Harm and Mac approached the mat. "Well, dear, we have almost a 12 hour lead." Harm smiled brightly.
"True, hon, but you've seen the show. It's easy to lose leads. There's always something that doesn't open until a specific time or plane delays or-..."
"Aw, come on, Mac. Be optimistic." He gave his best 'flyboy' grin. "You'll see...at the end of this race, you'll be Mrs. Harmon Rabb Jr...my little woman. You can rub my feet after a long hard day...cook me dinner...get my uniform ready..."
"Yeah Yeah." Mac playfully rolled her eyes. If she thought for a second that he was serious, she'd have kicked his six all the way back to D.C. Instead she settled for smacking his arm before ripping the envelope open. "Make your way to the second level of Sugar Loaf Mountain."
"You know I'm just joking, right?" He tucked her hair behind her ear. "I don't trust you to cook for me." He grinned even more and groaned as she smacked his arm even harder.
"I can cook. I just choose not to."
"Don't worry, Marine, I'll make sure you get fed." Harm kissed her cheek and took her hand, causing her eyes to widen as he led her to the taxis. "We need to get to Sugar Loaf Mountain." He told the driver. Harm smiled softly at her as he placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. "How about sugar?"
She blinked several times. "What about sugar?" The confusion was evident in her voice.
"Just trying out different pet names for you, baby." He smirked. "And you're sweet so.." He laughed at the 'you've gotta be kidding me' look that he got.
"Harm, I think you've finally lost your mind. I'm far from 'sweet'."
"If you say so, sweet thang."
She burst into laughter. "That reminds me...what is it exactly that I'd know?"
"You don't forget anything, do you?" He groaned.
"Nope." She smiled triumphantly. "So...what would I know?"
"Mac, let it go."
"No, Harm. I want to know. Tell me."
"Mac-..." He protested but knew that it was futile. He knew she wasn't going to drop it unless she was distracted.
"What would I know, Ha-.." She was cut off by his lips against hers.
Harm pulled back slowly, grinning. "Yep, I'll stick with sugar. It's fitting for you."
The only thing Mac could do was stare at him which only made him grin more as they came to a stop. "We're here." He got out of the taxi and went around, opening her door before offering his hand. "Hey, Mac, you wanna get out? We have a race to win."
She snapped herself out of her thoughts and took his hand, getting out.
Harm re-read the clue before leading her to the gondola. "You okay, sugar?" He teased.
She playfully rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Flyboy and behave. We are on national television after all."
He gave her a mock salute. "Aye, Aye, Ma'am."
She again rolled her eyes, failing to conceal her smile. "I'm glad we did this race."
Harm suddenly got serious. "Me too. It gives me the chance to show you the world without having to worry about bombs or terrorists or clients."
Mac's eyes misted over slightly. "Harm, I lo-..."
TBC