September 2009

It was something so calming about the ocean. The sand felt great between her toes, the light breeze ruffling her hair, the wonderful laughter from the kids who were building sandcastles. She finally felt the stress of the day leave her. It was a new life for her, juggling a career, a family and a house. A big contrast to the years in London, where she had fully concentrated on the kids and the house most of the time.

"A beautiful woman on the beach."

She turned and found her husband looking at her.

"What should I do about that?" he wondered.

Mac smiled brightly. "You could kiss her?"

"What would your husband say about that?" he teased as he sat down by her side and leaned in and kissed her softly.

"He's pretty open minded," she laughed.

"Not that open minded," he kissed her again. "This is nice."

"It sure is," she agreed. "How did it go today?"

"You know, I might be old, but I do still have a few tricks up my sleeve," he flashed her his most charming smile.

"I heard rumors that you made quite the argument," Mac bumped her shoulder to his. "You're really enjoying being back in court huh?"

"I do," he put his arm around her and pulled her close. "How did it go at Claire's school?"

"Okay I think. I had a Marine to the other mom's speech, and I think I got my point across. We're having them over this weekend, and hopefully Tina and Bethany will stop badgering the new girl," Mac hesitated when she noticed the amused look on her husband's face. "What?"

"Nothing," he smiled. "What did the girls say?"

"You're picturing me in full Marine mode, huh?" she questioned.

"I think it's hot," he teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, the girls apologized to Claire and she accepted it."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there," he cupped her face. "But it looks like you handled it pretty well on your own. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," she smiled and was about to kiss him when the kids finally realized that Dad was home and came jumping into his arms.

"Hi guys," Harm greeted them.

"Dad, come play with us," Claire said.

"Can we go back to the house? This is boring," Nathan whined.

"What?" Harm started to stand. "How can building sandcastles be boring? Come on Mommy, it's guys against the girl's. The biggest sandcastle wins."

Mac stood and followed them. "Come on Claire, let's show them how it's done."

It was a little later than usual before the kids fell asleep that night, the energy from their time at the beach making it hard to find sleep. Harm found his wife in their bedroom after securing the house for the night. She was just walking out of the bathroom and she smiled when he closed the bedroom door.

She removed her robe and let it fall to the floor, leaving only her nightgown. "Ready for bed Admiral?"

He raised his eyes and walked over to her. "Absolutely."

She laughed and put her arms around him. "You are so handsome. There's nothing sexier than a man in full daddy mode."

He smiled. "Really?" he kissed her deeply and moved her over to the bed. "Let's see what we can do about that."

"Oh, Admiral," Mac said as his lips landed on hers.

"Wow," Mac said as she moved off her husband and slumped down beside him.

"I agree," he moved to his side and propped himself up on an elbow. "We should do that again."

She turned to him. "I'm ready when you are."

He smiled. "Give me a minute."

She snuggled into his arms. "Let's get a good night's sleep, huh? Tomorrow is another day."

"It sure is," he agreed thoughtfully. "Do you think Claire will be okay at school?"

"I do. It's not easy being the new girl, and she's shy, but it'll get better. I got the impression that the real reason why they were picking on her was because she's so smart and raises her hand to answer questions all the time. They were really sorry," Mac smiled. "Claire was so nice to them, asking them over to play. She's real special that girl."

"She sure is. I don't think she can be mean. It just falls natural to her to be nice to everyone," Harm smiled and kissed Mac softly. "Are you happy here?"

"I am," she reassured. "I think we'll love living here. The house need a little work though."

"I was thinking about starting this weekend. We'll have to move into the guestroom for a while, but this room need new paint. The new kitchen will arrive next week, the workers will start stripping down the kitchen on Monday and we'll have to manage without a kitchen for a couple of weeks. It's going to be chaos," he warned her.

"I know, but it'll be worth it," she moved out of his arms and walked to the bathroom. A little while later she walked over to the bed again, picking up a t-shirt on the way and slipping it on. "What about our bathroom?" she asked as she slipped into bed.

"Let's get the bedroom painted first, then we'll discuss the bathroom," he promised.

"Yellow is not my color," she said and kissed him.

He smiled and moved out of bed, slipping his boxers on and headed for the bathroom. "The color sure is ugly," he said when he walked out a while later.

"I can help you with the work, you know. I can paint," she suggested.

"We do make a good team," he said as he slipped into bed and moved over her, kissing her deeply. "Let's get some sleep. I need to be sharp in court tomorrow."

She smiled when he moved off her and pulled her close as he snuggled under the covers. "I love you."

"I love you too, babe," he kissed her softly. "Night."

"Night," she mumbled tiredly.

Two days later

Harm liked his new responsibility, and he felt like he could get comfortable living in Jacksonville, Florida. They seemed to have found a balance between his career, Mac's career and spending time as a family. They had found a reliable nanny/housekeeper, Frank's niece. She had grown up kids, and she had been looking to find something to do outside the home. It was the perfect solution for them, since they knew her and trusted her. It was no way they'd manage it all by themselves, between their careers and the kids schedule, help was necessary.

Harm looked up when his Petty Officer walked into his office. "The Letterman file, your schedule for tomorrow," Petty Officer Sanders put it on his desk. "And your wife is here."

Harm smiled. "I've got all the time in the world for her."

Sanders smiled. "I'll send her in. Anything else, sir?"

"No, dismissed," Harm said as he reached for tomorrow's schedule.

"Hi."

He looked up and smiled. "This is a nice surprise."

"Do you have time for lunch?" she wondered.

"I have to eat," he stood. "And there's no one I'd like to have lunch with more than you."

"That's sweet," she smiled and waited for him to round his desk. He leaned in and kissed her softly.

"Oh, sorry, sir."

They moved apart and turned to the door where Lieutenant Commander Graves stood.

"I can come back later," she said, looking more amused than embarrassed.

"No problem. What's up?" Harm asked.

"Just wanted to give you an update on the Moore case, but if you're busy?" Graves said.

"I was going to have lunch with Mac, but come back in an hour," Harm said.

"Yes, sir. Ma'am," she left them.

Mac smiled. "You really shouldn't do that at work."

He smiled cleverly and kissed her again. "I'm willing to risk a Court Martial for that."

"I doubt they'd Court Martial you," she teased.

"Maybe for trying to bribe a judge?" he suggested as they walked to the door.

She chuckled. "Hard to prove."

The next day

Mac looked up from her book when she noticed someone by the bed. They had moved into the guest bedroom so that they could paint their bedroom. It had been a stressful week, doing preparations for when the workers came to strip down the old kitchen and put in a new one. Harm had started preparing their bedroom to be painted, and he was ready to start work the next morning. Mac was starting to realize how much work the house actually needed, and in the back of her mind she was wondering if they'd made a mistake buying it instead of a newly renovated one.

"What's up sweetheart?"

Claire crawled onto the bed. "I couldn't sleep."

Mac opened her arms. "Come her."

Claire smiled and snuggled into her mother's arms.

"Is everything going okay at school?" Mac asked.

Claire nodded. "It's okay. Bethany and Tina are looking forward to coming here this weekend to play."

"That's great," Mac moved Claire's hair behind her ear. "Is something else bothering you, since you can't sleep?"

"I miss London," Claire said as a tear fell down her cheek.

"Oh, honey, I know you do. I miss it too," Mac hugged her daughter close.

"It's okay here, but I miss my old school. I miss Aunty Jenn. Why couldn't she come with us?"

"Because she wanted to be with Victor, and his work is in D.C. They are married now and probably wants to start a family. It's good that she's happy, right?"

"Of course it is," Claire agreed. She smiled. "Maybe we can go see them soon. And Mattie too. And Aunty Harriet and Uncle Bud and everyone."

"We will," Mac assured her and smiled. "Are you feeling better?"

Claire nodded just as Harm walked into the bedroom.

"Everything is ready for tomorrow," he noticed Claire. "Everything okay?"

"Claire couldn't sleep," Mac explained.

"But I'm tired now, so I'll go back to my room," she hugged her Mom. "Good night."

"Good night, sweetheart. I love you," Mac said.

"I love you too, Mom," Claire hugged her Mom again then jumped off the bed and hugged her Dad. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too," Harm kissed her forehead. "Want me to walk you back to your room?"

"Yes," Claire took his hand.

A little while later Harm walked back into the guestroom. He stripped down to his boxers and got into bed. "What are you reading?"

"Some murder mystery," she put the book away and turned to him. "You look tired."

"I am," he put his arm around her and pulled her close.

She turned off the light and got comfortable in his arms. "I love you."

"I love you too," he kissed her softly.