Chapter 4 Where Are We Going Now, Mac?

They walked out the door of the small shop, Harm's hand against the small of her back. This had become such a habit with them. Harm just seemed to need the contact with her body. He wasn't sure if he was afraid she would get to far away, or if he just wanted to show, in some discreet way, they were a 'real' couple. Mac wasn't interested in stopping this contact, either. She enjoyed this attention he showed her. This light touch was something he had done for years, even during their worst times. For so long she had never really noticed, but, she now realized it was one of the many non-verbal signals Harm used to indicate his feelings.

He guided her to the passenger side of the SUV. "No you don't, Sailor!" she exclaimed. "It's my turn to drive. That was the deal." She gave him that 'no nonsense' look for which she was famous.

"I thought you might want to look at your book more, Mac." Harm replied defensively.

"But if you want to drive…"

She brushed a kiss on his cheek and smiled. "I do, but I need to make a stop before we get to Annapolis. This is something I really need to do, Harm.You'll understand, I know you will…"

"OK, Sweet Thing." He walked her around to the driver's door, holding the door for her as she slid into the seat. She turned and placed the scrapbook lovingly in the back seat, next to Harm's Dress Whites. Harm slid into the passenger seat, adjusting it to his tall frame. He looked over to Mac and smiled. "This is definitely going to be a "his & hers' vehicle family", he thought and shook his head. "I just said that out loud, didn't I?"

Mac smiled as she pulled out onto the street. "Do you mean the part about 'his & hers' or the part about 'family'?" She didn't say any more, just letting Harm think about what he'd thought out loud. They had both often thought about family. That was her reasoning behind this little side trip she need to make.

Harm was afraid he'd said something wrong. "Sarah," he said in almost a whisper. "I don't want things to be 'yours' or 'mine', I just meant that readjusting seats all the time could get to be really frustrating. I, um, I, uh, I didn't …"

"Harm, I know what you meant", she replied, smiling at the 'little boy in trouble' look on his face. "And you are right. We'll just decide later which of us drives the 'family' car."

At that, both of them settled into a sweet silence, as Mac drove. She reached over and placed her hand on Harm's knee. He responded by placing his hand atop hers and placing a tender kiss on her cheek. He wanted to ask her where she was doing, but he knew these streets. He had traveled them at least once a year since his first year at the Academy. The first time he came to this spot it was a construction site. But he knew this place. This spot held a place in his heart that had made him into the man he was today. He looked over at Mac as she found a parking place for the SUV. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. As a small tingle burned his own eyes, he managed to ask, "Why, Mac?"

Mac swallowed hard. "I need to talk to someone here," she said as she opened the door and got out. He exited the vehicle, walked around and took her hand.

"Can I come along?" he asked as he touched a small tear, before it trickled down her cheek. She nodded but did not reply. They continued to hold hands as they walked toward the dark granite wall, neither of them saying a word, but both of them speaking volumes. As they reached the immense structure, Mac stopped. She looked at Harm with those dark brown eyes and he knew that this was as far as he could go for the moment. He squeezed her hand, kissed her lightly, and nodded his head.

Mac smiled at him and said, " I've got something I have to do, by myself…" She continued on to The Wall. She knew exactly where to look, and finding the name, she traced it with her fingers, as she had seen Harm do on more than one occasion.

Lt.Harmon Rabb,Sr.