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Walking down the aisle on her new husband's arm Mac again felt her blood boil at the sight of Harm with LT Hawkes.
This was bad, very bad; much much worse than Renee.
Renee had been a danger to Mac's emotional stability and composure, but not a threat to her relationship with Harm.
But Skates was something different, something much different and infinitely more dangerous.
Skates was a threat. Clear and present threat.
Mac knew the main reason why Harm's previous relationships hadn't worked was his love for flying. Neither of the women he'd been involved with had liked this part of him and it was this what had ended up creating the rift that had ultimately torn them apart. Flying was also one of the major issues between Harm and Mac, it was the reason Mac had hated and resented Harm for the past few years, ever since the possibility of going back to flying had appeared over 2 years ago. Flying was the reason Mac had treated him so vengefully and disrespectfully ever since he had left JAG that Spring in 1999.
As much as flying had been a stumbling block between Harm and Mac it had also been between him and Annie, Jordan and Renee.
But not with Skates.
That is why Skates was a threat.
Skates not only not hated Harm's love for flying, but she understood it.
She not only understood it, but even worse, much much worse, she namely SHARED it with Harm. The impudence!
Skates loved flying as much as Harm did. Which meant nothing good for Mac. If Harm was to have a long and lasting relationship with a woman, who better than the woman who knew him better than anyone and didn't have not even one piece of him?
She knew she shouldn't be thinking about trying to score with one man when she was married with another, but she didn't care.
Marriage vows had never stopped her before, so why should they stop her now?
Especially when considering the fact that she'd been effectively cheating on her husband even before they'd gotten married, by trying to score Harm while wearing Mic's ring.
While she'd had hopes she could've forced Harm into doing something he'd otherwise never do, something for which he'd no doubt hate himself, namely make him cheat on Renee with Mac if not dump Renee completely, even though she (Mac) never gave him any assurance that he wouldn't be risking himself in vain; she could now only watch those hopes being dashed by the replacement of Renee, who'd never been a threat, with the woman more perfect for Harm than Mac could ever hoped to be. Not that she'd ever cared or wanted to be perfect for Harm, she'd only wanted to keep him interested to get constant reassurance of her desirability and sex appeal. She didn't love Harm, nor wanted to be good for and to him, much less spend the rest of her life with him. It was only about her ego and sex. But this time Mac was the one not being a threat to the woman in Harm's life and she hated it.
And now here she was, married to the guy she didn't like, much less love, because she'd played games, while the guy she'd wanted to bed for years was with another woman, a woman who understood and appreciated him more than she herself ever could have.
On this day that should've been the happiest in her life, Mac was like a volcano ready to errupt. On the outside calm and serene, on the inside a boiling mesh of fire, rage and pressure.
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Skates couldn't help but smirk at the rage and jealousy in Mac's eyes when she looked at Beth and Harm.
Beth knew their history and maybe she was acting catty with making sure she kept physical contact with Harm in front of Mac, but this knowledge still didn't stop her. After all, Mac had treated the man Beth loved like shit for way too long and she had to be shown she had no power over him anymore.
Following the rest of the people outside she waited for the newlyweds to descend the church steps and go through the Arch of Swords. She could barely hold in a snicker at the sour face Mac made upon seeing the 8 men waiting for them in formation. Half of them were Brumby's friends, all in RAN uniforms and half were her coworkers.
Beth was meanwhile admiring her boyfriend's physique and stature, along with his determination to pull this through even though she could see him trembling slightly from the effort to stand still and tall with his damaged knee. Slowly she approached a young blond woman she knew only by sight, a coworker of Harm, and retrieved his cane, thanking her for holding it for the man Skates loved, then turned to look back at the newlyweds.
As Mac and her new husband approached the Arch the nearest pair of officers lowered their sabres and demanded a kiss for the right of passage. Never big on PDA's, unless it was to rub it into Harm's face, which now didn't work anymore since he was obviously quite happy with his RIO, Mac followed the demand reluctantly. Brumby put too much effort into it for her taste, and when they came up she saw Harm barely holding in his laughter. She glared at him, but it didn't stop him from smirking even wider.
He was obviously enjoying this a lot and Mac felt an urge to wipe that grin off his face.
The newlyweds had to kiss 4 times and just when Mac thought she was home-free, given Harm was on the side where a RAN officer should've been, she suddenly felt a firm smack with the side of a blade on her rump. Startled she gave a girly squeal before rounding on Harm, who grinned even wider, obviously quite proud of himself, and declared loudly "Welcome to the Navy, Mrs Brumby!"
She was about to say something rude, but Mic tugged at her hand and she had to follow, sending an angry look at a laughing Harm, as he sheathed his sabre after the formation disbanded.
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Chegwidden stepped up to Harm, incapable of hiding his own amusement. What Harm had done and Mac's girly shriek would entertain him (and the rest of the staff) for weeks to come.
"How old are you anyway, CDR?" he asked the younger man, without any malice in his voice.
Harm grinned "Sometimes I wonder that myself, sir."
His laugh stopped when the small LT stepped up to him, bland-faced. Harm looked at her worried, but then Beth's stern expression dissolved and she let out a laugh "That was great, Harm, I loved it!"
The Admiral observed enviously as the small RIO stepped up to Harm and they automatically put their arms around each other in what looked like completely natural reaction, as if they'd been doing it for years. In the last few days he'd witnessed Harm being more happy than any other time since Lt Schonke's death and LTJG Austin's transfer. It was now quite obvious that Skates was the one who could make him happy, while Mac had only given him pain and misery for too many years.
As Harm and Skates kissed he remembered his first happy year with Marcella before she made the stupid mistake that had cost them their marriage, their happiness, him a daughter and Francesca a father.
Head games and manipulations have no place in love and relationships, something either Marcella and Mac didn't know or didn't care about.
When Harm and the small RIO let go of each other the young brunette quickly gave the tall pilot his cane, making him smile gratefully at her.
"You two look good together." he commented impulsively and ignored their incredulous looks at him for making such a statement "Take good care of each other and be happy."
"We will, sir." confirmed Beth, Harm echoing "We will."
Somehow he knew with absolute certainty they truly would.
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