2 WEEKS LATER
Dulles International Airport
Washington, D.C.

Mac spotted Harm the second he walked into the baggage claim area. He spotted her just as fast and jogged over to greet her. Stepping out from behind Mattie's wheel chair, she met him in a hug, throwing her arms around his neck. Harm surprised her by lifting her slightly off the ground before relaxing the hug and setting her back down. Their lips met in a short but intimate kiss; Harm was in uniform after all.

"I missed you," they both said simultaneously.

"Well if that wasn't straight out of 'Sleepless in Seatle' I don't know what is."

Harm released his hold on Mac to greet Mattie just as his parents caught up to him. "Hey Squirt!" He enveloped her in a gentle hug. "Look at you! You look great sweetheart!" Mattie giggled as Harm spun her chair around in a donut. Standing up straight as his parents approached the group, he pulled Mac to his side in a gentle embrace. "Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet my fiancé, Sarah Mackenzie. Mac, this is Mom and Dad, Trish and Frank Burnette."

Mac stepped forward tentatively and shook hands. "It's so nice to meet you."

"Yes it is," Trish said, "I've been looking forward to this for years."

"So have I," Frank said with a charming smile.

After his parents greeted Mattie, they all headed to the car, anxious to get away from the busy airport. Harm took the opportunity to push Mattie ahead of the rest of the group and then did donuts with the chair, carefully avoiding people in the hallways, but letting Mattie have more fun than she'd had in months.

Mac couldn't help but laugh at his antics. She'd always known he had a slightly goofy side, but this was completely new to her. "They're really something aren't they?"

"Peas in a pod," Trish agreed.

"You should have seen those two on the beach last summer. Rollerblade races, surfing lessons, volleyball tournaments. It was no wonder they'd sleep ten hours every night," Frank added.

"Wait a minute…surfing lessons?"

"Once I told Mattie that Harm used to compete when he was younger, she insisted he teach her how." Frank chuckled. "Of course, Mattie's idea of convincing him to pull his surfboards out of the attic was to jump on his back with her arms around his neck and refuse to let go until he agreed."

Trish laughed. "He must have walked around the house for an hour with her just clinging to him piggyback style."

"What made him finally give in?"

"Frank said he'd buy Harm a triple scoop waffle cone at the ice cream parlor in town if he taught Mattie how to surf."

Frank gave her a mischievous grin. "Moose tracks is his biggest weakness, Mac, but you didn't hear that from me." He winked.

"Frank, I have a feeling this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." The older couple laughed. The three of them arrived at the door leading to the parking garage where Mattie and Harm were waiting patiently. "You never told me you were a competitive surfer, Squid."

"Oh, thanks a lot you guys. I leave her alone with you for five minutes and you tell her my darkest secrets."

"And there's plenty more where that came from, darling," his mother said. Harm opened his mouth to respond, but Trish kissed his cheek and abruptly changed the subject. "Take us to dinner, Harmon, I'm absolutely starving."

HARM AND MAC'S APARTMENT
NORTH OF UNION STATION

Harm pulled the sheets over their bodies as Mac snuggled in to sleep against his chest. She let out a peaceful sigh.

"I am not going to have any trouble getting used to this," she told him.

Harm kissed her forehead. "Hmm. I think I already am."

Mac snuggled in a little closer. "Do you really have to leave on Sunday?"

The next sigh was anything but peaceful. "Yeah…You know it's strange. I've been stationed in Washington for so long I didn't really expect to be sent overseas again. At least with the Company I could plan on traveling."

"You were gone an awful lot."

"At least once a week. I was in California a few times so I got to visit Mom and Frank. That was nice. I hadn't been out there in a while."

"Must have been hard to go without surfing for that long, huh?"

Harm laughed. "Am I ever going to live that down?"

Mac had trouble speaking coherently she was laughing so hard. "I can just picture you at thirteen with shoulder length hair in your swimming trunks."

"Have you ever been surfing?" Harm asked.

"There aren't any waves in Arizona, Harm. And when I was abroad I never had the time to learn."

"When I was a kid I used to plan my day around surfing over the summer. Mom used to plan dinner around what time the tide shifted."

"And all this time I thought you played football. Let me guess. Quarterback?" Mac teased.

"Running back, actually. I never surfed for the school team because they don't allow you to compete outside of school meets and tournaments. You played sports in high school didn't you?"

"No. It's too bad they didn't have volleyball for our generation."

"Oh my God…I need to call Mattie's school and tell them she won't be coming back. I'll need a copy of her transcript too. I can't believe I forgot to do that."

"You've had a lot to do these last few days. Besides, if Mattie were living at home right now you would have remembered."

"I wish she didn't have to stay at the hospital."

"You wish she hadn't left in the first place."

"Tom was doing so well, Mac. Once he got sober and they worked things out…You should have seen the way her face would light up when he'd come to visit. She was so happy they were moving back to their house."

"Hey…Tom drinking again is not your fault."

"I know. I guess I just feel that maybe she'd be better off now if I hadn't pushed her so hard then. The aviation books, the flying lessons…"

"Harm don't do this to yourself. Mattie has jet fuel in her blood just like you do. It's not like you could have talked her out of any of it. You said yourself Mattie let go of a lot of her anger and grief when she reconciled with her father. She knows she has people in her corner who won't let her down. If I'd had someone like you looking after me when I was that age I would have turned out a lot better."

Harm scanned her body slowly with his eyes. "I think you turned out perfectly." He kissed her, but felt her tense. "What?"

Mac turned away from him. "Stop it."

"Mac? Hey, come on." When she still didn't answer, it suddenly occurred to him what the problem was. He rationalized to himself it was perfectly logical that he didn't think of it right away. They hadn't discussed it since the Admiral's dining out party. "Just because..."he struggled to word it properly, "Because you have an illness doesn't make you less beautiful or less special to me. You know that right?"

"I'd be a lot more special if I could have kids."

Harm scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her. "We never did finish that conversation, did we?" Mac shook her head.

"There's no point, Harm."

Harm furrowed his brow. "You don't want to have kids anymore?"

Mac faced him. "Of course I do. It's just…it's going to be next to impossible for me to get pregnant."

"How impossible?"

"The doctor said my chances of getting pregnant are less than five percent."

"Sounds like a four percent solution to me."

"Harm, it's so miniscule --"

"Less than five, but not zero, right?"

"Yes."

"All we can do is try. One way or another we can make it happen. I promise."

"Don't make a --"

"I haven't yet…All we have to do is practice." He kissed her ardently.

"It won't be easy."

Harm chuckled. "When have we ever done anything the easy way?"

"What did I do to deserve you?"

"I ask myself the same question everyday."

THE END