in the backseat. He stopped tapping his own leg, and moved his hand to hers. His fingers moved over her denim covered thigh and she felt the arousal pool within her. "Our room is at the end of this building." He nodded and she put the car in drive and drove down to the end of the parking lot. They silently got out of the car and he followed her to the room. She fumbled with the key for a moment, before finally unlocking the door and walking inside. He followed, dropping his bag by the door. He pushed it shut and locked it behind him. She turned to face him, and he reached for her.
"I forgot to tell you something earlier."
Her eyes were nearly black and her lips were parted slightly. "Oh yeah? What's that."
He placed feather light kisses over her jaw, and pulled back. "I love you." Her beautiful smile made his heart beat faster, and he took one of her hands and placed it on his chest. "And your six-month proposal time-frame starts now." He lowered his lips to her neck and moved his hands to tug at the tie that secured her top.
After orgasms that came quicker than either would like, they lay tangled together in the cheap bedding. Harm lay on his back with his eyes closed. Once he had control of his breathing, he opened his eyes and grinned. "I promise I'll last longer next time."
She snorted out a laugh and placed a kiss on his bare chest. "Do I look like I'm complaining?"
He turned his head to look at her and smiled. "You look incredible. You're more beautiful than you were when I left, and I didn't think that was possible."
Mac blushed and smiled. "Working out really helped with the six months of sexual frustration." She leaned in for a kiss, and he ran his fingers through her hair. She lay her head on his chest and released a contented sigh. "I've missed this so much." She tilted her face up and looked at him. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you." He took a deep breath. He needed to tell her about his plans before he exploded. "Mac, I need to talk to you about something."
She pulled herself off of him and used an arm to prop herself up. "Is everything okay?"
He sat up and adjusted the blanket to cover his lap. "Everything is okay. At least I think it is. I hope you'll think it is." He felt like he was rambling. "It's about our future."
Sensing she didn't want to be naked while having this conversation, she sat up and grabbed his discarded white t-shirt from the floor. She pulled it over her head and pulled her legs beneath her. "Okay. Let's talk about the future. You've had six months to think about it. Are you going to remain a pilot?"
His eyes locked on her and he slowly shook his head. "No. I'm glad I did it, but I don't belong in that lifestyle anymore."
Her face lit up in a beautiful smile. "You're coming back to JAG? Have you put in to change your designator yet?"
He shook his head again. "No. I'm not going to. I'm not coming back to JAG."
She cocked her head to the side and he could see confusion spread over her face. "I don't understand, Harm. If you're not going to fly and are not going to return to JAG, what are you going to do?"
He took a deep breath and reached for her hands. "I'm going to resign my commission."
End Part 11