I'm back!! I'm sorry I left this for so long, life kind of got away from me for a while and I have had a severe case of writers block where my incomplete stories are involved!!
Anyways, hope you enjoy this final instalment, and will forgive me for taking so damn long!!!
Harm was in heaven. The sparks that he had felt the few times that they had kissed were back in full force. He never wanted the kiss to end. Unfortunately, the realisation of where exactly were struck them, causing them to reluctantly pull away a few moments later, both of the breathing heavily and looking a little flushed. To Harm's utter dismay, tears started to fall again from Mac's eyes as they stared at each other, surprise and hope mingling on both their faces. Tentatively he reached over to her again, wiping away the tears.
"I'm sorry too." He said softly, carrying on so quietly that Mac had to strain to hear him. "For Sydney, and for Paraguay." He glanced away for a moment, not knowing what to say next, then forced himself to meet her teary eyes with his own. "Mac I've missed you so much over the past few weeks, I can't live without you in my life." Mac stared at him in surprise, the tears falling down her face thicker and faster now. The sound of the front door opening made them jump apart slightly, Mac turning her face away to wipe blindly at the tears.
"Sir? Ma'am?" Tiner's voice called nervously, he seemed to understand that he was interrupting something, but the Admiral had ordered him. "The Admiral asked me to get you both to come inside."
"We'll be right there Tiner," Harm replied, glancing round at him. The young Petty Officer nodded and slipped back inside, closing the door quietly behind him. Harm let out a low chuckle,
"We seem to be developing an affinity for porches, and for Tiner to interrupt us on them." He said, trying to lighten the atmosphere. He was rewarded by a slight smile, and he couldn't resist himself. He leant over and pressed his lips gently to hers again, delivering a short kiss, before pulling back and getting to his feet. Silently, he offered his hand to Mac and pulled her to her feet and into a hug. "We'll be OK, Marine," he said softly, "we've got another chance at that new beginning." He pulled away again, turning to open the door when he felt Mac's hand on his arm.
"Harm?" he turned back to face her at the sound of his name on her lips, "I love you. You know that right?" He grinned at her, suddenly feeling completely alive for the first time in a long time,
"I hoped." He replied pulling her once again into his arms and pressing is lips to her own in a kiss that he hoped conveyed just how happy he was to hear those words. After short time, he reluctantly pulled back and looked deeply in to her eyes.
"And just for the record? I love you too." He was rewarded with a full-blown Mac smile, one that made her eyes dance and his heart skip a beat or two. He couldn't help himself, he pulled her back into his arms and was just about to kiss her when the door opened again and Admiral Chegwidden's voice was heard just behind them.
"Are you two coming inside any time soon?"
The jumped apart in surprise, both blushing madly. Mac recovered first,
"Yes sir, right away sir."
"Very good, carry on." AJ replied, mirth evident in his voice, "Come along both of you." He added, holding the door open for them. He didn't miss the glance the two of them shared and the shuffled in behind him, and couldn't stop a broad smile appearing on his face. At last!!
With everyone finally in the room, the Admiral tapped a spoon against his glass to attract their attention.
"I just wanted to thank Bud and Harriet for hosting this wonderful party," murmurs of agreement rolled around the group, and the paused before continuing, "And I thought we carry on a family tradition of mine. We go around the group and each person has to say something they are thankful for." (AN: idea totally stolen from Friends, I'm English and have no real concept of how Thanksgiving is celebrated)
"That's a great idea sir," Bud piped up cheerfully, "Will you go first Admiral?"
"I'm thankful for the opportunity I've had to serve with such fine officers." AJ said with a slight smile, he knew he could sometimes be a tough CO. He turned then to
Jen Coates who was standing to his right, "Petty Officer?"
"I'm thankful for friends who have helped me through the hard times."
"Here, here" Bud added, "and I'm thankful for family," he added, glancing lovingly at his wife. "Sir?" he continued, turning to Harm.
Harm hesitated, then smiled broadly, "I'm thankful for second chances," he smiled deprecatingly, "and third and fourth." He added, glancing over at Mac, who blushed and smiled back shyly. There was a pause as Harriet glanced back and forth between the pair, a smile growing on her face as she guessed what had been going on, on her front porch. The group carried on round the circle, ending on Mac who looked around at them all with a smile on her face.
"And I'm thankful for the future." She said.
Harm raised his glass, "The future!" he toasted, and the others copied his action.
About half an hour later, people started to make their excuses and leave. Harm wandered over to where Mac was standing with Harriet and Jen.
"I'm about to head off Harriet," he said, his eyes trained on Mac. "Thanks for a lovely evening." Harriet watched the scene in amusement, and stepped forward to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"You're welcome Harm." She replied, "Thanks for coming. Jen, would you mind helping me collect some glasses?" she added, exchanging a significant glance with the younger girl.
"No problem. Good night Sir, Ma'am." Jen replied, catching on quickly and the two women moved off quickly, leaving Harm and Mac standing looking shyly at each other
"So..." Harm started, unsure of what to say. Mac smiled at him,
"Can I give you a lift home?" she asked nervously.
"Sure, that would be nice." He replied huskily, "I came on the metro so that I could have a drink."
"Great, are you ready?"
"Ready and waiting." He replied with a cheeky smile.
After making their excuses to the hosts, Harm ushered Mac out of the door, his hand pressed gently at the small of her back. Once in her car, they lapsed into a slightly nervous silence. After a moment's hesitation, Harm reached over and took Mac's right hand in his, threading their fingers together.
"Is this ok?" he asked uncertainly, still not believing what had happened earlier that evening. Mac just smiled and pulled their joined hands up to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss in the back of his hand.
"It's more than ok." She said softly, "It's all I've ever wanted."
They pulled up at Harm's apartment.
"Thanks for the lift." He said, "Do you want to come up for some coffee?" he added hopefully.
"Sure, coffee would be nice." Mac replied, smiling demurely at him, causing a blush to appear on his face. They got out of the car and walked up the stairs to Harm's loft hand in hand.
As he busied himself with fixing the coffee, Mac pulled herself up to sit on the worktop, her legs dangling freely as she watched the man she love bustle around.
"Harm." She said, holding out her hand "come here a minute." He smiled at her and did as she said, moving to stand between her open legs. Mac slipped her arms around his neck and leaned down for a slightly tentative kiss, which quickly turned more passionate. They stayed trading kisses until whistle of the kettle pulled their attention back to where they were.
Once they were safely ensconced on the sofa, mugs of steaming coffee in their hands, Harm looked down at his hands and steeled himself as he prepared to ask the questions that he wasn't really sure he wanted to know the answer to.
"Mac, I know we're starting from a new beginning, but" he hesitated, seeing worry flash across her beautiful face. "There's just something I need to know." Putting his own coffee mug on the table, he reached over and did the same with hers, taking both of her hands in his own. "How did we let things get this far? Why didn't you wait for me after Sydney? And, what happened in Paraguay? Why did you say what you did?" A lone tear trickled slowly down Mac's cheek and he once again reached to dry it, cupping her cheek in his hand, forcing her to look at him. "Mac, I love you," he continued, "No matter what you say now, that's not going to change. I just need to know."
"I don't know what to say." She replied quietly, "We've had more misunderstandings in seven years than most couples have in a lifetime. By the time I realised what you had meant in Sydney, you were with Renée and I was with Mic. I thought you had moved on. So I forced myself to do the same."
"That's not true Mac!" Harm said, "I never could move on from you. You've had my heart almost from the moment I met you."
"So why didn't you tell me that?"
"The same reason I guess. You were with Mic. I told myself if Mic was what made you happy then that was all that mattered. I didn't think you felt the same as I did so I didn't push it." Harm sighed. So many misunderstandings, he thought. "And what about Paraguay?" he added, looking away, almost afraid to hear the answer.
Mac sighed, her mind transporting her back to the taxi stand: the voices chattering in Spanish all around them, the hot sun on her back, the complete exhaustion and irrational anger she had felt.
"I don't know." She admitted slowly, "I was so frustrated and exhausted. I just couldn't cope anymore. After you hadn't told me you had resigned your commission, I felt as though I wasn't an important factor in your life anymore. Like you didn't consider me as an equal who was worthy of telling. The moment I said it I wanted to take it back. But I couldn't. And you didn't do or say anything that made me think you would want me to, which reinforced everything I was feeling." She looked up at him, the pain radiating from her eyes. "Can you forgive me?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
In response, Harm pulled her into his arms, dropping a kiss onto her hair.
"I'm so sorry Mac." He murmured, "For everything." They stayed in the same position for a few minutes, three minutes and twenty seven seconds according to Mac's internal clock, until she pulled back and looked him straight in the eye.
"Are you ready to put the past behind us?" she asked, relieved when his face cracked into a huge smile.
"More than ready." He replied, leaning down to kiss her firmly on the lips. "I love you so much." He mumbled just before their lips met. After a few more minutes of trading kisses which were becoming increasingly more passionate, Mac pulled back slightly, settling her head on his shoulder. "I love you too Harm." She replied.
Fin!! There, it's done. I hope it was fluffy enough! I won't be writing anymore of this one, I thought I would just leave it at that and let your imaginations wonder about their future!!!
All reviews, good or bad are appreciated, so go on, press the lil blue button!!!!
Thank you for reading!!!!
xxx