The Next Conflicting Phase
Part Thirty
�Amen,� Mac agreed fervently as she followed him in, one hand holding all of the mail they�d accumulated while they�d been away and the other reaching out to flip on a light. Tossing her bag next to Harm�s, she made a halfhearted attempt to flip through the mail to see if there was anything important before shaking her head in defeat and tossing it on the table next to Harm�s keys. There could be a check for a million dollars in there, she thought wearily to herself, and she wouldn�t be able to tell at this point. Stepping up behind Harm, who was still trying to work out the kinks in his back after the long flight, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his back.
�What do you say we go upstairs and collapse into bed and not get up for a week?�
Harm turned in her arms. �I say that sounds wonderful. Impossible, but wonderful.� He smiled when she let out a discontented whimper at his response, and rubbed his hands soothingly down her back in comfort. �I have an idea. How about we get changed, order some Chinese food, and then curl up on the sofa and watch television until it�s late enough that we can legitimately go to bed?�
�I like my idea better,� she pouted as she pulled out of his arms, and then let out a defeated sigh. �But I guess yours will do. Why don�t you go get changed first while I check the messages and phone in our order?�
�Okay,� he agreed as he watched her head towards the kitchen. �I�ll take the bags.�
So saying, he scooped them both up by the handles and headed upstairs. Once inside the bedroom, he dropped them on the floor of the closet, figuring they�d unpack them sometime this weekend. Then he quickly shed his uniform and tossed it in the hamper before pulling on his most comfortable pair of jeans and an old Seahawk t-shirt. Dropping wearily to the bed, he resisted his urge to grab a pillow and bury his head under it and not come out until Sunday. He was just as tired as Mac was, but he knew if they slept now it would take them that much longer to recover from the jet lag. So he dragged himself up into a sitting position, stuffing a pillow behind his back to make himself more comfortable, and waited for Mac to join him.
Fifteen minutes later, he was still waiting, albeit very impatiently. It never took this long to check messages and order Chinese, and he was starting to wonder if maybe she�d fallen asleep at the kitchen table mid-order. He had just decided to wait one more minute before going down after her when he heard her coming up the stairs. She was moving very slowly, and he assumed that she must be even more tired than he�d thought, until she finally appeared in the doorway and he saw the drawn, tense look on her face. He sat up straighter, alarmed.
�What is it?�
She didn�t move, didn�t even look up as she said in a quiet, flat voice, �It�s official. General Cresswell is the new JAG.�
�What?� He wasn�t sure exactly what he�d expected her to say, but that definitely hadn�t been it. A small knot of unease settled into his stomach. �But Bud said-�
�I know what he said, Harm,� she interrupted irritably, �but now he�s saying that Cresswell�s the JAG.� When she saw Harm flinch a little at her tone, she forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. This wasn�t his fault, and she didn�t want to take it out on him. She was just unprepared to deal with this so soon; she�d thought she�d have more time to talk this out with him and make her decision. �He�ll be there when we report back on Monday morning.�
Harm watched as Mac finally stepped into the room and headed over to the closet. She quickly shrugged out of her uniform and then walked over to the dresser and grabbed a pair of sweats. Trying not to get distracted by the tempting sight of her reaching down into the bottom drawer wearing only a bra and panties, he focused his thoughts on words of reassurance. �Mac, it�s going to be okay. You�ll see.�
Mac didn�t respond as she slipped into her sweats and pulled the pins out of her hair. Grabbing a brush, she moved over to the bed and sat down next to him, brushing silently as she tried to figure out the best way to tell him about the next important piece of information.
�There was another message on the machine,� she finally said, looking down at her hands as they picked idly at a stray thread on the comforter. �From Dawn Keegan. The one who�s putting together that book on breast cancer?� she reminded him when he just stared at her blankly. Recognition flashed in his eyes.
�Yeah, sorry. I�m more tired than I thought,� he apologized, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
It had been almost three months since Mac�s doctor had put her in contact with one of his former patients � a five-year cancer survivor who wanted to write a no-holds barred book that talked about what happened from the moment a woman found out she had breast cancer. She was getting stories and photos from women from all over the country, and from family members of women who had lost the fight. When she told Joe about her book, he�d immediately thought of Mac.
�What did she want?� Harm asked curiously. �I thought your part of the book was written.�
The process of contributing her story to the book had been tough on Mac; dragging up a lot of fear and anger she thought she�d gotten past. But in the end it was a cathartic experience, and she told Harm when it was over that she felt like it was one of the most rewarding things she�d ever done. So much so that she had volunteered to take some pictures for another one of Joe�s patients who was participating. But now, looking at the apprehensive look on Mac�s face, he wondered if whatever that message had said was giving her second thoughts about the extra effort.
Harm reached out and slipped his hand over Mac�s in a show of support and comfort, and Mac lifted her head and smiled at him in appreciation before answering his question.
�It is. I had sent her the pictures I�d taken; the ones I gave Joe to put on his wall? And I sent the ones I took of Lt. Martens, too.� A slow flush crept up her face as she admitted shyly, �She thought they were really good.�
Harm shook his head in amusement and wondered if Mac would ever learn how to accept a compliment without getting embarrassed. �They are really good,� he assured her once again. Mac nodded, but the smile she gave him was forced and the tension in her slender frame seemed to be getting stronger. He felt that apprehensive knot in his stomach beginning to expand. �Why do I have the feeling I�m missing something here?�
�She asked me if I�d consider doing the rest of the photos for the book,� Mac told him, her face reddening further, and Harm stared at her in stunned amazement.
�Seriously? Mac, that�s wonderful!� he exclaimed as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. He couldn�t help the feeling of pride that was swelling in him at the thought of Mac getting an opportunity like this. After all the months of cajoling her back into taking pictures, of telling her how great she was, it was a wonderful feeling to have an objective opinion confirming her talent. He couldn�t wait to hear what his mother was going to say when Mac told her. Just the thought made him grin happily.
After a minute, he realized that Mac was only halfheartedly returning his embrace, and he pulled back to look at her. There was something in her eyes that made him wonder if she thought that this was as great an opportunity as he did. After all, it didn�t matter how many people told her she was good if she didn�t believe it herself. And as much as he wanted her to have this chance, he didn�t want her to feel pressured by his enthusiasm to do something she didn�t want.
After taking a moment to rein in his emotions, he asked in what he hoped was a calm and nonjudgmental tone, �Do you want to do it?�
He was relieved when Mac nodded immediately. �Very much,� she told him. Her voice was quiet but firm, and the anxiety in her eyes was overtaken by a resolve that he didn�t understand until she spoke again. �It requires some travel. And it could take anywhere from six to eighteen months.�
�Wow. That�s a long time,� he responded, thinking to himself that this was the reason she was hesitating; in case she couldn�t find a way to make this fit around her job. Deciding to test his theory, he said, �Are you going to be able to work around JAG?�
She shook her head. �No. And there�s no way I can get enough leave,� she added, and there was something in her tone, and in the set of her shoulders, that made Harm think that he really wasn�t going to like the answer to his next question. Still, he had no choice but to ask it.
�Mac, what are you trying to say?�
She looked him straight in the eye. �I want to reserve my commission.�
Harm�s mouth opened and closed a couple of times as he attempted to come up with a suitable response. Finally, on the third try, he managed to get out a choked, �What?� Even though the thought had crossed his mind that she might be thinking of leaving JAG, he still couldn�t believe the words had come out of her mouth. He couldn�t help but wonder if she was pulling his leg, and he said as much to her.
�Mac, you can�t be serious.�
But for Mac, this was no joke. �I am serious,� she told him, half-apologetically. She knew this was a shock to him; it must seem like it came out of nowhere, and she regretted that she hadn�t found a better way to deal with this. But now that the words were out, there was no taking them back. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn�t want to take them back at all.
�Mac, if this is about Cresswell-�
Mac stopped him before he could finish his sentence. �It�s not. Not entirely,� she amended at the disbelievingly look on Harm�s face. When he just continued to look at her skeptically, she sighed. �Harm, we�ve talked about this. One of us was going to have to leave JAG no matter who they found to take the Admiral�s place.�
�Is that why you�re doing this? So I don�t have to be the one to leave? Because if it is, then forget it, Mac,� he responded, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at her.
�Harm-�
�No, Mac. I�m not going to let you sacrifice your career just to keep me at JAG,� he told her resolutely. �There�s no reason I can�t be the one to leave.�
Mac glared at him, her temper beginning to surface at his uncompromising tone. �There�s a very good reason, and you�ve said it yourself,� she shot back. She fixed him with a pointed stare. �Don�t you remember what you told Mattie when you came back last year? This is what you do. It�s who you are. I can�t ask you to give that up for me again.�
Harm shook his head. �It�s not the same, Mac. This is not the same as Paraguay,� he argued insistently. �I wouldn�t be leaving the Navy, just JAG Headquarters. You don�t have to resign Mac.�
Mac sighed again, and ran a frustrated hand through her hair. �You don�t understand Harm.�
�Then explain it to me.� His tone was demanding, but Mac could see the plea and the fear in his eyes, and it caused her anger to drain away. Shifting her legs until she was kneeling in front of him, she ran the back of her hand gently over his cheek.
�Harm, at this point in my career, I don�t want to be anywhere besides JAG. And I don�t want to be at JAG without you,� she told him simply and honestly. She gave him a sad half-smile and let her hand slip back down to her side as she finally found the words she needed to explain what she was feeling. �Harm, you need to understand. As much as I love the Corps, and being a Marine, it�s not the same for me as it is for you. You joined the military to fulfill your dream. I did it to stay alive.�
Mac�s gaze turned to the window as she let her mind drift back in time. �I can�t even begin to tell you what it was like stepping out of Red Rock Mesa into the real world,� she said softly, her face shadowed by more than the gathering dusk. �How horribly, desperately afraid I was. How lost and alone.�
�I was sober for the first time in four years, but I didn�t have anything to replace the alcohol in my life. There was just nothing there. My mother was still gone; my father was still a drunken bastard. Chris was in jail, Eddie was dead, and Uncle Matt was back doing his duty for the Corps. I needed a roof over my head, and clothes on my back, and food in my stomach, but I didn�t have a job and the only money I had was what little Uncle Matt could afford to spare. After that, I was on my own. And despite the fact that I�d been essentially alone for most of my life, I had never been on my own. I didn�t know what to do.�
She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them as she went on, �And then Uncle Matt suggested the military. To his credit, he didn�t say anything about the Marines; he knew that I�d always associated it with my dad. He just said that it would give me what I needed right away, the food and clothing and shelter, and then in the long run, when I figured out what I wanted from my life, it would give me the basis to get it. And he was right.�
She finally turned her gaze from the window back to Harm, and found him staring back at her with eyes full of compassion and understanding. He reached out and rubbed a reassuring hand up her leg before letting it rest comfortingly on her arm, and was grateful when he got a small smile in return before she continued.
�So a couple of days later, I went into the recruiting office and signed up. It never occurred to me to be anything but a marine, you know. Somewhere up in Red Rock, I had stopped associating the Corps with my father and started associating it with my uncle. And growing up the daughter of a marine, I couldn�t imagine being anything else.�
She lifted her head from where it rested on her arms and locked eyes with Harm. �But it was never my dream, Harm. It was never what I planned on building my life around. I joined the Marines to survive, to keep my head above water. I had fully intended to do my four years and then get out.�
�What changed your mind?� He spoke softly, not wanting to break the spell her story had cast over the room; it wasn�t often that Mac would open up this freely about this part of her past.
�I put on my uniform, and I looked in the mirror, and for the first time in my life, I was proud of myself,� she answered, and her eyes misted a little at the memory. �I had made it through boot camp, had overcome everything they�d thrown at me, and come out the other side a Marine. Not Joe Mackenzie�s stupid tramp daughter, or the throwaway child of an absent mother, or the drunken teenage wife of a drunken teenage boy. I looked in that mirror, and I saw someone who just might turn out to be worth something.� She shrugged self-consciously. �It was more than I had ever had, and it wasn�t something I was willing to give up. So I stayed.�
Then she sighed and admitted quietly, �The thing is; I don�t think I ever really believed that it was me. I thought that all of that strength, and all of that self-worth, was tied up in the uniform, and if I walked away from that, I would just go back to being Sarah. And Sarah was someone I never wanted to be again. Sarah was weak, and stupid; she was a drunk.�
�Mac-� Harm started to protest, hating when she put herself down like that, but she cut him off before he could finish.
�I don�t believe that now, Harm,� she assured him, slipping her hand over his and squeezing tightly. �But I did, for a very long time. It got better, little by little, but there was always that small lingering thought that it was only the Marine, and not the woman underneath, who was really worth anything.� She heaved a sigh as she confessed, �Looking back, I think that�s why I picked men like Dalton, like Mic. Because they wanted the woman, and not the Marine; they thought Sarah was worth something.�
�And when those relationships didn�t work out; that just confirmed your beliefs.� Mac nodded, her face flushing in shame. Harm scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. �Mac, what happened with Lowne and Brumby wasn�t your fault. Those relationships didn�t fail because of some character flaw on your part. You just weren�t right for each other. You didn�t fit.�
She nodded and leaned her head back against his shoulder. �I know that now. But at the time, all it did was confirm all the bad things I�d thought about myself over the years. So I tried to bury that part.� She shifted in his embrace until she could wrap an arm around his waist as they sat side by side.
�It wasn�t until last summer, when everything fell apart and I couldn�t keep it together that I realized that I couldn�t do that. I can�t separate Mac and Sarah; they aren�t two different people. They�re both just parts of me. But I�ve spent so much time focused on the Mac part, on the part of me that�s a Marine, that I�ve neglected the part of me that had other dreams and wishes and desires. And I want that part again.�
�I understand now, why you went back to flying,� she told him, lifting her head so he could see the sincerity in her eyes. �Why you felt you had to go back. You had to see if it was still where you belonged. If it was still your dream. This is my dream,� she added as she looked down, chewing nervously on her lower lip. �And I know I don�t have the right to ask for your support when I didn�t do the same for you, but I�m asking anyway.�
�Hey,� Harm protested softly, sliding a hand under chin and lifting her face. He rubbed his thumb soothingly over the line of her jaw. �Of course you have the right, Mac. We were different people back then, and that was a different situation.� He gave her a wry, self-deprecating smile as he admitted, �Believe me, if this had happened five years ago, or even a year ago, I don�t think I would be very understanding. But it�s not happening then, it�s happening now, and that makes all the difference.�
�How do you figure?� she asked curiously, and his eyes filled with love and understanding.
�Because I don�t have to wonder if you�re ever coming back,� he answered simply. �I don�t have to wonder if you leaving means you care more about your dream than you do about me. I know that I come first in your life, and that if this weren�t a good thing for us, you wouldn�t do it. You�re right; one of us has to leave JAG, and I hate that thought. I hate the thought of walking into work and not having you there beside me. But I can live with it, because whether you end up spending your days in the judiciary or the Pentagon or a darkroom, I know that you�ll be coming home to me.� Then it was his turn to drop his gaze. �I just wish I could go back to when I left and let you know the same.�
�Don�t,� Mac responded firmly, and now she was lifting his eyes to meet hers. �If I can�t beat myself up about not being more supportive, then you can�t beat yourself up about not being more open. You�re right, Harm; we�re different people today. But we became those people because of the choices we made, even the ones that hurt ourselves or each other in the process.�
�Yeah,� he nodded slowly. A rueful grin crossed his face. �When did you get to be so wise?�
Mac laughed. �Somewhere around the thousandth session with Chaplain Turner, I think,� she answered wryly. Her expression turned serious. �We made some mistakes, Harm, but we learned from them, and in the end they made us stronger.�
Harm nodded again as he slid his arms around her and pulled her back until she was sitting in his lap. He leaned his cheek against the hand she had just placed on his shoulder, and they sat silently until Harm decided to voice a question that had plagued him for quite a while now.
�Do you think we would have made it?� he asked in a whisper. �If we�d gotten together back then and had to face what we�ve had to face the past year or two; do you think we would have survived?�
Mac sighed, and hesitated for a moment before admitting quietly, her head still resting on his shoulder, �No. As much as I�d like to say yes, that our love could survive anything, I don�t think it would have survived this. Not then.�
�Me, either.� Their arms tightened instinctively around each other at the admission. �Why do you think that is? I mean, are we really so different now than we were then?�
�Not so different; just different where it counts,� she told him as she finally lifted her head to look at him with tear-filled eyes. �Everything that happened brought my worst fear to the surface; the fear that I wouldn�t be enough. That things would become too difficult and you would realize I wasn�t worth sticking around for, and then you�d leave.�
He nodded in understanding, and lifted a hand to wipe away a lone escaping tear. �I know. I felt the same way,� he admitted, his voice tight with remembered pain. �Not so much that you�d walk away, but that you�d be taken away. That something would happen and you would be ripped out of my life, and no matter how hard I tried, I would never be able to get you back.�
A few stray tears of his own slid down his face. �When you got cancer, it took everything in me to stay positive; to convince myself that this was different. That we were different; that it wouldn�t end the way it did with my dad. And with Diane.�
�I know. And I hate that,� she told him, brushing her lips over the trail of moisture on his cheek. �It�s harder for you, I know. You can reassure me that you won�t walk away, but I can�t reassure you that I won�t die before you. As much as I want to, I can�t promise you forever. And I hate that. I hate that I can�t take away that fear.�
�Maybe you can�t take it away, but you do a hell of a lot to lighten it up,� he answered. �Because I know that you�ll fight; no matter what, you�ll fight to stay for as long as you can.�
�Until my very last breath,� she vowed softly, and then laughed ruefully. Harm frowned in confusion.
�What?�
�You know why we made it through my cancer as well as we did, don�t you?� she asked with a wry, self-deprecating grin. �Because we�d already seen our worst fears come to light.�
Understanding dawned in Harm�s mind. �Paraguay,� he answered matter-of-factly, and he couldn�t help but laugh as well.
�Yeah. Ironic, isn�t it?� She shook her head, still smiling at the sheer absurdity of it all. �The thing that we were so sure would tear us apart forever, ended up being the thing that bound us together for good.�
�We just can�t do anything the easy way, can we?� he responded with an overdramatic sigh, and Mac giggled and buried her head against his chest.
They sat like that for awhile - wrapped up in each other�s arms, Mac�s head resting near his heart and Harm�s hand idly stroking her hair � looking back over their past and coming to terms with all the choices, right and wrong, that had led them to where they were. It wasn�t until the last of the sun faded and the moonlight started its lazy path across the room that Mac finally broke the silence.
�Tell me what you�re thinking?� she asked softly as her fingers played over the sleeve of his t-shirt. He reached up and caught her hand and pressed it to his lips.
�I�m thinking that you need to follow your heart on this,� he told her honestly as she lifted her head to look at him. �If it�s really what you want, then it�s what I want for you. I�ll miss seeing you at work every day, going up against you in court, but you�re right � we�re not going to be able to do that anyway.� He smiled and brushed his lips lightly over hers. �I meant what I said, Mac. As long as I can go to sleep with you at night, and wake up with you in the morning, everything else is just semantics.�
�Thank you,� she said as she slid her arms up to encircle his neck, pulling him down for a long, slow kiss meant to express all the love and gratitude and contentment she was feeling at that moment. Harm responded eagerly, but he pulled back before things could get too intense. Although he wanted nothing more than to make love to her at that moment, he knew they still had things to talk about. He hesitated, trying to figure out the right way to phrase his question, but when nothing came to mind he decided to ask her straight out.
�Mac, I have to ask you something.� When Mac nodded her head for him to continue, he said, �What happens if your dream doesn�t work out the way you want? If you leave the Corps and do this book and then � what happens next?�
Mac sighed. �I don�t know, exactly,� she told him honestly, slipping out of his arms and reaching over to turn on the bedside lamp. She squinted as she let her eyes adjust to the light, waiting until she could focus on his face to continue. �I could try to get a job working as a lawyer for a women�s shelter, or maybe teach law. Or photography. Or�� she paused and took a deep breath. �Or I could stay home and take care of the kids.�
�Kids?� Harm�s eyes widened with alarm as he said sharply, �Mac, you�re not��
�No, I�m not pregnant,� she assured him quickly, trying not to be hurt by his tone. She knew that he was just worried about her health, but it was still hard not to feel hurt when he got upset at the thought of her being pregnant. She wanted so much to have children with him, to raise a family together. She wanted it so much that she was finally ready to let go of her long held dream of carrying his baby and explore other avenues. �But I was thinking about all of the options we talked about, and if we decide to go the adoption route, I think we�d have a much better shot if we weren�t both on active duty. Military life is just too unpredictable.�
�You�re right,� Harm answered, swallowing his shock at the direction the conversation was taking. The few times he�d mentioned alternatives to her getting pregnant, she�d immediately shut down on him emotionally, so he was more than a little surprised that she was bringing it up now. But although he was finally feeling a little optimistic, he still phrased his next statement carefully.
�Mac, I know we agreed to wait until you passed the one-year mark to make any decisions, but if we are really serious about adopting��
�Then we need to start putting things in motion now,� she finished the sentence when he trailed off hesitantly. She knew that he was trying not to upset her, and she appreciated it, but it was time she started dealing with the realities of the situation.
�I know I haven�t really been very open about the idea when we�ve talked about it before. I guess I just felt like if we decided to adopt, then I�d be closing the door on me ever getting pregnant,� she explained apologetically. Harm shook his head and reached for her hand.
�Mac, adopting a child doesn�t mean giving up on the idea of having one of our own. And we wouldn�t love an adopted child less just because he doesn�t carry our genes,� he told her as he pulled her back into the circle of his arms. �I want to have kids with you, Mac. But more importantly, I want to raise kids with you. And if the only way to ensure that happens is to find a child instead of make one, than I�m okay with that. I just want it to be us, together.�
Mac nodded, tears sliding freely down her face at the love and honesty in his voice. �I want that, too,� she murmured, wrapping her arms tightly around him. They clung to each other for a moment, giving themselves a chance to mourn the loss of the dream born on the steps of JAG headquarters over five years ago. Then they let it go, and focused their sights on a dream that would be different, but no less fulfilling.
Pulling back a little, Mac swiped the back of her hand over her eyes to get rid of the last remnants of her tears before stating firmly, �I think we should start setting things in motion right away. Adoptions take time.�
�Yeah,� Harm agreed, but his manner was subdued, and Mac noticed immediately.
�What?� She frowned in confusion. �You don�t want to?�
�No, I do,� he said. �But I�ve been thinking, too. What do you think about applying to be foster parents?� he suggested tentatively, bringing up something he�d been considering for a few months. �There�s a lot of kids out there who need something stable. Kids like Mattie and Chloe. I think we�d be good for them.�
�I think you�re right,� Mac answered slowly as she paused to consider the idea. Before she�d gotten sick, she�d been really looking forward to having Mattie come live with them, at having the chance to make a family with her. She and Harm had a lot of love to give; more importantly, they had the understanding that came from surviving their own difficult childhoods. Mac thought about the kind of difference they could make in the lives of kids who might otherwise get lost in the system, and smiled. �It�s a wonderful idea, Harm.�
�You really think so?� he asked her. �Because I don�t want you to feel like you�re being pushed into this.�
Mac�s eyebrow shot up at that statement. �You really think you could push me into doing something this important against my will?� she asked archly, crossing her arms over her chest.
�Probably not,� Harm conceded with a grin.
�Definitely not,� she corrected him. She looked at him and said in all seriousness, �I want to do this. The only thing I ask is that we wait until after the wedding.�
�I agree.� Taking in a child before they got settled into their roles as husband and wife wouldn�t be good for anyone. Any child, but especially one who was living through the uncertainty of foster care, needed to have as much as stability as possible.
Before they could discuss things further, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of dinner. Harm smiled as he quickly slid off the bed. �And on that note, I think we should table this discussion until after we�ve eaten and gotten some rest.�
�That�s probably a good idea. We�ve got the whole weekend to hash this out,� she said, accepting the hand he held out to help her off the bed. �Right now I just want to gorge myself on Kung Pao chicken and then crawl into bed with you and sleep for at least twelve hours.�
He grinned as they made their way out of the bedroom. �I like the way you think, Marine,� he told her and then paused at the foot of the stairs to consider his words. �Hmm, that�s going to be interesting,� he said thoughtfully. �It�s going to be hard not referring to you as a Marine all the time.�
Mac raised an eyebrow at him and answered challengingly, �Harm, I could be retired from the Corps for fifty years and I�ll still be a Marine.� She jabbed her finger on his chest. �And don�t you forget it.�
Harm grinned. �No, ma�am,� he declared, giving her a wink as he lifted his hand in mock salute. �Wouldn�t dream of it.� And then he laughed when she just rolled her eyes and grabbed hold of his hand, pulling him behind her as they headed downstairs towards dinner.
Rabb/Mackenzie residence
October 29, 2004
1750 EST
Harm stepped into the house and tossed his keys on the table. �God, it�s good to be home,� he sighed, dropping his sea bag at his feet and lifting his arms to stretch out his cramped and aching muscles.