A/N: I have to apologize. When I first posted my last chapter, I put "The End" instead of "End Chapter 10." No, the story isn't over yet! At least not quite. This chapter, though a few things happen, feels like filler.

Heart

Chapter 11: Together Now

Mac awoke late, something foreign to her, and for a moment she panicked. Where was Eden? Where was…

Harm.

Memories of their early morning together filled her brain at the same time she heard father and daughter laughing in the living room. Mac smiled; it had been days since she'd heard Eden's giggling, and it made her tear up just a little. She made to get out of bed, reveling in the slight soreness between her thighs, but then her door opened to reveal Harm, Eden in his arms.

"Good morning, sweetie," Harm winked, and Mac sat up, pulling the sheet up to cover her breasts. He sat Eden down next to her, then picked up his t-shirt that lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. He handed it to her, and she slipped it over her head before cuddling Eden close.

"Mama!" a completely happy Eden crowed.

"Yes, Duckling?"

"Harm made pancakes!"

"Eggs too. I'll go get you your tray."

Mac raised an eyebrow. "Breakfast in bed?" She wondered if he'd ever done that for Annie, or any other girl he'd ever dated.

"Only for you." He gazed at her meaningfully.

Mac's heart sored. She supposed it was silly that she actually cared whether or not he did this for "all the girls" but it made her happy, and she knew he meant when he told her it was only for her.

"Well, go get it then. I'm starving," she grinned.

"Your wish is my command." With that, he left, and then Mac turned her attention to Eden.

"So, how do you feel this morning, Duckling?"

"Good, mommy. My leg only hurts a little."

"That is good. How 'bout your arm?"

"Good, but it itches!" Mac wasn't surprised. She remembered how much her leg itched in its cast when she broke hers at the tender age of five.

"I'm sorry, hon."

"It's okay. Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Why were you naked?"

Harm stood up from the couch, smiling when Mac emerged from her shower. Her hair was still mussed and wet, and she made the most beautiful picture. Eden lay sleeping, Harm having read her one of her favorite books. It was obvious she still tired easily, the small dose of Benadryl® he'd given her to ease the itch from her cast easily making her slumber. He knew Mac didn't like giving the medicine to her, but after breakfast she'd been near tears when she couldn't scratch her arm.

He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. It felt right, just holding her and enjoying their new closeness. "Hi," he said into her hair.

"Hi, yourself."

"How do you feel?"

Mac pulled back and smiled up at him. "Tired. A little sore. Absolutely wonderful."

Harm kissed her lightly. "I'm tired too…and I feel absolutely wonderful." He kissed her again, this time much more deeply, teasing the seam of her lips with his tongue. She let him in, and time disappeared as they made love with their mouths. Once they needed to stop and breathe, Harm led her toward the couch. "Eden's out like a light. Did you want to watch a movie? I mean, I know what I want to do…" He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "But Eden doesn't need to see that or wake up while we're in the bedroom."

Mac chuckled. "When you went to get my breakfast, she asked why I was naked."

"Did she? What did you tell her?"

"I said I got hot."

Harm gave her his flyboy grin. "That you did, Sarah. That you did." The two grinned like idiots, or at least Harm imagined they did, and then they kissed again. It was rather chaste and over far too soon for Harm's liking, Mac's kisses already becoming his favorite drug,

Harm sat down, then pulled Mac into his lap.

"So, movie?" he asked again, and she nodded.

"Sure, but you're going to have to let me up so I can get to my stash. I'll warn you, it's mostly Disney and Looney Tunes, with a couple of the classics thrown in."

"Looney Tunes? Isn't that a little violent?"

Mac rolled her eyes. "Harm, I assure you, Eden already knows the Roadrunner isn't that fast and that anvils don't fall from the sky. Besides, they're funny."

"Good. I'd hate to think that Eden would drop a piano on me or that she'd paint a tunnel on the wall, so I'd try to go through it and smack myself."

Mac slapped him lightly on the chest. "You're messing with me."

"Yup."

"Oh, you. So, what'll it be?" She started to push away from him, but Harm pulled her back.

"Let's just find one on TV. I don't want you to go." The flyboy grin was back, growing wider when he started to tickle her. She squirmed, and he felt his member start to rise.

"Oops," she whispered. "You'd better calm him down, Harm."

Harm blushed, knowing she was right, but damn, she was so sexy as she wriggled around on him.

"You're going to be the death of me, Mac."

"I know what you mean," she answered, then kissed him.

They never did get to a movie, content just to be together as they watched their daughter sleep, only getting up when Eden awakened for lunch. Harm got that ready while Mac helped the little girl in the bathroom. It was a simple meal and all three were happy to be in each other's presence.

Unfortunately, their contentment couldn't last. Harm had just gotten up to take the dishes back into the kitchen when his cellphone rang. He pulled it from his pocket, and Mac could see the caller ID.

Annie.

Harm gave her a look and squeezed her shoulder. "It'll be okay, Mac," he said softly, then answered his phone.

"Well, she's back from her trip, and she wants to meet for lunch. I didn't tell her I already ate."

Mac's heart fluttered in a staccato beat as she gazed up at him with apprehension.

"I should…I need to go. I want to get this over with."

She swallowed hard. "Okay," she murmured, and Harm took her hands and pulled her up to embrace her.

"It really will be okay. I'll end it, and there will be just us."

"I know." Her voice was weak to her ears.

"Sarah, what is it?"

"What if…what if you…no, it's stupid."

"Come on, sweetheart. What's wrong?"

"What if you see Annie and decide this, you and me, was a mistake?"

Harm gently cupped her face. "Sarah, nothing, and I mean nothing, will separate us again. I love you. Only you. Annie and I…she's not the girl I remember. It was never going to work. Besides, I've been hung up on you for years. I think that's why I never seriously dated anyone until Annie. You've ruined me, Mac," he answered with affection.

Mac gazed hard into his eyes. She believed him, she really did, but she had a hard time trusting people completely. Until he was officially through with Annie and back in her arms, there would be a niggling feeling of doubt.

"Okay."

"You believe me, right? Right, Sarah?"

Mac nodded. "Yes. Yes, I do. Okay, Harm. Get out of here so you can come back to me, all right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

After one more kiss, Harm went to Eden on the couch and knelt down. "Hey, Duckling. I have to leave for a little while, so be good for you mommy, okay?" Mac watched her daughter's eyes fill with tears, and it looked like Harm was almost going to tear up as well. "Sweetheart, don't cry. I'll be back soon, I promise."

Eden reached her good arm toward him, and he picked her up gently before sitting down with her in his lap.

"You promise?" Eden asked, and Harm cuddled her to him and nodded.

"Yes, my girl, I will. I would miss you too much if I were gone too long."

"I miss you too," she whimpered, tears trickling down her little face. She never wanted him to leave, but she was definitely more emotional since her accident. Harm rocked her for a few minutes, then delicately set her back down on the couch. He straightened, and just as he was about to put on his jacket, Eden said the sweetest words either Harm or Mac had ever heard.

"I love you, Harm." Harm's eyes did tear up then, and Mac walked over and squeezed his shoulder. He bent down and kissed his daughter's forehead, running his hand over her dark curls. "I love you too, sweetheart." He then slipped his jacket on and slid his wallet and keys into his pocket. He turned to leave, but before he took a step, Mac reached for his arm. Motioning for him to wait, she knelt down next to her daughter.

"Eden, honey, there's something I have to tell you."

"Okay, mommy," she sniffled.

"Harm is our best friend, right?"

"Right."

"You know what else he is?"

Eden solemnly shook her head.

"He's your daddy, Eden."

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart." She smiled up at Harm briefly, then turned back to their daughter. "You know how Katie has a daddy? He visited us yesterday. Remember? Mr. Jack?"

"Mr. Jack?"

"Yes, Mr. Jack. And remember when Katie's mommy visited us and brought Mr. Jack? What did Katie call him?"

Eden's face scrunched up adorably as she thought. "Daddy?"

"That's right, Eden."

"But I don't have a daddy."

"Yes, you do, honey. Harm. Harm's your daddy, just like Mr. Jack is Katie's daddy."

Eden looked back and forth from Mac to her father. "Daddy?" she whispered up at Harm, but then to Mac's dismay, Eden burst into tears. Harm looked devastated, but then Eden reached her arms to him. He pulled her back into his lap as he sat down again, and she awkwardly wrapped her arms around him. "Daddy!" she cried, sobbing into his chest. Mac put her arms around both of them, and their little family was complete.

Later, after Eden was napping again, Mac escorted Harm to the door. "You'll come back tonight?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"You couldn't keep me away, Sarah." Once his initial tears of happiness dried, he had been almost giddy now that Eden knew he was her father. "I'm going to stop by my apartment to grab a few things after I talk to Annie, then I'll be back and make dinner."

Mac chuckled a little. "You know Eden is going to want Lean Cuisine ® and vegetables a la Harm."

Harm chuckled as well. "Okay, if that's what she wants, that's what she gets."

"Good luck, Harm." She leaned up and kissed him.

"Thanks, Mac." He gently pressed his lips to hers again, and then he was on his way.

Mac shut the door behind him, then leaned against it with a brilliant smile.

She was finally together with her baby's father…and in love.

Harm knocked on Annie's door, trying to push away his apprehension. It wasn't as if he'd never ended a relationship, but he suspected Annie would not make their needed conversation easily. She was so obviously jealous of Mac, but her jealousy of Eden was worse. It actually appalled him; his daughter was an innocent in all of this.

Seconds passed, and when Annie didn't answer the door in that time, he knocked again. Eventually he heard movement behind it, and then Annie stood before him.

"Harm!" She threw her arms around him, pulling him inside the house as she embraced him. He allowed it and gave her a few pats on the back, then backed away.

"I missed you, Harm," she purred, and Harm's eyes widened. She was generally not one to initiate things like this, and he wished he could just turn around and go back to Mac.

"Um, where's Josh?"

"Still with the sitter. I wanted to see you first."

"Oh." He supposed that was a good thing. He wouldn't have enjoyed breaking up with Annie in front of her son.

"So, shall we…" She motioned toward the stairs.

"Annie, I need to talk to you about something."

"Talk to me upstairs." She sounded confident and bold, but Harm could see the slight stiffening in her posture.

"No, I need to do this here. Now." He didn't mean to sound so forceful, but he knew he had to be direct and not sugarcoat anything.

"Fine," Annie replied after a few tense moments. Her shoulders slumping, she motioned him to follow her into the living room. Once there, she sat on the couch and he in the loveseat across from it.

"Well, go ahead, Harm. Say what you came to say." Tears were already forming in her eyes and Harm was assailed with guilt. He hated hurting Luke's widow, but there was no other way to do this.

"Annie, I—"

"It's Mac, isn't it."

Looking directly into Annie's eyes, Harm nodded. "Yes, it is."

Annie stood up and started to pace. "Let me guess. Using her daughter—"

"My daughter."

"Your daughter," she spat. "Using "your" daughter," she sneered, using air quotes. "She reeled you in. Nice."

"What do you mean, 'your' daughter. She is my daughter."

"Really? Are you sure? Where's that DNA test. I bet you never even got one! I've known you a long time, Harm. Even when you were just another dashing pilot, Luke and I knew you'd eventually settle down and want children. What, Josh wasn't enough? Do you really think Mac couldn't lie about this?

"Mac would never lie about our daughter, and this has nothing to do with Josh, nor does it have to do anything with Eden, at least not completely. I love Mac. I have since I met her. I fought it, Annie, believe me, but I can't do it anymore."

"Nice. Okay, say Eden is your daughter. Say you like Mac, but love? You're romanticizing this, Harm."

"No, I'm not, Annie, and I'm sorry. So sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."

"Then don't. I-I love you, Harm, and unlike Mac, I have nothing to gain from being with you. I'm with you because I want to be!"

Though Harm felt terrible for having caused Annie such hurt, it angered him that she kept painting Mac as an opportunist. "Stop it, Annie. Mac isn't like that. I am sorry, but even if there were no Eden, I'd still love her. I can't help the way I feel, and I won't deny it either. Look, please tell Josh I'm sorry. He's a great kid, and I—"

Harm was interrupted by a vicious slap from his now ex-girlfriend. His head snapped back, then felt her pushing at him, her hands on his chest. He caught himself from stumbling, then saved Annie from falling forward. He steadied her, knowing he surely had the impression of her palm on his cheek.

"You bastard," she growled. "Don't talk about Josh."

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Right."

"I really am, Annie, but I think I should go."

"Yes, I think you should."

"Bye, Annie," he said softly, then saw himself out.

Well, that went better than expected, he thought sarcastically, then walked to his car.

He was free.

End Chapter 11