Disclaimer: not mine
AN: Now that this story is complete and I've finished posting it elsewhere, I'll wrap it up here for Christmas - this is chapter 17 of 20.
Saturday dawned as a picture perfect summer day. The sky was a vibrant blue and there were only the gentlest of white wispy clouds scattered along the horizon. Staring out the bedroom window, his thoughts a million miles away, well, not quite a million, just as far as the Roberts' house, Harm didn't hear Frank knock or enter.
"Your mom's been calling you for breakfast, Harm," he said before catching the look on his face. "Everything alright?"
"Everything's perfect, dad," he said, gesturing out the window. "Just got lost in thought."
"And that thought would be how a certain marine colonel lawyer is doing today, wouldn't it?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around Harm's shoulders and steered him towards the door.
"Oh, that might have had something to do with it," Harm replied with a grin.
"Well, she's doing just fine," Frank said and Harm turned to look at him. "Your mom called her," he said by way of explanation. "Wanted to make sure there was nothing she needed this morning and all she said she needed was 2:00 pm to come around very fast so she could marry you."
Harm's grin widened. He couldn't wait for that either.
The plan for the morning was fairly simple, after some fancy negotiating from Frank, and no doubt some extra cash as well, the groom's side of the wedding party was allowed to set up the beer garden at Langford's midmorning. Thus allowing them to go home, shower and dress in ample time for the wedding. Having improved his track record in punctuality, Harm didn't want to lapse ... not today of all days.
"Further to the right," Trish said and Harm shook his head trying to clear the Mac induced fog he was experiencing.
"Sorry, mom," he replied as he moved the flowers accordingly.
It was a repeated pattern with the ribbons, candles and centrepiece.
"More to the left..."
"Sorry, mom."
"More to the right."
"Sorry, mom."
"Not on that table on the other one."
"Sorry, mom."
Frank stood in the corner and chuckled.
"What's so funny?" asked Bud as AJ helped move some chairs.
"I think Harm's more than ready for marriage," he said. "All he needs to do is change 'mom' to 'Mac' or 'dear' and he's got it."
After a whirlwind morning, Mac sat back in the chair smiling as the hairdresser put the final touches to her hair.
"I'd say a penny for your thoughts, Mac, but I'm sure I already know what they are?" Mattie said with a grin, dropping into the chair beside her.
Before she could answer her cell buzzed and Mac checked the message.
'Hey Gorgeous, You are all I can think of today. I love you more than you will ever know, more than I can express. Thank you for marrying me today, I can't wait. Love you for eternity, Harm xox'
Mattie handed her a box of tissues as her tears fell, she didn't need to read the message to know who it would be from.
"He loves you so much," she said, turning to face her.
"I know," Mac sighed dreamily. "I love him too."
Mac hit reply on her phone and waited for the message screen to come up.
'Hey Sailor, I love you so much too. I feel very blessed that you are marrying me today. Only 117 minutes to go. Can't wait. Love you infinity, Mac xxx'
Harm read the reply and grinned. 117 minutes...116 minutes and she would be in his arms. The word 'anticipation' just didn't do it. Re-reading the message he got to the 'infinity' part and pondered it for a moment. "Eternity' was their word, starting in Sydney Harbour, he had used it but she had chosen something else. Why?
"Are you okay, Uncle Harm?" AJ asked studying his godfather.
"Yeah," he replied looking at the boy.
"Is that Aunty Mac?" he asked, pointing at the cell.
"Yes, it is," Harm confirmed. "She says she loves me infinity."
"Infinity and beyond!" AJ exclaimed using his best Buzz Lightyear voice and Harm laughed, now he got it.
They had watched the Toy Story treble with AJ and Jimmy a couple of months ago whilst they were babysitting at Harm's place and they had all been doing their best impersonations of Buzz. Once the boys were bedded down and asleep in the living room, Harm and Mac had gone to bed proclaiming their love to infinity and beyond, each one trying to go one better than the other. Harm had declared his love for infinity, Mac had added beyond and not wanting to be outdone Harm had added 'plus one', Mac had then added 'plus one' and Harm had done the same... it continued for several minutes.
Grinning, Harm hit reply as he recalled how they had ended the 'argument' in a more than satisfactory way. 'And beyond' was all he wrote before sending.
Moments later his cell buzzed and Harm knew what it would say before he read it; he was right.
'Plus one'
At 1355, Harm stood at the altar of the small chapel at the Falls Church base dressed immaculately in his dress whites. There was no way he was going to be late and it had only been Reverend Turner's insistence that he relax that had stopped him from standing there from 1330.
Bud stood nearby talking to his eldest son who was serving as Harm's other groomsman as he adjusted the boy's tie. Bud wore his dress blues whilst AJ was in a suit of matching colour. Frank had been hovering around while his mother had given up waiting and was out in the foyer with Harm's grandmother, waiting for Mac's arrival.
Wanting this to be an intimate, family affair, the guest list had been kept to the bare minimum. Sturgis and Varese sat in the second pew of the groom's side, while Jennifer Coates and her partner, Ty, sat in a similar position on the bride's. Chloe and her husband had been invited but pulled out a week earlier as she began suffering severe discomfort in her seventh month of pregnancy and couldn't handle the drive from Ohio. General Cresswell and his wife, Dora, sat alongside Jennifer and for a moment Jennifer thought about moving a seat back but as there was no one else coming, except for the bridal party, she didn't.
"Relax, son," Reverend Turner said, patting Harm on the back. "She'll be here."
Before Harm could reply, he heard an increase of noise from the foyer and instinctively knew his bride had arrived.
Rather than opt for several cars to transport herself and the bridal party, Mac had organised one stretch white limo.
Mattie climbed out first, followed by Nikki and Michael who were absolutely adorable in their flowergirl and pageboy outfits. Jimmy climbed out next in a suit which matched his brothers; not understanding why he had to say with the women and not the men. Harriet emerged fifth and quickly went about straightening the clothes of her offspring, while Mattie helped Mac step out.
"You are so beautiful, Mac," she said as she adjusted her veil. "Just beautiful."
Trish and Grandma Sarah made their way across to the bride and gushed over her dress and the absolute look of love on her face.
"You're going to make my boy very happy," Grandma Sarah said, squeezing her hand. "And I'm delighted to have another Sarah Rabb in the family."
"Thank you, Mrs Rabb," she replied.
"None of that nonsense, child," she admonished gently. "It's Sarah or Grams."
"Thank you, Grams," she said quickly.
"Now, Trish told me you have a new dress, a blue garter and borrowed Harriet's head dress, is that right?" she questioned.
"Yes, it is," Mac replied.
"What about the old?" she questioned and Mac shrugged, it hadn't been a conscious thought to get the traditional 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue'. "Lovely," Grandma Sarah said with a smile before handing Mac a black velvet pouch.
Pouring the contents into her hand, Mac saw the most exquisite antique golden locket and chain.
"It's beautiful," she gasped.
"This can be your something old," Grandma Sarah said.
With Trish's help, the necklace was hung around Mac's neck and sat perfectly.
Mattie came closer and turned it over. "It says 'Introducing Sarah Rabb'."
"My father gave it to me on my wedding day," she explained. "And now, I am giving it to you...to keep."
"Oh, that's very generous," Mac said, "But I really couldn't..."
"Nonsense," she interrupted. "Today you become family and not only do you get Harm you get us all. I'm 88, dear, I'm not going to be around forever and I want to give this to you on your wedding day. After all, how many Sarah Rabb's do you think there are?"
Failing at her attempt not to cry, Mac sniffled a little before Trish came to wipe her tears.
"Grams can be very feisty, dear, so just say yes, you'll accept it and we'll get today underway," she whispered.
"Thank you, Grams, I'll treasure it forever," Mac said, kissing the elderly woman's cheek.
"Go marry my grandson," she said, gesturing towards the altar before she headed into the chapel, unsteadily. Jimmy quickly took her arm and led her down to her seat, just like his father had instructed him to do.
Returning to the foyer, Jimmy fiddled with his tie as Trish passed him by to go to her seat.
"Are you ready, Aunty Mac?" he asked as his mother fixed his tie for him.
Without a formal role in the wedding, Jimmy had been feeling left out. Never believing a bride should be given away, Mac had been more than prepared to walk herself down the aisle but looking at Jimmy's face the day Harm had asked AJ to be a groom's man, she knew she had to offer him something; and that was to escort her.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she said with a deep breath and a silent prayer to keep it all together. She had never been as nervous and excited and anxious at the same time in her whole life.
The strains of the Wedding March drifted through the chapel and Harriet started the twins on their walk down the aisle, Mattie followed, as did Harriet. Jimmy went to walk but Mac didn't move.
"Aunty Mac, we've got to go, Uncle Harm is waiting," he said, tugging on her arm before looking at her face. "You look scared. Are you scared?"
"No," she said quietly. "I'm not scared...Just a little nervous."
"Do you need to go pee? Mom always makes me go pee when I'm nervous about something," he said earnestly.
"No, honey," Mac said with a laugh. "But thank you for asking."
Although she knew she was walking down the aisle to the most gorgeous man in the world, strikingly attired in the dress whites she adored, Mac thought she was floating. It was an amazingly surreal experience and soon she was standing next to him and Jimmy had disappeared to his seat.
"You are a vision, Sarah," Harm whispered as he leant into her. "Absolutely stunning. I love you so much," he added before kissing her deeply.
"Dad!" AJ said a little louder than he realised. "Uncle Harm's supposed to wait til the end when the minister says he can kiss the bride."
The small congregation laughed.
"I think Uncle Harm's waited long enough," Bud said, patting AJ's back.
"Dearly beloved..." Reverend Turner began and though the following words were the most important Harm and Mac had ever heard uttered in their presence, they were too caught up in each other and this incredible moment of their lives to pay all that much attention.
"Harm, it's your turn," Mac prompted when she realised Reverend Turner was waiting for her nearly husband to speak.
A quick glance towards the man and a nod from him, Harm knew he was expected to say the vows he had written. Taking a deep breath, Harm took both Mac's hands in his and took a second deep breath, hoping his voice wouldn't desert him.
"Sarah MacKenzie," he began, his voice audible yet shaky, "Today, I consider myself to be the most blessed man in the world. Not only do I get to marry an incredible woman, I also get to marry my best friend. We started on this journey together so many years ago and there were times neither of us believed we would get here but here we stand – older, stronger and deeply in love.
I stand here, in front of our family and friends, and declare to you that I will always love you, adore you and cherish you. Your needs, wants and desires will always be at the forefront of my mind. I will spend my days and nights working on our relationship and making sure all the old habits are gone.
Above everything else, I want you, and everybody else to know, that I absolutely and completely love you and am so grateful that we are finally starting this phase of our lives together."
Harm leant in and brushed his lips against hers. "Love you, Mac," he whispered as he wiped the tears from her face. "For eternity."
"Sarah?" Reverend Turner said and it was Mac's turn to breathe deeply and will herself to keep it together.
"Harm...on," she began, her voice breaking. Coughing to clear her throat, she took a deep breath before starting once more. "Harmon, you are the absolute love of my life. You always have been. When I am with you I feel like the person I was meant to be. Without you, it felt more like an existence than a life.
I love you...first, last and everything in between. Marrying you today is the realisation of many dreams...my best friend becomes my husband, I get the family I have craved and my future becomes our future and I couldn't be happier.
I vow to you here, in front of everyone, that I will love, honour and adore you for now until eternity."
It was Mac's turn to press up and kiss him. "Love you to infinity and beyond," she whispered kissing him.
"Plus one," Harm whispered, kissing her back.