Hi, everyone! I can't believe we've made it to the very last ficlet. Thank you all for following this story and for all of your reviews and comments. I hope you find this to be a quiet, simple ending – the way I always hoped Harm and Mac would wake up on Christmas morning together. I hope you enjoyed the 25 ficlets – thank you for reading, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Christmas morning
The snow had continued to come down heavily overnight, and there was a fresh white winter wonderland outside, with icy crystals of frost clinging to the window.
But when the first rays of Christmas morning sunshine touched Mac's eyelashes, she didn't want to wake up. She sighed contentedly in her sleep and snuggled deeper into the heavenly warmth – the soft, smooth sheets against her skin, a thick, plush comforter on top of her, and strong arms wrapped around her waist.
She had always been safe in those arms.
After he slid the diamond onto her left hand last night, he had handed her a knife, and she had carved their names in the hayloft wall next to his parents.
Harm and Mac, she had written.
Because she had always been Mac to him.
And for her, it had always been Harm.
From the courtrooms to the fighter planes to the carriers to the submarines, he had held her heart through it all.
She felt him stir slightly beneath the blankets and lean over to press a soft kiss into her neck.
"Good morning," she said quietly, rolling over to face him.
"Well, right back at you, MacKenzie," he murmured, gazing up at her with sleepy bedroom eyes.
And for him, it had always been fate that he would end up here with her.
He tightened his arms around her, pulling her against him as they sank back into the soft, downy pillows, and she ran her left hand up his bare chest, the diamond sparkling in the morning light. Slowly, he brought his hand up to meet hers and kiss her fingertips, trailing a line of kisses along smooth skin until his mouth came down on hers.
"Merry Christmas, Harm," she whispered.
"Merry Christmas, Mac."
