Author: PreppyPrincess5103

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: Harm. & Mac begin their life together, while both deal with the reality of Harm's decision to resign his commission. Spoiler alert: Mac doesn't handle it very well. (Continuation of It Started in Russia, and Everything is Going to Be Okay)

Part Six

"For the love of God, please stop."

Mac looked up at Sturgis and then to the pen in her hand. "Was I tapping it again?"

"Yes."

She blushed and let it fall to the conference room table. "Sorry."

He took the pen and put it beside his. "Why are you so anxious?"

She glanced toward the door, making sure it was still closed, and then looked back at him. "I… I'm bringing a date to Admiral Chegwidden's Christmas party."

His eyes widened momentarily, and then he smiled. "So, you're finally bringing Harm out of the closet?" She nodded and his smile widened. "I'm really happy to hear that, Mac. He must be thrilled."

"He really is." She felt the urge to fidget again, so she folded her hands and placed them in her lap. "He's so excited that it makes me feel even guiltier for keeping us a secret for so long."

Sturgis shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "He understands, Mac. He may not like it, and he may not agree with you, but he does understand."

"I know." She eyed the pen, and smiled when Sturgis rolled his eyes and slid it over to her. "Are you bringing Bobbi?"

He nodded. "I am. I just hope this one is more fun than her Christmas party was." He winced at the memory of the Congressional party he had attended with her

"It will be," Mac promised him. "What are your plans for the actual holiday?"

He picked up his coffee mug and took a sip. "My dad is in the area, so we're going to spend Christmas Eve with him. Christmas Day we'll be two of the crazy people at the airport – we're flying to Michigan to spend a couple of days with her family."

Mac's eyes widened. "Have you met her family before?"

"No, not yet. Are you and Harm spending Christmas with family?"

"No. I don't have any family, and the Burnett's are going on a luxury cruise. And I think his grandmother is going to Florida to visit her sister."

Sturgis cocked his head to the side. "You don't have any family? Any?"

She bit her lower lip and shook her head. "My father died last year, but we hadn't had a relationship in a very long time My mother and I are also estranged."

He studied her for a long moment, and finally had a better understanding of her nervousness over her relationship with Harm. "I'm sorry, Mac."

"Don't be. They haven't been in my life since I was a teenager, and I don't miss them." She picked up the pen and then realized what she was about to do and sat it back down. "I have good friends, and I have Harm. I've spent the past couple of years building a different kind of family."

Harm was nervous. He had been excited since the moment she had asked, but now that the night was here, he had to admit he was a little nervous. Other than Bud, Harriet, and Sturgis, he hadn't seen any of his former coworkers since he had been back.

He glanced at his watch and realized he needed to begin getting ready. He closed the bedroom door and grabbed his suit from the mounted hook. The suit was black and fitted, and he knew it looked damned good on him. And Mac more or less salivated every time he put on the light blue, white, and silver striped tie.

"Harm, have you seen my -" She trailed off as she walked into the bedroom.

He grinned as her eyes moved over him. He dropped the pants onto the bed and moved closer to her. He placed his hands on her waist and placed a gentle kiss on her neck. She wore a lavender silk robe, smelled like lemongrass and ginger, and his nervousness immediately faded. "Have I seen your what?"

She placed her hands on his shoulders and smiled. "Have you seen my diamond earrings? The ones from Uncle Matt?"

He nodded. "They were too close to the edge of the sink. It made me nervous. They're on your nightstand."

She beamed at him, appreciating his thoughtfulness. "Thank you." She kissed him lightly, and then took a step back. "I'm going to go finish getting dressed."

His hands gripped the ends of the robe sash, and when she stepped back, the tie came undone, and he was instantly hard. "Jesus, Mac…" Beneath the robe she wore impossibly sheer black lingerie. The bodysuit was lace, sheer mesh, and had a neckline that plunged nearly to her naval. He stepped closer to her, and his hands itched to touch her. He placed his palms on her shoulders, and gently pushed the robe off. It pooled in a puddle of lavender satin on the floor, and his hands moved to her barely covered breasts. Nearly nine months of being together, and he had never seen her in anything like this.

"Surprise." Her voice was low, and she placed a hand on the back of his head and pulled him to her for a long, deep kiss. She pulled away and placed a hand on his chest. "You weren't supposed to see this until after the party tonight."

His fingers brushed over her hard nipples, and then traced the delicate straps. "What's the occasion?"

"Just because." She gave him another kiss. "I went shopping with Maddie for a dress the other day, and she's very into lingerie. I realized I've never worn anything like this for you, and thought it would be a fun surprise."

"This is a really, really fun surprise." He started to push one of the straps off her shoulder, and she shook her head and stepped away from him. "Mac, you can't be serious."

"If you take this off of me now, we'll never make it to the party. You're going to have to wait." She grabbed the earrings from the nightstand and ducked back into the bathroom before he had a chance to say another word.

"Mac, are you almost ready?" It had been twenty minutes since she had disappeared back into the bathroom. He had dressed quickly, and then opened a window in the living room to stand in front of. It had taken longer than he'd like to admit to cool down, but he now finally felt in control of himself. At least he had until she had walked out of the bathroom.

Her dress complemented his tie. The actual dress hit a couple of inches above her knees, was fitted, black, and had a plunging neckline. But there was a gauzy lace layer over the simple black dress, that fell below her knees and was embroidered with small blue flowers. The lace overlay made the dress modest enough for an evening with coworkers, but she still looked positively stunning. She wore impossibly high black heels, the diamond studs, and her hair fell in a sleek, dark curtain to her shoulders.

"You look incredible."

She beamed at him. "You look pretty good yourself." She ran her fingers over his tie and looked up to meet his eyes. "We should go."

"We should." He reached for her long black coat and helped her into it, before putting on his own. "Shall we?"

Mac bit her lip, and then nodded. "Let's go."

He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "It's going to be okay. I promise."

They headed down to his car and she smiled as he opened the door for her. The drive to the Admiral's house was mostly quiet. He knew she was nervous, and let her be. Once they crossed the Potomac, he reached for her hand and squeezed gently. "Let's talk about Christmas."

She turned from the window and smiled at him. "Christmas falls every year on December 25th. It's-"

He cut her off & rolled his. "You're such a smart ass," he teased. He squeezed her hand. "Anything special you want to do for Christmas?"

She shrugged. "I hadn't thought about it. I assumed we'd do a nice dinner at home, you'd go visit your dad, and we'd just take it easy."

He glanced at her, and then turned back to the road. "What if I go visit my dad the morning of the 24th, and then we get away for a couple of days."

Mac cocked her head to the side. "What did you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure. I just like that mom and Frank have always spent Christmas going someplace exciting. At least that's what they've done since I stopped coming home. It might be nice for us to do that."

She glanced at the piles of gray snow on the side of the road and looked back at him. "I wouldn't mind heading to a warmer climate for a few days."

"Warm it is. So, Hawaii? Aruba? The Maldives? Belize? Bermuda? Bora Bora?"

Her eyes widened. "Do we have to decide right this minute?"

"Not this exact minute. But Christmas is in two weeks, so we probably need a plan."

"Let's do Bora Bora. I've never been, and I'd love to spend at least one night in one of the bungalows over the water."

Mac took a deep breath as he pulled up to the valet stand. He reached over and squeezed her knee. "Are you ready?" She nodded and he opened the car door. He handed the keys to the young man waiting and took the ticket from him. He hurried over to her side of the car and opened her door. He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as they made their way to the front door.

"I almost wish we were late so we could make an appearance and everyone would find out at the same time." He laughed, and dropped a kiss on her hair line. She took another deep breath and rang the doorbell.

Admiral Chegwidden opened the door, and smiled broadly. "Mac, Harm, come on in." He shook Harm's hand, and moved to take Mac's coat. "I'm going go put these in the guest room. You two help yourselves to food and drinks."

Mac watched him walk away and glanced around the room. She knew Harriet had helped him decorate, and his home managed to look festive and elegant at the same time. She felt a hand on the small of her back and returned her attention to Harm.

"I'm going to get a drink," he said. "Want anything?"

She nodded. "Tonic water, please."

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I'll be right back."

She smiled at him, and then noticed Tiner staring at them, his eyes wide with surprise. She offered him a tentative smile and then looked around the room. She wished Sturgis and Bobbi, or Bud and Harriet were already here. Basically, anyone who already knew about her and Harm, and wouldn't act like this was big deal. She heard the doorbell, and watched AJ hurry from the guest room to the front door. When he stepped back to let his guests in, she inwardly groaned. Caroline Imes and her date made their way into the house, and Mac felt her stomach clench. Mac watched as her eyes landed on Harm and immediately recognized curiosity on the other woman's face.

Harm took the drinks from the bartender and made his way back to Mac. He handed her the drink and took a sip of his. He had heard Caroline come in, and could see the nervousness all over Mac's face. He placed his hand on her cheek and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "You don't have to tell her anything," he whispered before pulling away. "Just tell her it's none of her business."

"Harm, it's so good to see you! What on earth are you doing here?"

Mac turned away from him and faced Carolyn. She offered her a smile and slipped her hand into his. "He's here as my date."

"Date?" Carolyn's eyes widened, and then she smirked. "Well, well, well. How long has this been going on?"

Harm shrugged and looked at Mac. She squeezed his hand, and smiled. "We started seeing each other right before he left JAG."

"Jordan's comments that night got to you too, I'm guessing." She winked at Mac, who promptly blushed. "So, you're the secret boyfriend Mic kept teasing her about?"

"Not so secret anymore." Harm noticed Bud & Harriet at the door, and gently tugged on her hand. "Bud and Harriet are here." He glanced at Carolyn and offered her a polite smile. "We'll catch up later."

Harm watched as she slipped out the front door, and frowned. He excused himself from the conversation he was having and went after her. She was leaning against the porch rail, rubbing her bare arms. He slid out of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, before standing next to her. She immediately pulled the lapels close together and turned to face him.

"Thanks."

He placed his hand on her cheek and moved his thumb over the soft skin. "Anytime. Are you okay?"

Mac nodded. "I am. Just a little overwhelmed. They," she waved her hand at the house, "have all apparently fantasized about seeing you out of uniform many times over the past few years and felt the need to tell me about it."

He imagined having to listen to people telling him about their fantasies that included her, and winced. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head and moved closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he adjusted the jacket so it didn't fall. "It's not your fault." She dropped her head to his chest, and he ran his fingers though her hair. "I guess this would feel different if I had had a normal childhood. Most of the girls in my high school would gossip about their boyfriends and dates. I didn't have girlfriends. Let alone decent boys to gossip about. If I had, I might be better at this."

"It's okay to be a private person, sweetheart."

"I know." She inhaled his scent and felt a little less anxious. "I love you."

He kissed the top of her head and held her a little tighter. "I know. I love you too."

"Sir, Ma'am?"

Mac raised her head, and both turned to see Tiner in the doorway. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the Admiral is gathering everyone for a toast."

She smiled at the younger man and nodded. "Thank you, Tiner. We'll be right there." He went back inside and she handed Harm his jacket. He slipped it back on and reached for her hand and went back inside. Mac grabbed a goblet of water from the bar, and Harm took a glass of the champagne that was being passed around.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight," Admiral Chegwidden started. "I know most of us probably see enough of each other during the week, but it's always nice to gather together for a more festive reason." His eyes scanned the room, and he smiled. He felt such pride at this remarkable group of people gathered in his home. "It's been a chaotic year. We've said goodbye to members of our family, and welcomed new ones. We literally had one born in my office." He grinned at Harriet, while everyone laughed. "This will likely be the last time we're all together for the rest of the year, since everyone is starting to take their holiday leave, so I just want to take a moment to say thank you for all you do, and I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday." He raised his glass, and waited for everyone to do the same. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Mac slid into the drivers seat while Harm slipped the valet a few bills. He felt fine to drive, but knew it wasn't worth the risk. She pulled off her heels and threw them in the backseat before adjusting the seat and mirrors.

"Did you have fun tonight?"

She glanced at him quickly. "I did, actually."

"Good." He leaned his head back and smiled. "Hey Mac?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't regret my decision to get out."

She glanced at him again, and bit her lower lip. "How did you know I was wondering about that?"

"I know you." He placed his hand on her thigh and squeezed. "It was great seeing everyone, and a little awkward for the first few minutes. But I have no regrets."

The rest of the drive home was quiet. She focused on the road, and tried to ignore the patterns he was tracing on her thigh. She had been aroused before they had even left the apartment, and the questions from her female coworkers had kept the thought of sex front and center for the entire evening.

Mac neared her apartment and took the first parking spot she saw, instead of driving around for a closer on. She grabbed her shoes and slid them back on before hopping out of the car. She had barely shut the front door when he pressed her into it. His lips were instantly on her throat, and his hands roamed her back. She pushed him away and grinned. "Ready to unwrap your present?" She turned her back to him and brushed her hair aside so he could see the top of the hidden zipper. She could feel his erection press into her back and bit back a moan. He kissed the back of her neck before stepping back to reach for the zipper. He unzipped the dress so slowly she thought she would explode, and bit her lip as he pushed the fabric off of her shoulders. She started to step out of the heels and he seemingly read her thoughts.

"Leave them on."

She turned to face him and gasped as he pulled her roughly to him. Before she could articulate a single thought, his tongue was inside her mouth and his hands were on her breasts. He nipped at her lower lip before finally pulling back. He picked up where she had stopped him earlier in the evening, and slowly slid one strap down her shoulder.

End Part Six