Disclaimer: JAG and its characters belong to Bellisarius Productions. No monetary gain is made from this endeavor.

Author: ColieMacKenzie

Category: Romance/Humor

Rating: PG13

Word Count: 6,000

Spoilers: Boomerang II

AN: In the episode, it was indicated that Mac and Mic's date was at Sydney Harbor and it appeared to be on some type of boat or ferry. For the purpose of this story, it needs to take place at a stationary restaurant and within walking distance of a beach, so I took creative license and moved it. Also, the black outfit Mac is wearing looks like a dress, but I am assuming for this story that it is a skirt and top combination.
The abbreviation AEDT stands for Australian Eastern Daylight Time, EST for Eastern Standard Time (USA). I confused even myself when trying to use ZULU, so I opted for this.
This story also happens to answer to the HBX November 2007 Challenge.
Many thanks to my secret beta-reader!!

Fortune: You can never be certain of success, but you can be certain of failure if you never try.


No Holds Barred

December 25th, 2000
Undisclosed apartment
0900 EST

Their first Christmas tree, Mac dreamily thought as she let her eyes wander up and down the large, sparkling creation. Their very first shared, beautiful Christmas tree! Grown flawlessly straight, with thick branches that gave it a perfect roundish-triangular shape and shiny green needles, it took up at least half their living room space. He had grumbled a little about how big it was when she had picked it out. He had been right, it was huge, but it was also absolutely beautiful. He had continued lamenting good-naturedly and teasing her when they had to heave the tree up the three flights of stairs to their apartment because it hadn't fit into the elevator.

Now it was shining with hundreds of white lights and sparkled in gold and color from decorations both old and new. It was perfect. She had been delighted to discover that he owned a collection of tree decorations amassed over the years from locations all over the world. It was a tradition she herself had indulged in ever since she joined the Marines, buying ornaments at places she visited, countries she worked in, or to commemorate important occasions. They had decorated their tree together while sharing stories about their respective treasures. A new family tradition was born.

Eyes half closed, Mac sighed happily. Their first Christmas together.

She snuggled deeper into her new, gorgeous, hand-made quilt. It was a gift from her grandmother-in-law, who was only one of the many wonderful changes that had been happening in her life over the course of the past few months.

The ultimate best, of course, was the man sitting across from her on their living room sofa, gently massaging her feet.

She had a husband now. They were married. She would have him forever by her side, and he had her. The thought still made her giddy; a giddy happiness she could not contain. She looked at him mischievously and wiggled her toes in his lap. He moaned softly, held her feet a little tighter, but then he placed them against his thighs and smiled at her warmly. His eyes shone with equal parts admiration, desire, and love. She felt flushed and it had nothing to do with the crackling heat from the fireplace that permeated the room.

Mac leaned her cheek against the back of the couch and returned his smile. She took in the warm sparkle in his striking eyes. His dark hair, still sticking up spiky and tousled from last night's sleep... and activities. Her tummy fluttered at the recollection. His strong cheekbones, the morning stubble sprinkled across his chin, his luscious, tempting, delicious mouth. Features that she felt she could look at every single second of every day without ever tiring of it. What a difference only ten months could make.

Their first Christmas. So many firsts over the past months, both big and small, life-altering as well as considered insignificant by anyone but them. And it had all happened so unexpectedly, so quickly. She never would have thought such happiness was possible after the shattering heartbreak she had suffered the one night that had jump-started it all.

Noticing his wife staring into space, he asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

"Sydney."

"Ooooh," he chuckled, his face showing this cute mixture of equal parts embarrassment and pride he always displayed when they talked or thought about all that had happened between them back in Sydney.

Just like Mac's, his mind started wandering, flashing back to those days in Australia, when he had found himself acting in a way he never thought he ever would. The days that had completely and unexpectedly altered both their lives...


February 2000
Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel, Sydney, Australia
1900 AEDT

Why wouldn't this damn door open? For the fourth time, Harm slammed the paper card in the designated slot, thinking wistfully back to a time when one was handed an actual metal key that could manually be turned in a lock and not bend or rip when one was just a little more forceful. He rattled the doorknob and wiggled the card around in its slot. Finally the little light turned green and he shoved inside, slamming the door closed behind him.

This had turned into the absolutely worst trip of his life! Topless beaches (okay, that part by itself was admittedly not all that bad), obnoxious Australians (well, only one really, but whatever), daft wigs, bumps and bruises from a fist fight, and a delectable-looking Marine that had turned his whole world upside down. That had shaken up their status quo without a second thought. That had endangered their relationship, their friendship, and for what? For a quick roll in the hot, scratchy Australian sand? And to top it all off, she had moved right on to the next date, the next man, a mere two days later! Not just any man either, but BugMe, of all people! Had asked him out for tonight right in front of Harm, without a backward glance.

Images of the two of them flooded his mind, of where Mic and Mac might have gone, of what they might be doing this very moment, and he bristled with righteous indignation. 'Mic'n'Mac,' he mocked them in his mind, they might as well apply to become permanent additions to Disney World!

Unbidden, the vivid image of Mac, only Mac, kept dancing in front of his inner eye, appearing just the way she had looked the other night when she had been out with him. Green silky skirt that had hugged the curves of her hips before floating out around her legs. Low-cut sweater that had kept him wondering all night long whether she even wore a bra. There were no straps. She had smelled fresh, yet with subtle touches of something sweet, and all he wanted to do was burrow his nose against her neck to discover just what that mysterious essence was.

So why hadn't he just done it? He threw his suit jacket across the room. She had offered, hadn't she? He could've had her topless and more. They could've discovered just how fiery the chemistry that undoubtedly simmered between them could get when ignited. A night of explosive passion, desire, and mutual satisfaction was a sure bet.

Yet hearing her words, he had known immediately that one night with her would never be enough. He couldn't sleep with her, then move on as if nothing had happened. She was too precious to him to endanger their relationship with meaningless, albeit most likely very satisfying, sex. He was shocked to have found that this was what Mac wanted from him. He had believed their friendship, he, was more important to her than that.

Somehow, it just didn't seem to add up though. He felt as if that notion had been gnawing at the back of his mind since the day before last, and now finally fought its way out. He heavily sat down on the bed and hung his head, trying to connect these contradictory dots that were sprinkled all over the place and didn't seem to want to form into a picture that made any sense.

He had known this woman for over four years now. During those four years, she had dated exactly one man. He was aware of only two other relationships in her past. He was sure that she wasn't sleeping around. Granted, he had no proof, but she was his best friend, and while they each had their own lives, they had been very close for long stretches of time. He was convinced that if she was into one-night stands, he would've known, would've noticed something. It just didn't fit a woman who was looking for her 'good man.' It didn't fit all he knew about her. It didn't add up.

So why, then, had she propositioned him? Unless her intent had been much more serious and long-term... His heart contracted at the sudden insight. Her face, the way she had looked at him during that fated conversation flashed before his eyes and suddenly he simply knew in his heart that this was exactly what she had wanted. He couldn't believe he hadn't felt the sadness and heartbreak radiating from her the other evening. And he had taken her out for a hot dog and reenacted a damn crime. God, he had been such an idiot!

He jumped up with a burst of energy, prepared to right this wrong somehow, when the reality of a 'forever' hit him like a boulder. Was he ready for all that? Wasn't that, if he was honest with himself, the true, hidden reason behind his rejecting her? He slumped right back down on his bed. There was no doubt in his mind that Mac was the only woman he could ever see a forever with, but it felt too early for them. Could he really be all that she needed? Give her all that she deserved?

After his return to flying, he had felt increasingly unstable. When he came back to JAG, he sensed that all his relationships had cooled or disintegrated, and while he was more and more getting his footing back, he still didn't feel on even ground. He couldn't fathom ever hurting her, losing her, if all his issues got the better of him. Maybe chances were better for them when he felt more stable, more secure in his position at JAG, surer about all that he was feeling...

But would there ever be a time for them? They were in the military after all; either he or she could be reassigned any day and then they'd be separated forever. His throat constricted at the thought. Even if that didn't happen, what if he missed their window of opportunity, too involved in the daily grind to catch this elusive, perfect time waiting for them to claim it as theirs? Not to forget that even if he made his move at aforementioned point in time, there was no guarantee that a relationship between them would turn out well then. Or that she wouldn't have moved on by then, unaware of his feelings and intentions.

Fact was, it suddenly hit him, there weren't any guarantees in life, and he could never be certain of success at any given point in time. But failure was a certainty if they never tried, and 'never' wasn't something he ever wanted to think about in connection with Mac. Failure was not an option, not when it came to her.

So he was going to try.

Yet there was the unfortunate reality of her being out on a date with Mic. He was hit by the sudden insight that she had asked him out so quickly because she was trying to move on from the hurt Harm's rejection had caused her. That it had hurt her much more than she ever let on. He knew his Mac well enough by now to be aware that what she had been sorely lacking in her life was feeling loved. Were people that she trusted and that truly loved her. Deep down, it was what she was searching for. What she craved, what she needed.

This, he most certainly could give her, now and forever. After all, he had already been loving her in secret for years. Yet he, a man she trusted, had rejected what she was offering, seemingly proving once again that she wasn't worthy to be loved. Oh shit.

He needed to fix this. Now.

A vision of Mic's mocking smirk was the final straw that spurred him into action. Grabbing his cell phone, he rushed out of the hotel. A few well-placed phone calls later he knew exactly where he needed to be heading.

He was going to fight for her. For them.


Le Kiosk Restaurant, Shelly Beach, Sydney
2010 AEDT

Mac was floating absentmindedly through her second dance with Mic. Warm, soft gusts of wind blew in from the ocean, across the beach, and snuck under the gigantic fig tree that covered the outdoor terrace of the restaurant where she was currently entwined in his arms. It ruffled her hair and planted grains of sand in her eyes, making them watery. She held back the tears that formed, damning the wind for making her almost cry. Why else would she feel like crying if it wasn't for the wind and sand? Exactly.

Mic really had gone all out to ensure an enjoyable evening. The restaurant he had chosen was incredibly romantic, provided the most stunning view over the beach and the ocean, and the food had been amazing. The conversation with him was always interesting and he even danced well. All in all, it had the makings of a wonderful date.

If only her mind stopped wandering.

Of course it would be Harm she was thinking about. If she weren't in the midst of a dance, she would've stomped her feet up and down like Rumpelstiltskin; that's how agitated she was internally. Why was she incapable of banishing Harm from her mind? A man who had never made any moves in her direction, who never picked up on it when she hinted that she was lonely, that it was him she wanted, him she loved with all her heart. Subtlety and hints hadn't worked, so infused by the romance of being in a foreign country, thawed by the hot Australian sun, she had laid herself open for him. She wanted him, and she let him know it. She was willing to risk it all, if only she could have him.

And he had ripped out her heart, then did an Irish jig on top of it for good measure.

Disturbed by her thoughts, she distractedly dug her fingers deeper into the dress uniform of her dance partner. In response he pulled her tighter toward him, her breasts crushing against his chest. Surprised and a little disconcerted by the sudden bodily contact, she tried to reign her mind back in on the man she was actually with. Why couldn't she just enjoy being out with Mic, a man who obviously adored her? Granted, his advances did make her uncomfortable at times, but he was only going for what he wanted, and that was an admirable trait, right?

Here was a man that enjoyed his medium rare, char-grilled Angus steak just as much as she had during dinner, and all she could think about was how much she missed Harm teasing her about her food choices.

Damn it, it was over, MacKenzie! He had let her know in no uncertain terms that he didn't want her. She had to get over it. The worst though had been seeing him so uncomfortable with her, scooting away, gripping the rails behind him as if he was afraid of her and couldn't wait to get away. He was afraid of her. It hurt so much that her stomach cramped.

"I'd like to talk to you about something, Sarah." Mic's sudden words pulled her back to reality, and she lifted her eyes to look at him expectantly, trying to banish all other contemplations from her mind.

"Sounds serious."

He smiled, trying to put her at ease. "I know you like me, Sarah." He chuckled, a teasing twinkle in his eyes.

Mac was more than confused as to where this conversation would be heading, so she covered her bewilderment with a laugh that managed to almost completely conceal her discomfiture. "Of course I like you, Mic."

His hands wandered down to her waist, and all teasing disappeared from his eyes. She gulped.

"Sarah, I'm in lo..." But then he stopped mid-sentence; brows knit, eyes grim, he stared over her shoulder.

Before she could ask what the problem was, she felt someone tap her on her shoulder. She swiveled around.

"Harm!" she exclaimed.

"Would you excuse us, Mic," he said overly polite, as if he hadn't just interrupted someone else's date, "Sarah and I have something important to discuss."

Next thing she knew, she was swung through the air and in quick succession found herself slung over his shoulder, dangling head first down his back. He held her tightly by her legs and simply marched off.

"Harrr... rrrmmmmm," she hissed, her words interrupted by the bouncing sensation caused by his stride. "What the... hell! Put me... down, dammit... Are you... crazy?" It was pointless; he didn't answer and she had no leverage in that position to free herself from his grip. Even worse, he was walking so fast that she bobbed along like a buoy in stormy waves, vaguely fearing that her breasts would drop out of her top any second now, and she had to clutch his waist to hold on. For good measure, she gripped him really tightly, digging her fingernails into his flesh as deeply as she could, but he didn't react to that either.

The worst was that the guests at the restaurant seemed to enjoy the show. They cheered them on, clapped or signaled her thumbs up, and smiled happily as if this ridiculous caveman-behavior was the most romantic thing they had ever seen. She was seething.

But she also couldn't help the intrigue that joined her anger. She couldn't stop curiosity from spreading through her, making her wonder what his plan was and what would happen next. She decided that she would bob along quietly for now; no point in exerting herself too early on. Her time for revenge would come.

Back on the terrace a waiter who had observed the whole incident sidled up next to Mic.

"Would you like us to call security, Sir?"

"No," Mic answered dejectedly, still staring down the path his date had vanished on. "I think she is exactly where she wants to be."


Shelly Beach, Sydney
2020 AEDT

Right about now, Harm really wished he had made a plan. Any plan. Storming in and practically kidnapping her from her date would certainly not have been a part of said plan. But when he had arrived at the restaurant, the first thing he had seen was his Mac entwined in another man's arms, and he had seen red. All he could think of was to get her away, consequences be damned.

He should've remembered that he had slung a well-trained Marine over his shoulder - any consequences involved would likely be extremely high up on the painful scale.

The restaurant was located right next to the beach, so he carried her out and hobbled through the sand across the more or less deserted, dark beach. He had no idea what to do next.

Mac was aware that on the empty beach with its uneven footing, she could easily get away from him, but dipping head first into the sand wasn't very appealing to her, no matter what they taught you at boot camp. She would be waiting for his next move. So there.

It was when he reached a sheltered cove that he lifted her off his shoulder and placed her back on her own feet in front of him.

It all happened so fast that later on, he could never recall the exact order of his defeat. His knees buckled from strong pressure applied to their backs. He fell, landed painfully on his back, breath knocked out of him for a moment. Immobilized by the Marine immediately landing astride him, gripping each of his wrists tightly and holding them to the sand.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" She hissed through her teeth, leaning across his upper body. Her eyes fierily sparkled with anger.

The pain seared through him like he was being stabbed with knives.

"Ribs, Mac," he wheezed out, trying to keep breathing through the pain. "Broken..."

"Oh." She immediately sat up straight, looking befuddled before she remembered the two broken ribs he had incurred during his fistfight with Mic. Compassion warmed her eyes.

He was breathless. And it had no longer anything to do with his broken ribs and everything with the stunning woman sitting on top of him. She took his breath away.

"You are so beautiful."

She stared at him, completely stunned.

For a mere second.

Then the anger was back full force. Accompanied by a deep, penetrating hurt. He could read it all so clearly in her eyes as she stared at him wordlessly. He wondered why he had been misunderstanding her for years, when he could've just read everything she felt deep in her beautiful eyes. Words escaped him. He felt as if there was nothing he could say to right this whole situation. Not a new feeling when Mac was concerned; she'd often had him tongue-tied from the very first time they met. It seemed that for all his courtroom eloquence, he could never think of the needed impassioned plea when he spoke with her.

She suddenly dropped her head, then got off of him and stalked away. Her high heels made walking through the sand a challenge, and she wobbled unsteadily. Yet she marched on with determination. Away from him.

She didn't get this man, she just didn't get him. All he did was act out of jealousy, yet wasn't interested when she was available. And she had been available to him for months, years now.

"I'm sorry, Mac!" He yelled after her.

"For what?" She turned back toward him. "For ruining my date, or for the other night?" She stemmed her arms into her sides, waiting for his explanation.

"Mac..."

"Damn it Harm, who the hell do you think you are? You are not my keeper!" She came stalking back. "You don't get to decide who I go out with, or when my dates end!" She punctured the air with her index finger with every 'you.' "You don't have any claim on me whatsoever!"

Having arrived in front of him now, she suddenly felt completely drained. "You've made your feelings perfectly clear." She was pleading with him now, no longer capable of hiding the love she felt for him and the hurt and pain he had caused her with his rejection. "And since you don't want me, you have to let me go, Harm." Her eyes dropped, and she turned, trying to leave.

"Mac, no, I do." He reached for her arm and pulled her back toward him. "I do want you."

"That's not what you told me the other night. Harm, you rejected me!"

"I didn't reject you, Mac. Just what you were offering. I didn't understand what..."

"Oh my god." Understanding suddenly hit her. "You thought I was propositioning you?" Her voice turned breathless, shock rendering her immovable. "For a... one-night stand?"

"Yes... No! I mean, maybe at first..."

She couldn't believe he didn't know that he meant so much more to her. That he meant everything to her. "I thought you knew me better than that..." she added wobbly, fighting her tears.

"I do. Mac, please listen to me," he pleaded. There was an almost desperate intensity in his voice that squeezed her heart. Slowly she lifted her eyes up to his.

"Mac, I was just shocked and surprised and I couldn't think straight. When I thought it all through, I realized that it couldn't be what I thought it was. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes. Okay. Apology accepted. Can I go now?" She felt so drained, so tired of it all. She turned away from him and began walking, accompanied only by his silence. He said he wanted her, but apparently just not enough to do anything about it. She knew his apology was heartfelt; she could read it in his voice and in his eyes. Yet in light of all that had happened, it wasn't enough, wasn't what she so desperately craved to hear from him, or feel from him, and she felt she was no longer capable of waiting.

This was so not going the way he had hoped. Harm watched her; subconsciously counting the steps that brought her farther and farther away from him. It was at number six that his mind finally caught up to the fact that she was actually leaving. The situation had completely slipped away from him. He had taken off tonight trying to right what had gone wrong the other night, trying to let her know how he felt about her, and it seemed as if he hadn't had a moment's control over any part of their conversation. He flashed back to the other night, the fateful misunderstandings, intent on correcting his slip-ups step by step.

"What would you have done if I had said yes?"

"What?" She stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around.

"You asked, 'is that a request.' What if I had said yes?" Way to go Harm. Open mouth, insert foot. Of any point of their fated exchange, he had no clue what on earth made him pick the part of her being topless as his starting point.

She swiveled around, shocked. Standing immovable for infinite moments, her mind flooded with so many emotions that she had trouble sorting through them. She was completely off balance.

Suddenly an idea took hold, so audacious that she immediately dismissed it. But the seed was planted, and it kept revolving in her mind, presenting itself from every angle as the only possible way to react to his question. She couldn't really do it though, could she? Dammit Colonel! The kick-ass Marine in her kept urging her on. You're a Marine, fight like one!

Although she didn't think that would be quite what the Marines had in mind.

Slowly, deliberately, Mac walked back toward him. When she arrived right in front of him, she reached for the hem of her top. Never taking her eyes off him, she pulled off her shirt and threw it behind her into the sand.

His knees turned weak, all his blood rushed south, and his mouth felt as if it was lined with cotton balls. Her dark skin glinted invitingly in the gloomy, bluish tint of the moonlight. She was stunning. Absolutely perfect.

Yet what got to him the most wasn't that she was standing in front of him topless, it was the incredible amount of courage she had shown by taking this step. And the complete and utter trust she had just placed in him by completely baring herself to him (no pun intended), for the second time in so many days.

As clearly as if she had actually spoken, her facial expression read 'your turn, Harm. You asked, you got your answer,' it challenged. 'What will you do next?'

He gulped once, twice, while his mind tried to arrange the words he needed to say in the correct order. Nothing but the absolute truth and honesty would do at this point; anything else would mean belittling the trust she had just placed in him and make him a coward in the face of her bravery.

"I had an epiphany tonight, Mac."

Her insides were fluttering, the blood rushed through her veins so quickly that she felt light-headed. It took all her Marine training not to shake like a leaf. She didn't think she had ever been this afraid before in her life. But she hid it well, and the only acknowledgment Harm got was a lift of one of her eyebrows.

"I don't want to wait any longer either," he continued. "I don't think we should. The only way we can truly get this wrong is if we never try; anything else can be fixed. We can fix it. Together, we can do anything."

"Just like that? Two days ago, you said you couldn't let go, Harm. And now you are suddenly ready? What changed? And how can you be so sure that you won't feel different again in a week or so? I can't risk my heart with you if you're not certain. I wouldn't survive losing you."

Her honesty, the pain in her voice gripped him somewhere deep inside. His heart thumped in his chest, the blood rushing through his ears so loudly that he was almost sure she could hear it, too. He briefly called on a higher deity to help him put his feelings into the right words, to match this life-altering declaration of love that had been so clearly enveloped between the lines Mac had just spoken.

"That is exactly what changed, Mac. I finally realized that I wouldn't survive without you either. I mean, I think I have always known, deep inside, ever since I met you." He reached for her and intertwined his fingers with hers. "I know that I want you in my life from now until forever. I need you. I ache for you. Most of all, I love you. You are the most loving, compassionate, strong, smart, beautiful, the most amazing woman I have ever met. I've never loved anybody as much as I love you, Mac."

Only when he closed his mouth did he become aware that for once in connection with Mac, he hadn't put his foot into his mouth, hadn't dropped chaff, hadn't hid in the lonely safety of distraction and shrouded words. In the most important argument of his life, he had managed to say exactly what he wanted to say, put the words in exactly the right order, had honestly revealed all he was feeling, no holds barred. Just as she deserved to hear.

Her mouth dropped open and a burst of air rushed out, a breath that she hadn't even realized she had been holding throughout his words. She had the strongest sensation of floating. Of soaring up into the sky, becoming one with the stars, free and light and unbelievably happy.

There were no words. They simply wouldn't come. His declaration was so unexpected, so unbelievable, so incomprehensible... so honest, so heartwarming, so amazing... that all she could do was fling herself in his arms. She clung to him, her arms around his neck, her face buried into the cradle of his neck. After the other night, she had given up believing that these words would ever come, that he'd ever feel for her what she felt for him. Suddenly all her dreams were coming true, and the accompanying rush made her head spin.

He held her close to him, running his fingers up and down her back. His touches left a trail of goose bumps in their wake. He was overwhelmed by the rightness of having her in his arms, by the perfection with which her curves fit his planes and angles, by the softness of her skin and her enticing scent. This was the best trip he had ever taken, the best decision he had ever made.

"Are you sure we can do this, Harm?" She murmured against his skin, her warm breath whispering against the cords of his neck. "What about JAG, our careers?" She immediately chided herself for the idiocy of bringing this up now. After all, she had been the one jump-starting this turn of events, consequences be damned. Now was a fine time to turn insecure on him.

"Yes we can. We'll figure it out together." His voice was so convincing that she simply believed him. Because of course it was going to work.

"It'll all be worth it, Mac. For you."

She lifted her eyes up to his and smiled a wobbly smile. "For us," she declared. She caressed his face with her fingertips, trailing them along the soft lines of his mouth and down his jaw.

"I love you too, Harm," she declared solemnly. "You're all I ever wanted."

Slowly she came closer, narrowing down the space between their faces until their breaths turned into one. It was impossible to know who moved first, but then, finally, their lips met in a tender embrace. Slowly at first, she caressed his mouth, discovering his shape and taste and feel. Her tongue joined the sensual journey, and his mouth opened to her, meeting her urging with gentle touches. Heat bubbled inside of her, slowly flowing through her fingers and her toes, flushing her face, settling in her fluttering belly.

He held her tighter to him, their mouths melting together, deeper and deeper, more passionate than either had felt before. Two souls, finally becoming one. With one arm wrapped around her waist, he used the other hand to caress her skin, stroking up and down her spine, over her shoulder, along her neck under her hair, then down again and to her sides.

Her insides were fluttering stronger and stronger, each touch of his fingers felt like small shots of sparking electricity jolting through her. When his hand trailed down her side, stroking along the outline of her breast, she softly moaned into his mouth.

They broke apart, not necessarily surprised that they'd lose control so quickly, but in utter need of some air. Breathing heavily, their eyes connected.

She couldn't wait to be with him, simply could not wait to get started on her new life with this incredible man. She pulled his shirt out of the waistband of his pants, then brought her hands underneath it, in dire need to feel his hot skin just like he could feel hers. She needed him.

"How's the view from your room?" She asked, lifting her eyebrows suggestively. Her seductive voice insinuated that she was interested in anything but the view.

He tugged her to his side and started walking, heading for the nearest way to get off this beach. "Incredible." He tripped over something that turned out to be her discarded shirt. He picked it up, handed it to her, and she haphazardly slipped it back on. "You can see the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge."

"I heard they wrote Eternity on that bridge, in light, on New Year's Eve." She winked at him.

He stopped and pulled her into his arms once more. He kissed her again, slow and warm and long, then laid his forehead against hers.

"Eternity. I like the sound of that."


December 25th, 2000
Apartment of Mr. and Mrs. MacKenzie-Rabb
0945 EST

"Sometimes I still cannot believe you waltzed into that restaurant and just carried me out!"

"What can I say Mac, seeing you in Bugme's arms just gave me no choice," he grinned.

She smiled indulgently at his use of his rival's 'nickname.' "Come on, Mic wasn't all bad..."

"But he made you uncomfortable," he pointed out.

"Yes he did. Some of his advances were just too... brazen for me," she admitted.

"Brazen?" He guffawed. "You are one to talk. You almost gave me a heart attack when you suddenly took your top off!"

"Hmm," she hummed with the recollection, "I think I gave you more than that." She flirtingly lifted her eyebrows at him.

"Yes you did. You still do." He smiled sweetly, before the teasing twinkle stole its way back into his eyes. "You know, I had decided at that very moment that you can take your top off for me any time!"

"Hmm, I just bet you did," she grinned. "Right back at you, Commander!"

He grinned mischievously, then reached for the hem of his t-shirt and swiftly pulled it off.

Not one to be outdone, she slowly trailed her foot up his chest, twirling her sock-covered toe through the springy curls on his chest. He made a grab for it, then tugged on her foot a little. Understanding his message, she sat up and climbed around until she was aligned with him. He covered them both with the quilt and wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her on top of him in the process.

She reached up and kissed him sweetly. "Merry Christmas, Harm."

"Merry Christmas, Mac." He smiled. "Our first Christmas together."

THE END