Thanks for reading, everyone! I hope you like this little morning after chapter.

It was normal for Mac's internal clock to wake her up at 0600 every morning.

It wasn't so normal for her to wake up in the arms of a handsome sailor.

As the early morning sunlight peeked through the curtains, Mac woke and found herself nestled comfortably against Harm. Some time during the night, she had draped herself over his chest and his arm had wrapped around her waist, holding her close.

It felt nice.

And it felt…intimate.

She hadn't realized just how dangerous playing house with Harm could be.

Quietly, Mac untangled herself from his embrace without waking him. She rose from the bed and dug through the closet until she found a fluffy blue robe. She wrapped it around herself, not surprised to find that it was the right size, and padded out into the kitchen.

After browsing through the cupboards and the refrigerator to see what the CIA had provided for food, Mac managed to brew a fresh pot of coffee and scramble some eggs in a skillet. She found today's newspaper on the floor in the front hallway and settled on the loveseat in the living room with her breakfast to browse the morning news.

The morning was so peaceful that Mac almost missed the strange feeling that she was being watched. She looked up to find Harm leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and his hair still damp from a shower. He had pulled on a pair of sweatpants, but he hadn't put on a shirt yet, and he was watching her with a soft, sleepy expression in his eyes.

"Morning."

"Morning," she said. "Eggs are on the stove, and there's a pot of coffee on the counter."

"Thanks."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"I got it," Harm said, motioning for Mac to stay seated.

"Delivery for Mr. and Mrs. Walker," the courier announced politely, a small box tucked safely under his arm.

Harm managed to hide the smile on his lips as he accepted the package from Bud, who was very careful to keep his eyes focused straight ahead, giving no indication that he noticed Harm's attire – or lack thereof.

"Have a nice day, sir."

"You, too"—Harm glanced at the name tag on Bud's chest—"uh…Fred."

"Thank you, sir."

As Harm brought the box back to the kitchen, Mac rose from the couch and put down her coffee. "Who was that?"

"Fred," Harm replied. He held up the box. Webb, he mouthed silently.

Mac moved to take a closer look as he slit open the box to find a typed note and two small earpieces.

It's clean, the note read.

"No bugs," Mac realized. "They must have swept the place last night."

"Yeah, they're probably the only ones listening to us now."

Harm poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip, cringing at the taste. "A little strong, Monica?" he asked with a grin.

"Why don't you try the eggs, Matthew?" Mac dared him.

"After that coffee, maybe I'll just pick up something on the way to work."

Mac could clearly see the smirk playing on his lips, and she crumpled a napkin and fired it at his head.

Harm dodged it easily, flashing her a smile. "I'm gonna go get dressed," he said, heading back into the bedroom.

And as she watched him go, Mac could only shake her head in amusement.

Just then, there was another knock at the door.

"I'll get it," she volunteered. "It's probably Fred again."

"Good morning, neighbor!"

The loud, cheery female voice on the other side of the door took Mac by surprise. A middle-aged woman with dark hair, a wiry figure, and a wide smile stood on the doorstep, holding a small picnic basket.

"My name is Maggie, and I live two doors down that way." She indicated the direction with her hand. "I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood with a basket of homemade blueberry muffins."

"Oh, thank you," Mac said, accepting the gift with a genuine smile. "I'm Monica."

"It's so nice to meet you," Maggie said, shaking her hand vigorously. "I just love meeting new people in the neighborhood. Didn't I see you move in yesterday with your husband?"

As if on cue, Harm came up behind Mac, fully dressed in uniform now and carrying his briefcase. "Morning," he said.

"Maggie, this is my husband, Matthew," Mac said, startling herself with just how easily those words rolled off her tongue.

"Nice to meet you," Maggie said. "Headed off to work this morning?"

"First day on the job," Harm replied. He turned to Mac. "See you later, sweetheart?"

Sweetheart?

Mac blinked but managed to swallow her surprise after just a slight hesitation. Maggie didn't seem to notice.

"Of course. See you later, sweetheart," she echoed.

Maggie waggled her eyebrows suggestively, and Mac's heart thudded against her chest as she realized that the other woman was waiting for her husband to give her a proper good-bye.

Harm apparently realized the same thing at the same moment, and he tilted his head and brought Mac's lips to his in a gentle kiss. His mouth was warm and he tasted so good…like strong black coffee and…Harm…and the electricity that crackled between them caught Mac completely off guard.

"See you later," he whispered as he headed out the door.

"Ah, newlyweds," Maggie sighed with a soft, dreamy look in her eyes.

With an embarrassed smile, Mac turned back to her guest. "Maggie, can I offer you some breakfast?"

But Maggie seemed more interested in watching Harm's retreating figure making its way down the driveway. "Oh, honey, if I had a husband who looked like that, I would chain him naked to the bed and never let him go."

"Maggie!" The blush on Mac's face spread furiously, and she knew she couldn't hide it from the older woman.

"So you've thought about it, too," Maggie concluded.

"No," Mac said quickly.

It was true. She hadn't actually fantasized about that particular scenario, but the reality of waking up in Harm's arms this morning had closely resembled one of her favorite fantasies.

Stop it, she scolded herself. She had a loving fiancé back home, and she had assured him that he had nothing to worry about during this operation. How could she possibly be thinking about Harm...naked...in bed...no.

"Well, I'm sure there are a few things he'd like to do to you, too," Maggie continued, completely oblivious to the subconscious moral argument warring inside Mac's head. "No man looks at a woman the way he looks at you without wanting a little bit of spice in the bedroom."

Mac gritted her teeth and forced a smile. "Maggie, how about some eggs?"