Bree: thanks for the review and the kind words! We seem to agree on many things and I have to say that your POV on Mac swearing Sturgis to silence has a lot of merit and logic. I also agree with you on the other things. Hope you'll enjoy this part also!

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But one thing that had not returned was his willingness to risk his heart by starting a romantic relationship with someone. He was just not ready yet, still healing his broken heart, understandably gun-shy from the latest occasion of having his heart broken. Yet he was determined that this condition would not be permanent, he didn't want to give Mac the satisfaction of knowing she was the cause for him spending the rest of his life alone and lonely.

There had been many interested women, not only was he influental, famous and powerful, but he was also a very handsome man, tall and strong. However they didn't count on the fact that he was also a very intelligent man and could immediately smell out gold- and fame-diggers. Harm was not interested in any of them.

Though Jen was secretly happy for that in the hidden selfish part of her heart, where she wanted him just to herself and because the women that wanted him were gold-diggers, she was also afraid that Harm would end up like Admiral Chegwidden, alone, bitter, old and closed off from everyone. Chegwidden at least had a daughter, which saved him somewhat, while Harm didn't even have that. It would've been such a waste for such a wonderful and giving person, that had so much love to give, to end up alone and lonely.

Yet their world was hit by another big change.

Jen's enlistment was finally up and she'd decided to stay in London. Through the contacts she'd made there she'd managed to get a job and a work permit. She got employed by a think-tank that specialized in helping offices and firms reconstruct their organisation in order to achieve optimum efficiency. At the same time she was in the last year of her studies and would be graduating soon.

When Harm received the notification from the Personnel Department about her upcoming end of enlistment he was struck with terror.

He couldn't lose her now!

Not ever.

He needed her!

He needed her to remain sane, just to get through the day.

If she'd retire she would be going back to the States and then he would never see her again. She would find a job, get herself a (hopefully) good man, have a couple of kids (he didn't want to acknowledge even to himself the fact that the idea of Jen finding someone else, much less having kids with them, bothered him immensely, to the point of physical reaction to the thought. He stubbornly denied to himself that the reason for it was what it looked like.) and forget about him. And the last blockade between him and a life without meaning, without warmth, without friendship, a life of loneliness, pain, regret; would be gone.

When Jen came in to give him some files she was shaken by finding him undergoing what looked like shock. When he gave her the message he'd received, she was relieved that the shock was more figurative than a medical condition and that she wouldn't have to be calling the medics. She quickly explained to him that she was retiring (and immediately regretted telling him that part first, cause she was afraid for a second that he'd have an anxiety attack or a stroke), but was staying in London and already had a job lined up. In a very daring move she outright told him that she wouldn't be leaving him, he wouldn't be losing her, and was relieved not only by not being reprimanded for such a bold statement, but also to see a genuine smile break out on his face, even thought it was immediately suppressed. It reaffirmed her in her decision and also gave her great hopes for the future.

All to soon, to Harm, Jen's last day in the Navy was there and the whole office was in a state of almost-mourning. Everyone liked the friendly, cheerful and caring young woman and were sad to see her go. But this is life, especially military life, and change happens constantly, people moving on all the time.

The next day Jen started her new job and thus the rest of her life.

She was enjoying her new job immensely, more than she ever had her job in the Navy which consisted of the same boring routine of handling files and answering the phone. Here she was constantly intellectually challenged, the atmosphere was great, a great team to work with and her impending graduation was insuring a promotion for her and bigger pay. Psychology is a skill very important and needed in this area of think-tank.

Yet it lacked one thing that her job in the Navy had had in abundance.

There was no Harm constantly around. She was missing him terribly. After having spent practically 16 hours a day around someone, which is much more than what married couples spend together, given that they sleep for 8 hours every day and mostly don't work together; for a few years straight to suddenly go to just 5-8 hours max per day was to her the same as going cold turkey. Not that she had ever gone through cold turkey, but she imagined it was just like what she was going through now. She was going through a Harm-withdrawal and the effects were very unpleasant.

There was one good side, though.

Jen's liberation from under the regs had given them the chance to become better friends and spend more time together without endangering their careers.

And she took full advantage of it.

For the first time in her life Jen was living without having to worry about how to spend each penny.

It was heaven on Earth for her, she had plenty of money, respect of her colleagues, a great team to work with and, most of all, she had Harm as she'd never had him before, without those stupid regs coming between them, dictating their interactions and limiting what they could say and feel.

In the meantime Harm was so proud of Jen he thought he'd burst from puffing his chest in pride so much whenever he was with her or just thought of her.

She was his best friend, confidant and his rock and she was living her own success story.

He was also aware of the fact that the pain from Mac's betrayal was hurting less and less and he was only occasionally thinking of her, unlike the first few days when he'd thought of her constantly.

Had they parted any other way Harm would've still loved her as a friend, but now he felt nothing for her. He didn't hate her, he didn't love her, he didn't like her nor dislike her; he had reached that point in healing where Mac no longer meant anything to him and could never hurt him again, as she, her actions or words meant nothing to him.

He had finally moved on.

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