AN: And so we come to the end. Thanks for reading - Dix

Chapter 16 - Past, Present and Future

Harm secured early. As much as he wanted to see Mac there were a couple of things he needed to take care of first. Fresh from a shower and a change of clothes, he arrived at Mac's apartment just as the light was beginning to fade. He could see lights on in her apartment from the street. She buzzed him in and opened the door to him when he knocked.

He wasn't prepared for her face. Her cheek was a mass of blue and yellow bruises. There was a scrape near her ear and her lips were swollen and purple. He winced involuntarily knowing how much it must hurt.

"Hi Mac." He leaned in a brushed his lips against her face.

"Hi." She responded quietly.

He slid out of his jacket then and as he turned to hang it up, he had a flash of insight. He remembered where he'd last seen the jacket hanging in Renee's hallway. The horror on his face showed. "It looks worse than it feels" she said.

"No" he said, "that's not it". He needed a minute to collect his thoughts. Was this a trick of memory or had he really seen the coat at Renee's also hanging at Mac's? "Can I have something to drink?" He asked trying to buy some time.

"Tea?" She asked.

"That would be fine."

While she rattled cupboard doors in the kitchen, he sat on the sofa and thought hard about what he would say to her. If the jacket in Renee's apartment was Mic's it could mean almost anything. Harm couldn't think of a single useful reason for sharing this possibility with Mac.

Mac came back with cups and the pot on a tray. She poured the tea and handed him a mug and settled across the table from him in the arm chair.

"Have you been to see Renee?" She asked.

"Yes," He said sipping the hot tea. "She is pregnant, but it's not my baby."

Relief flooded her emotions, she made a show of blowing across the surface of the hot tea. "Do you believe her?" She asked considering her own misgivings.

"I think so." He said. "I offered to take a paternity test. She thought it wasn't necessary, so she must be quite certain."

Mac nodded. "If she says it isn't, then it probably isn't'. It didn't make sense to me that Mic would know and you wouldn't; especially if you were the father."

"Yeah. That seemed odd to me too. Tell me about yesterday" He said changing the subject.

"After I left your office, I followed Mic into the parking lot. He said some pretty awful things and." She stopped then considering. "I'm under investigation you know."

"The Admiral said as much."

"So I probably shouldn't say any more."

Harm nodded his agreement. "I can't believe it will go any further than investigation."

"I don't know." Mac said. "The Admiral was very blunt. I guess I've let my personal life disturb the office quite a bit in the last couple of years."

Rabb grinned. "Well you're not the only one."

"Maybe it's you." She said with a grin. "Maybe you're a bad influence."

"I am not a bad influence. I'm an upstanding Navy officer."

"Well, maybe." Was all she would allow.

"Speaking of which." He began.

"Speaking of what?"

"That I'm an upstanding Navy officer and you're a trouble making marine."

"I'm what?" She said.

"You're in love with me."

"Try again Harm. I didn't get this pretty by staying out of a fight."

He grinned. "I think we should set a wedding date and go tell the Admiral." He set his cup on the table and slid a small velvet box out of his shirt pocket.

"Harm, the Admiral is already unhappy with me. I'm under investigation, and my career's in jeopardy." She said it but she couldn't keep her eyes off the box.

"I know all, very serious, but really Mac it's time we got engaged." He popped the box open and pushed it carefully across the table.

"What do you think the Admiral will say to that?" She pinched the glittering ringt between two fingers and held it up to look it over.

"He's a smart man. He'll likely say its about time."

Mac paused enjoying the moment. "And he'd be right." She said with a smile. She slid the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit. In those first few moments, the past faded to an acceptable distance and the future was suddenly rich with possibility. Fear and risk had turned to true love and new beginnings, not just for Sarah Mackenzie but for Harmon Rabb as well.

AN: The epilogue follows. Thanks for reading. Dix