A/N: And chapter 5…I don't know, this chapter might suck as I'm up in the middle of the night again trying to write it…I haven't really read through it yet…so good luck. ;P

Crash

Chapter 5: Love in Store

0905 Local

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, VA

Present Day...

"Did it ever occur to you, Harm, to just tell her you loved her and then, I don't know…date?" The admiral handed Harm another glass of scotch, having decided that Harm's story warranted more than just a taste of alcohol. Harm didn't turn it down; reliving these happier memories was painful for him, even as they brought a smile to his face. He thanked AJ, then shook his head.

"Frankly, no, sir. Not really…Mac and I have always had a…unique relationship. You date someone to get to know them better, to see if you want the relationship to move forward. Mac and I…well, we didn't need that."

AJ snorted. "I told you two not to get too familiar…"

"And sometimes, I wish we'd taken your advice, Admiral," Harm lamented. No, Harm wouldn't wish his time with Mac away, but during those dark nights after his wife left, when anger overtook his grief, he would rail at fate for bringing them together only to tear them apart.

The admiral sighed then. "Harm…I knew then my advice was falling on deaf ears. I just assumed you'd start dating, then either break up or come to me and tell me one of you needed to transfer."

"Well we did come to you…"

"I mean I expected it to happen a lot sooner, Harm, with a little more warning."

"Ah…well, you know, Admiral—"

Harm was interrupted by the sound of PO Coates' voice on the intercom. "Sir, I have the SECNAV on the line for you, shall I transfer the call?"

The expression on the admiral's face told Harm exactly how much his CO wanted to speak to his "boss." With a heavy sigh, the admiral stood up from his chair and went behind his desk to pick up his phone.

"Put him through, Petty Officer." Admiral Chegwidden held up a finger to Harm, telling him to wait. Harm nodded and then found his mind drifting back to the night they decided to have a baby.

Flashback…

Harm and Mac sat on her couch together, snuggled close with Harm's arm about Mac's shoulders. After they'd kissed, they'd held each other for several moments before Harm led her back to the living room, intent on working out the details of their plan. First, they had to decide on the matter of when…

"So, if I remember my tenth-grade biology class, women are only fertile a few days a month," Harm started, and Mac nodded.

"That's right."

"How, um, soon did you want to start trying?" he continued, his free hand reaching over to grasp hers. He hoped she wouldn't want to wait too long. Now that they'd made their decision to go for it, he wanted to get started ASAP.

"Well…if you're wanting to get moving on this, I'll, uh, be ready in about two weeks," she said as her face warmed in a blush.

Harm couldn't help grinning. "I'm up for that."

"Well, I'd hope so," she said drily, and Harm realized what he'd said. He couldn't resist giving her a little pinch and she giggled, and he couldn't imagine anything more adorable than a giggling Sarah MacKenzie. He pulled her closer and wrapped both arms around her.

"Oh, don't you worry about that, marine. We're navy strong here."

"Strong like your coffee?" she bantered back, and he had to pinch her again. Within a second they were both laughing and somehow, she ended up on his lap with her arms around his neck. Their eyes met, and Harm watched another blush creeping up her cheeks before his gaze dropped down to her full lips. He was about to kiss her again, but she scrambled off of him.

"Mac?"

Her blush deepened. "I, uh, can't think when…yeah…"

"Oh," he grinned widely, feeling a little cocky. Mac rolled his eyes at him but obviously couldn't help grinning herself, and he wrapped his arm around her again to give her a squeeze. "Well, this bodes well for me then," he quipped, which earned him a smack on the chest, and soon they were both laughing again.

"Okay, okay, Mac…" he wheezed once their laughter had died down. "Where did you want to, um…do it? We can do it here, my place, or maybe—"

"Your place," Mac said decisively, and Harm raised his eyebrow at her.

"Mine?"

"Yeah…I like it there…it's where I've always…you know…"

"Pictured it?" It warmed his heart and other parts of his anatomy that she'd thought about them that way. The "memory" of her coming out of his bathroom wrapped only in a towel popped into his mind, and as he always had, he hoped that particular fantasy would perhaps become a reality.

Mac nodded against his shoulder. "If that's okay with you," she asked quietly.

"More than okay, Mac. How 'bout this. After work in a couple of weeks—you said a couple of weeks, right?" He paused for Mac to nod in the affirmative. "So, after work in a couple of weeks, you come over, I'll make dinner, and then we can…okay?" He was anxious to please her, anxious to do anything to make her comfortable, and he hoped she would agree to his next suggestion: "You could stay the weekend…we should probably, you know, more than once…"

"That sounds…that sounds great, Harm, and I'd love to stay the weekend."

Harm turned his full flyboy grin on her.

"Then it's a date."

"Hey, Mac. Come on in." It was two weeks later, and Harm had secured a bit early to get dinner ready for his and Mac's evening. Candles had been lit, the table had been set, and he had just been waiting for Mac.

"I'm sorry I'm a little late, Harm," she told him as she handed him her coat. "Do you mind if I, um, change first?" A slow blush crept up her cheeks, uncharacteristically shy in his presence. Harm felt the urge to tell her there was no pressure; they didn't have to do this tonight, but he didn't want her to think he was trying to back out. Besides, he honestly didn't think she wanted that, if the looks they had been exchanging for the last two weeks were any indication. Each time their eyes met, she would give him a special little smile, and he knew he was returning the same grin. He wondered how everyone in the office didn't notice there was something going on.

Whoa, there, Hammer, he thought to himself. There was nothing going on…yet. He fully intended to make this a permanent relationship with the white picket fence and 2.5 kids. Maybe even a dog. Or a cat. Or both. Hell, the sky was the limit.

As long as he could convince her she wanted the same thing…

Harm suspected she did, in fact, feel that way, but he didn't want to push her. Hopefully, he could get her pregnant and then…

Well, maybe your order of operations is a little off, he told himself, but he knew he would do whatever it took.

"Don't worry about it, Mac. Go ahead and get changed and I'll finish getting dinner ready, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed. "It smells great, Harm." She fixed him with a brilliant smile and turned toward the bedroom as Harm grinned after her. He returned to his dinner preparations, his heart fluttering in excitement.

"Harm?" Mac called from the bedroom. "Do you care if I take a quick shower?"

"Go ahead, Mac. There should be a new bottle of shampoo in there."

"I brought my own, but thank you, Harm," she answered, and the fact that she'd brought her own toiletries made his stomach flip. It reminded him that she'd be staying for the entire weekend…a weekend of lovemaking.

"This was wonderful, Harm," Mac complimented as she took the last bite of the chocolate dessert he'd labored over this afternoon. Dinner had been a Mediterranean chicken dish he knew Mac loved; he didn't often eat meat, but he enjoyed this recipe and more importantly, he enjoyed the look on Mac's face whenever she took a bite of it.

"Thanks, Mac. Let me just get this cleaned up a bit and then did you want to play a game or something? It's still, um, pretty early…" It was Harm's turn to blush, and he flashed her a sheepish grin. He stood up to start gathering the dishes, and Mac followed suit.

"Oh, I'll take care of that, Mac. You don't need—"

"I want to, Harm." He nodded, and together they made short work of the task. Truthfully, he didn't relish having her far away from him; he was loving how her tantalizing scent wove its way around him and he thought he'd go into withdrawal if she were too far away from him.

Once the dishes were cleaned and put away, Harm took Mac's hand and led her out to the living room, where they sat side by side on the couch. "So, did you want to play a game? I've got Battleship!" He wiggled his eyebrows at her, knowing she hated that particular game.

Mac chuckled lightly and shook her head. "No thanks. How about…Monopoly?"

"Absolutely not, Mac." Mac had once suckered Harm into playing that with her once. The game went on forever, and while he certainly enjoyed the company, he was never so glad when he landed on her hotel-laden Boardwalk. She'd cleaned him out, and he vowed never to play that with her again.

In the end, they'd played a couple hands of gin rummy, after which Harm got up to make some tea for Mac. He wasn't the biggest fan of the stuff, but he knew Mac found it soothing. They were no doubt both a tad anxious; a little chamomile tea couldn't hurt anything.

When he returned, he found Mac perched nervously on the edge of the couch. "Mac?" he asked, concerned. He set the tray he was holding on the coffee table and came around to sit next to her again. "You okay?" Mac's fists were balled up in her lap and Harm covered them with his hand.

Mac nodded, but of course, he didn't believe her. "Mac, honey…there's no pressure here…we don't have to—"

"No! No," she said again, a little softer this time. "I want to, it's just…well, we've approached this so…clinically…"

Harm thought he knew what she was getting at. He took one of her hands and pulled it into his lap. "Mac…when we go back in the bedroom, I don't want to just 'do the deed' a few times. I want you to enjoy it. I want to make you feel good…to show you how much it means to me that you're going to have my baby." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to kiss the crown of her head. "Okay, Mac?"

After a slight hesitation, Mac answered. "Okay." She snuggled closer to him and tentatively placed her hand over his heart. "And Harm? I want you to enjoy it too."

"Oh, I have no doubt I will, Mac," he said warmly. She surprised him by suddenly giggling.

"Mac?"

"I was just thinking…you'll finally get to really know how a female marine is like the Energizer Bunny…"

"Mac!" At that Mac broke out into giggles again and he laughed with her, happy that her fears about the evening seemed to be put to rest.

"Thanks for the tea, Harm," Mac's gentle voice reached his ears and he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"You're welcome, honey." Her lips curved up into a soft smile at his endearment as Harm took the empty mug from her hands. He set it on the table in front of them while the mood of the room subtly shifted. The anticipation had become a palpable thing, and Harm knew if he didn't touch her now, didn't dispel some of the heat that had been building between them as they'd drunk their tea, he'd combust. She'd been making him feel that way for years; from the moment she'd reached out her hand to him as the admiral introduced them, the moment she'd pulled a gun on him in the desert, he'd desired her. He'd always kept that desire walled off in a corner of his mind, especially after he'd turned her down in Sydney, but now it begged to be released. He wouldn't hold back tonight. He'd hold her and love her until the sun came up the next morning, and then do it again. If she let him, he'd love her for eternity.

Eternity…it wasn't just a word written in lights above on an Australian bridge. It wasn't a euphemism for "I'll be with you until something better comes along." Eternity was him and Mac, together, growing old while watching their children and grandchildren grow around them; it was their grandchildren having children of their own, continuing the Rabb and MacKenzie bloodlines for generations upon generations…and it was starting tonight.

Maybe later he'd castigate himself for being a sap, but he'd never loved like this before.

"Mac?" His voice was low and rough, molten gold over gravel, and it thrilled him when she shivered.

"Yes, Harm?" Her voice was breathy, carrying the same desire and anticipation he carried in his own.

"You're so beautiful," he said simply, and he was once again rewarded by her blush. He'd never seen her blush so much, and he found it terribly endearing. He lifted his fingers and trailed them down her cheek while her eyes drifted closed and she leaned into him. "Can I kiss you, Mac?" he asked, and then those eyes fluttered open again while her lips parted with the tiniest of gasps. "Please?"

He caught a glimpse of her tongue when it darted out to moisten her lips as she nodded, and he felt that familiar tightening in his groin. He'd often felt it around her, only this time he would find relief in her silken depths instead of by his own hand or with a woman he didn't truly love. Carefully, he reached out to hold her face in his hands. He took a moment to stroke his fingers over the sweet curve of her ear, his thumb over her full lips, and then he drew her close until their lips were merely millimeters apart. Their breaths mingled, and he brushed his lips over hers once, twice, three times, before he finally kissed her.

The kiss started off slow and sweet but rapidly it grew in intensity and hunger. He slid his tongue over the seam of her mouth, begging entrance, and when it was thus granted, their tongues tangled and dueled, tasted and danced together and suddenly it wasn't enough to just kiss her. He needed to feel the heat of her skin on his, feel her soft curves against the hard planes of his body, feel her legs wrapped around him as he slid in and out of her.

Mac was straddling his lap now and, while still kissing her, he stood up. She wrapped her legs tightly around his middle, locking her ankles behind him as he carried her up the stairs to his bedroom. They fell on the bed together and he rolled so he was on top of her, cradled between her legs, his erection straining painfully against the zipper of his pants. He pressed his tumescence down into her for some relief and she thrust her hips upward, one leg coming around to hold him to her. Mac moaned into his mouth just before he broke their kiss, and her moan turned into a whimper at the loss of contact. Almost immediately, though, his lips kissed and nipped their way down her jaw to her neck, and her leg slid back down over his buttocks as she arched to give him better access to her throat. His tongue swirled around its hollow and he took a moment to feel her rapidly beating pulse under his mouth. "Oh, god, Sarah…" he moaned. "I want you. So much."

"Yes, Harm…please…" Her hands left a trail of fire behind them as she stroked his back and teased the top of his buttocks, and he nearly lost control when she found his hand and tugged it up to place it on her full, firm breasts. His thumb found her nipple through her sweater and bra, and he could feel it pebble under his touch. It still wasn't enough to touch her like this and he pushed her sweater up so he could kiss the soft skin of her stomach. He moved down, down, down, until he could dip his tongue under the waistband of her button-down jeans.

"Sarah…I need to feel you. All of you," he begged, desperate to see his long-held fantasies come to life. Mac nodded and sat up, raising her arms above her head with a sultry smile before Harm made quick work of removing her sweater. A lacy black bra cupped her breasts, its scalloped edges ending just over her areolae, and Harm growled low in his throat at the sight of them. Soon, he was nipping at the pulse point of her throat again before kissing his way downward toward the swell of her globes. His tongue sought out the nipple of one and then the other, circling and suckling through the lace entrapping them.

Meanwhile, Mac had worked the buttons of his shirt and was now attempting to push it off his shoulders. He pulled away from her and sat up just long enough to slide the offending garment off his arms, throwing it away from them before he slid his hand underneath her back to deftly unhook her bra. He was soon drawing it down her arms and tossing it in the direction of his shirt.

The first sight of her full, high breasts nearly made him come right then. They rested atop her narrow ribcage, the cinnamon nipples proudly erect, just begging to be suckled. "Oh my god, Mac…" he groaned as both of his big hands covered and massaged her breasts causing her to cry out his name as she arched her back into him. Soon his lips had replaced his hands, and he indulged in the taste of her turgid nipples as her cries became more fevered. It appeared his Ninja Girl had extremely sensitive breasts, and he vowed to explore that further. Eventually, he pulled back again to capture her lips in another searing kiss, pressing down and grinding his erection into her before his hand slipped in between them and sought out her clothed mound. She thrust into his hand, and it made him want to lose control completely.

First, her jeans had to go. It had buttons instead of a zipper, and, though he was nearly wild with desire himself, he couldn't resist taking his time with each button. His long fingers would undo one, and then he'd follow that with his mouth, his tongue swirling and tasting her curls that were gradually revealed to him. She began to whimper with each flick of his tongue, and by the time he'd reached the last button, she was nearly crying with the intensity of her desire. Her pelvis rocked underneath him with every touch, and the heat and scent emanating from her made his cock ache painfully, especially when he discovered she wasn't wearing any underwear. She interrupted her whimpers to give him a sultry giggle as he looked up at her through his eyelashes, his eyebrow raised in admiration. He grinned, then returned to the task at hand: driving her so completely wild, she'd scream his name out in her passion.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he drew her jeans down over her hips and then down her legs, revealing Mac in all her glory. Harm's manhood hardened further, which should have been impossible, but the strain of it against his zipper proved that theory wrong. "Oh, Sarah…" he murmured, in awe of the woman before him. Her skin was flushed and hot, and she opened her legs more in invitation. The sight of that had Harm frantically taking off his own pants to relieve the pressure on his massive erection. His boxers went with his jeans, and before he knew it, he was cradled once again between her legs, this time bare skin against bare skin. He didn't think he could stand another moment before their final joining, but was she ready? His fingers sought out her center and slid through her slickened folds and she writhed around them, thrusting her pelvis up so a finger fully penetrated her opening.

"My god, Sarah…you're so wet…"

"Harm, please…please, I don't want to wait anymore," she begged, and he couldn't deny her. He pulled his finger from her and replaced it with his manhood, stroking the mushroom head through her slit before probing her entrance with it. He pushed in a little and she answered with a welcoming whimper before he eased his way in slowly, sliding in and out a little more each time before he finally, finally, was completely sheathed in her. He allowed her time to stretch and length to accommodate him, and at her nod, he started to move in a dance as old as time.

Mac met him thrust for thrust and for the life of him, he had no idea why they hadn't been doing this all along. Their whimpers turned into moans which turned into screams from Mac, and Harm knew he wasn't going to last much longer. He could tell Mac was close and, anxious to give her even more pleasure, he slid his hand in between them and teased her clit. A part of him wanted this exquisite push/pull to last forever, but that was no way to make a baby.

When everything became too much, he exploded inside her, and her inner muscles squeezed around him as she came as well, milking every last drop of his essence from him as the hot jets of it reached for her womb. He lingered inside her for a moment before he pulled out, replacing his member with his hand to hold his seed inside her.

"Oh, Harm…that was…that was so…thank you!"

She was thanking him? If anything, he should be thanking her. It had never been this way with anyone else—not with Annie, Jordon, Rene, not even Diane. Inside Mac, he'd found a home.

And maybe, just maybe, they had created another life tonight.

Hours later, Harm and Mac lay spooned together in his bed. They'd made love, for that's what it was even if neither had said the 'L' word yet, two more times, and then Mac had fallen asleep cuddled close to him. He held her gently to him, whispering calming words into her hair more for him than for her, and just before he too fell asleep, he rested his hand down low on her belly, over her womb. Perhaps she was pregnant already? He pressed his hand into her a little more and something caused his heart to leap a little.

"I think we did it, Mac." He kissed the back of her head and fell asleep, his hand still lying over where their baby, indeed, was starting to grow.

End Chapter 5