Title: Possessions

Author: Kimber

Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer: the usual

Thank you to editor extraordinare, Sarah Brown!!

Mac smiled at the knock on her door and crossed her apartment to let in her

partner. "Right on time, for once." Her smile brightened as she met Harm's

gaze. She just barely resisted the urge to reach out and touch him as he

passed her to enter the apartment. Those urges were getting harder and

harder to resist.

"Well, I couldn't keep you waiting, now could I? Not when food is involved,

anyway." He smiled back at her. Man, what a fabulous smile she has, he

thought to himself. Harm's glance swept up and down her trim figure. She

was stunning, even just in jeans shorts and a sleeveless, front-buttoning

shirt, the yellow color bringing out golden flecks in her deep brown eyes.

Harm had to consciously rein in his wandering thoughts. He found himself

having to do that more and more often lately. When his mind strayed from

whatever task was at hand, he always found himself thinking about his

partner. And not thinking of her in terms of their working relationship or

even in terms of their close friendship. He found himself wondering what it

would be like to taste her lips, feel the softness of her skin against his,

hear her sigh with pleasure as he kissed his way down the column of her

throat.

"Earth to Harm," Mac said, startling him slightly as she reached out and

touched his arm, the heat of the touch warming both of them. "Where did you

go?" she asked, puzzled. She had noticed over the last few weeks that Harm's

mind had been wandering more and more. She had been chalking it up to stress

over their heavier-than-usual caseload, but now she wasn't so sure. He

seemed more confused than stressed. At any rate, they both deserved this

little break. They had promised themselves that they would relax this

weekend, no shoptalk allowed.

"Ah, nowhere. I was just thinking about the weekend. This break has been a

long time coming."

Mac wasn't sure why it mattered, but she was disappointed at his response.

What did you expect, she chided herself, a confession of his undying love for

you? Mac had come to terms weeks ago with her feelings for her handsome

partner. She was in love with him. And it scared the hell out of her, for

many reasons. Her track record was less than glowing when it came to men.

Three dead, one ruined career, and a psychopath; and that was just the

cliffnotes version. She had finally found the man of her dreams and he was

her best friend. She wasn't sure she was strong enough to handle losing that

friendship. Oh, she could survive without him, but she knew she wouldn't be

happy without him. So, she buried those precious feelings for him deep in

heart and only let them out when she was alone. After all, she had her

dreams, and her fantasies. They would have to be enough, at least until he

made the first move. Yeah right, she thought derisively, as if that would

ever happen.

"Now who's left?" he laughed, bringing her back to the present. "We really

have been working too hard."

"Yeah, I think so." Mac said absently as she removed her hand from his arm

and rubbed at her temples. She suddenly had an awful pain behind her eyes.

The room started spinning and she felt slightly nauseous. Mac could feel

herself falling, she made a weak attempt to reach for Harm to catch herself,

to no avail. She heard Harm calling her name but was powerless against the

blackness that swiftly engulfed her.

"Mac!?!" Harm called out as she crumpled. He quickly caught her before she

fell and gently laid her on the floor. Her pulse was steady and strong, her

breathing regular. Mac's face was lightly flushed, but she didn't feel

feverish to him. What the hell had happened? He ran a hand through the silk

of her hair, more to comfort himself than anything else. He was just

reaching for the phone to dial 911 when Mac started murmuring. Harm was

immensely relieved, more relieved than he thought possible, but then this was

the woman he was in love with.

Harm brushed his fingers across her cheek. "Mac? Can you hear me? Come on

Mac, wake up." He rubbed her upper arms lightly as he knelt over her, hoping

to wake her.

She groaned and brought her hands to her head. "I didn't think it would hurt

this much," she whispered as she opened her eyes.

Harm dropped his hands from her arms and sat back, astonished, shocked,

unbelieving, a sick feeling spreading in the pit of his stomach. For the

voice he'd just heard and the eyes looking up at him weren't Mac's, they were

Diane's.

"Diane?" He croaked. "How. . .? What's going on?" Once his initial shock

had worn off, acceptance had replaced it quickly. Had he not had paranormal

experiences before concerning his search for his father, Harm would have

thought he'd lost his marbles. But as it was, there was no denying that it

was Diane laying on the floor in front of him. By sight alone, the two women

could have passed for twins, but the eyes told the truth. He would have

known the difference anywhere.

"I had to come back to see you, but only for a little while. I have

something very important to tell you." Diane sat up slowly, getting used to

the physical world again. Harm stood and helped her to her feet. She

wobbled and grasped his arms to steady herself. Harm noted that her skin was

cooler than normal, a chill ran down his spine at his next thought.

"What happened to Mac?" he attempted to keep the panic and worry out of his

voice. He trusted that Diane wouldn't hurt Mac, but then what did he know

about being possessed? That's what this was, wasn't it?

Diane smiled knowingly at him. "She's fine. She's here, but not here. I

know this must be extremely confusing for you, Harm. You'll have Mac back

very soon, I promise. I just had to come see you again."

"I'm not dreaming, am I? Or crazy?" Harm took her hands in his. He wasn't

sure what he was feeling, beyond the confusion. The woman who, at one time,

he thought was <the> one, only to later be taken violently from him was

standing in front of him. The really odd thing was, he didn't feel the same

way about her. He had to laugh at himself over that thought, of course he

didn't feel the same way about her, she was dead. It was just that, seeing

her here, he realized that what he felt for Mac was so much more than what he

had felt for Diane.

"No, you're not crazy or dreaming," she smiled gently at him. "I am real,

maybe not in every sense of the word, but that doesn't matter. What matters

is that you listen to what I have to tell you."

Harm nodded and smiled, "You always did have a flair for the dramatic when it

came to getting my attention."

"Oh, how I have missed that smile," she reached up and lightly ran her

fingertips across his lips. "But, I don't have much time. I came back to

tell you not to make the same mistake twice. Harm, I know you thought that

we were meant to be together, and when I was alive, I felt that way too. We

thought we had all the time in world, but we were wrong. Don't do that with

Mac. I know you love her, and I'm happy for you, truly I am. You and I

weren't meant to be, but you and your Sarah are. Don't fight it any more,

tell her how you feel."

"You came back to tell me to love another woman? Why?"

"Because I want you to be happy. And I'm not telling to love just any other

woman. I'm telling you to go ahead and admit your love for the woman you are

destined to be with. The tricky thing is, you're going to have to make the

first move, she won't. She's too stubborn, and afraid."

Harm chuckled, "My Marine isn't afraid of anything."

"She's afraid of losing you." Diane blinked rapidly and sighed. "I have to

go now, Harm. Please don't wait any longer, find your happiness with Sarah

now. Don't let the chance pass you by."

"Diane, I. . ." she stopped him with a hand over his mouth.

"Don't say it, Harm. I know. I'll always love you, and I know that in your

own way, you'll always love me too." Diane leaned forward and gently kissed

him. It was a kiss that said goodbye.

Harm could tell the very instant Diane left and Mac returned. The kiss went

from merely nice to volcanic in the space between heartbeats. One heartbeat

Diane's, his former love, the next Mac's, the woman he now realized was <the>

love of his life. Mac swayed slightly and clung to Harm to keep her balance.

He banded his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly to him. She

gasped and Harm took advantage of the movement to plunge his tongue into her

mouth and caress hers. Mac returned the passion in his kiss instinctively,

letting him plunder her mouth and sliding her tongue along his.

She wasn't sure how they came to be this way, Harm kissing her and her

responding as if he were her lifeline. Mac remembered blacking out. She

remembered the sensation of leaving her own body, and the knowledge that her

body was the vessel for another being. Most vividly she remembered the calm

and peace she felt when she realized that the friendly being was Diane. The

two women shared more in the brief time their beings had passed each other

than most people share in months. She knew that Diane just wanted to say

goodbye to Harm, to put some finality to their relationship. Diane. The

thought of the other woman had her mind screaming at her: what if Harm

thought she was still Diane?

Mac reluctantly pulled away from the kiss. She wasn't sure of her ability to

stand so she kept her arms around Harm's shoulders, allowing him to continue

to hold her close. Besides, being this close to him was a remarkable

sensation. They were both breathing rapidly, each secretly relishing the

feel of the other's body pressing closer with each breath. Mac buried her

face into his neck, enjoying his scent.

"Mac, are you all right?" Harm asked, the concern evident in his voice. It

was not like her to be clingy, no matter the situation. His next thought had

him smiling into her hair - maybe she was enjoying the embrace as much as he

was.

She drew back and looked him in the face. Thank god, he thought, gazing into

her eyes, she really was back. She looked a little unsure of herself. "You

knew it was me?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, I knew it was you. Diane started the kiss, a platonic kiss, but I

could tell when you were back to being you." He smiled gently at her, trying

to reassure her. He raised one hand and caressed her cheek, brushing his

thumb across her full bottom lip and drawing her closer. "I am going to kiss

you again, Sarah," he whispered before their lips met. This kiss was even

hotter than the first. Tongues clashed and dueled, both of them moaning at

the sensation. Mac was on fire, she had never craved a man like she craved

Harm. Her body responded to the lust in his kiss like dry grass to a match:

she went up in flames.

Harm buried his hand in her hair and held the back of her head, ensuring the

continuation of the kiss even as he backed her against the door. He bucked

his hips against hers, making her aware of how very much he wanted her. His

hard shaft pressing against her caused her to groan and spread her legs

slightly to allow him closer to her center. Harm breathlessly broke away

from her mouth. He couldn't believe how turned on he was, after only two

kisses. If they didn't slow this down, he wasn't going to be able to control

himself. She was driving him wild with desire.

"Harm, I . . . this is crazy, isn't it?" Mac asked, as she nipped and licked

at his neck. "I mean, we're just friends, right?" She wasn't sure she

wanted to hear his response, wasn't sure she could stop this headlong rush to

make love with him. But is that what it would be to him, making love? Or

would it just be sex? And, most importantly, did she care?

He reluctantly drew her away from his neck, a hand on either side of her

head. He had her trapped up against the door, continuing the pressure of his

groin against hers. Harm looked her straight in the eyes. "I wouldn't be

doing this if we were 'just friends,' Mac. I wouldn't use you that way. I

love you, I am in love with you, and I want to make love with you, but only

if that's what you want too." He was confident of his words and confident of

her love for him, he could see it in her eyes. He just wasn't confident that

this was the right time to have admitted it to her.

"Oh, Harm, I love you, too. So very much. I just don't want to ruin our

friendship. It means the world to me." Mac's heart was pounding in her

chest. Her dreams were coming true. The man she loved, her best friend,

loved her too.

"You could never ruin our friendship. We'll have that no matter what. But,

I don't think we have to worry about it. This is meant to be." He smiled

that flyboy smile she adored.

"How do you know that? Divine inspiration?"

"You could say that. But, Mac, can we talk about this later?"

"Yeah, later. Right now, you need to shut up and kiss me again." She tugged

his head down to hers and fused her mouth to his. Mac thrust her hips into

his, eliciting a groan from him. He ran his hand down her side, pausing to

tease the side of her breast lightly before trailing down her leg and hooking

behind her knee, bringing her leg up to rest around his thigh. Harm rocked

himself against her; he could feel the heat emanating from her and it only

drove him on. He trailed wet kisses down her throat as he untucked and

unbuttoned her blouse. Pulling the shirt open he gazed at her perfect

breasts, her nipples already hard peaks pushing at the lace of her bra. He

undid the front hook and pushed the material to the side. He lightly traced

circles around her aureole with his fingers as his thumbs brushed over her

nipples. The whimpers and moans Mac was making grew louder as he lowered his

head and sucked the tip of one breast into his mouth. He laved the tight bud

with his tongue, then scraped his teeth along the sensitive flesh before

moving to the other breast to give it the same attention.

Mac couldn't remain idle any longer. She pulled his t-shirt from the waist

of his jeans and explored his stomach and chest. God, he was well-built.

She ran her hands up and down the hard flesh of his chest, enjoying the play

of his muscles under her fingers. Narrowing in on his flat nipples, she

flicked at them until they peaked. Harm released her breast from his mouth,

ripped his shirt off over his head and crushed her to him. The feel of skin

on skin was magical. They were both fast approaching desperation. By

mutual, unspoken understanding, they rushed to remove their remaining

clothes. Mac dropped her leg from around Harm as he fumbled with the button

and zipper on her shorts. His jeans dropped to the floor, along with his

boxers and Mac grasped his hard shaft with both hands, massaging up and down

the length of him. She was impressed with how large he was and felt herself

grow even wetter in anticipation of having him buried deep inside her.

Harm finally managed to undo her shorts and pushed them down her thighs with

the silky panties she was wearing. Mac frantically kicked them off and then

cried out his name as he sank his fingers deep in the mass of curls at the

juncture of her thighs. She arched her hips up to give him easier access and

he rewarded her by rubbing her clit with his thumb as he plunged two fingers

deep into her core. She was hot, wet and more than ready for him. "Harm,

please," she begged him. She braced her hands on his shoulders and wrapped

her legs around his waist.

"God, Mac, you're incredible," he groaned into her mouth as he kissed her.

He removed his hand from her, positioned the head of his member against her

swollen bud and rubbed it up and down, teasing her. Mac thrust toward him

and he finally plunged deep into her with one fast, hard stroke. They both

stilled, savoring the moment. Overwhelming desire quickly replaced the

momentary contentment they felt and Harm slid out of her almost completely

and thrust himself home, setting a fast, furious pace. He grasped her hips

with his large hands to help support her as he hammered himself into her.

Mac tore her mouth from his so she could breathe. She buried her face in his

shoulder as she met him thrust for thrust. They both lost control, striving

for release. Harm could feel her body tensing as he drove her closer and

closer to climax and he quickened his pace.

"Oh, yes, Harm!" Mac shrieked as her orgasm washed over her and she sank her

teeth into his shoulder. Harm thrust once more and buried himself in her as

deep as he could and stilled, relishing the feel of her inner muscles

convulsing around his penis as his own orgasm overtook him and he shouted her

name.

Long moments passed with their heavy breathing the only sound to be heard.

Harm turned them around so his back was to the door and then sank to the

floor with her. She unwrapped her legs from around him and straddled his

lap, their bodies still intimately joined. Mac was gently running her lips

over the teeth marks on his shoulder, "I'm sorry," she whispered, slightly

embarrassed. He brought her face to his, kissing her forehead, her closed

eyes, and her nose before settling on her mouth for a tender moment.

"It didn't hurt, much" he grinned. "Let's just consider it a brand. Because

from this moment on, we belong to each other."

Mac smiled that fabulous smile again. "Possessions?" They laughed at the

abominable, if accurate, pun; because they both knew it was true.

FINIS