Fate
Author: Pixie Rating: R Classification: Vignette – Missing Scene Spoilers: "Fair Winds and Following Seas" Disclaimers: JAG and its characters are the sole property of Bellisarius Productions. AN: As with most of my Episode Reaction Pieces, this is not beta read.
"I love you Mac." She sighed happily as the words she'd thought she'd never hear from him winged their way directly from his lips to her heart. Then he went on, and it all came crashing back down around her. "But I don't want to give up my Navy career, and you don't want to give up the Marine Corps." She dropped her eyes from his. "So we're right back where we started." She stared at their joined hands, her hopes destroyed almost before she'd dared to dream them. His hands tightened almost convulsively on hers. "Do you believe in fate?" he asked quietly. "Well it… it put us together… sort of." She wondered where he was going with this line of questioning. "Fate could keep us together forever." He watched her intently, head tilted slightly to one side while he waited for her to figure out his meaning. When he saw the curve of a smile slide across her lips, he knew it was going to be okay. Suddenly, everything he'd ever wanted was right here in his arms, and he couldn't care less about his Navy career or her future with the Marine Corps. They'd sort all of that out later. Right now, he had other priorities. He kissed her again, swooping in for a take no prisoners attack that left her breathless and gasping for more. Her low moan made every nerve in his body stand at attention, and he pulled her with him, kicking the door closed with his foot. Another kiss, and he felt her hands slide inside the collar of his shirt, touching him in ways she'd never dared touch him before. If they didn't move quickly, their first time together would happen right here on the floor of his apartment. He didn't want that for her. She deserved better than animal passion, but as she nibbled the ridge of his collarbone his good intentions nearly abandoned him completely. "Mac," he choked. "I need to lock it." "Who cares about the damn door, Harm?" They were finally going to get this right, and he was worried about doors and locks. Men made no sense sometimes. He pulled back slightly and smiled down at her. "I care, Mac. Give me just a second." He slipped away from her, and she groaned in impatience at the delay. The click of the latch acted like a lit torch on dry tinder, and as he scooped her back into his arms, she ripped impatiently at his shirt, determined to relieve him of it as quickly as possible. She grinned when buttons flew in all directions. "I hated that shirt anyway," she murmured. He kissed her again and shrugged it off his shoulders, then reached for the hem of her t-shirt. He lifted it up and over her head, tossing it away with little care for where it landed… and stared, his breath catching in his throat. "Harm?" The uncertainty in her voice pulled his eyes back to hers. "God, Mac. You're so beautiful." She ducked her head a little, embarrassed, and he caught her chin with his hand. "Don't hide from me," he said, taking her lips in another soul searing kiss. She moaned, and Harm tightened his hold on her slim body, desperate to mold her as close to him as was humanly possible. Mac slipped her hands inside Harm's muscle shirt and across the taut skin of his back. She'd wanted to do this for as long as she could remember, wanted to feel the texture of his skin, smell the heat of passion on his body, and listen to his words of love as he touched her. Harm grunted his impatience and yanked the undershirt off, dropping it on the floor and pulling her back against him. They were gradually working their way toward the bedroom, but it was slow going, and if he didn't get her there soon, they were never going to make it. Abruptly, he slipped an arm behind her knees, another behind her back, and lifted her into his arms. Her fleeting concern for his back dissolved as he kissed her again, his tongue sliding against hers in a way that made the blood rage through her body. She moaned again. "Harm," she said. "Hurry." "Believe me, Marine. I'm just as impatient as you are." He followed her down onto the
bed, and she knew that she'd never felt anything more perfect than the weight of
his body against hers. In answer, she ran her hand down his chest to the top button of his jeans. With a murmur of satisfaction, she slipped it free, sliding her fingertips inside the edge and around his hip. "Enough talking, Harm. Make love to me." His mouth crashed down on hers again, his hands now roaming freely over her heated skin. He helped her out of her slacks and underwear, and she helped him the rest of the way out of his, and then, for a moment, they stopped and stared into each other's eyes, humbled by the enormity of what they were about to do. They'd danced around each other for nine years, neither believing they'd ever reach this point, both unwilling to risk everything on a dream. And then two days ago, fate had intervened in their carefully laid plans, and suddenly they'd both realized that the dream was the only thing in their lives that mattered. Mac looked into Harm's eyes. "I love you," she said. She read his answer in his eyes and pulled him down to her, desperate to taste him again, to feel his body move against hers. It was something she'd thought about often, and the knowledge that her dreams might finally be coming true was almost more than she could stand. She arched her back, instinctively trying to move closer, eager to close the remaining gap between them, and heard him groan as he shifted above her. And then, wonder of wonders and glory of glories, she felt him against her. Oh God. Could anything else ever be this beautiful, this perfect, this absolutely and unequivocally right? She sucked in a breath and moved her hips, wanting more, needing more, desperate to feel and taste and experience every last nuance of this incredible first. He met her, moved away, met her again – in a dance as old as time and as new as them. Their pace quickened. Their breath came in gasps and left in broken murmurs and whispered promises. Wave after wave of sensation crashed over them until finally they reached the peak of the final wave together and tumbled over the edge. Long moments passed while they struggled to catch their breath, and when Harm eventually did move, it was only to pull her more securely into his arms. Mac snuggled into him with a contented and thoroughly satisfied purr, and he smiled against her hair. "Happy?" "Blissfully." Harm pondered that for a moment, his own body heavy and relaxed. Making a decision, he nudged her. "Mac?" "Hmm?" He smiled. He couldn't wait to be able to hold her in his arms all night, but they had things to do first. "I don't suppose you'd volunteer to call Bud and Harriet, would you?" One eye blinked lazily open. "Why would I want to do that?" "Remember that little detail about our jobs? You know… the one about fate?" "What about it?" She didn't sound very interested – not that he blamed her. "It's just that… I'm thinking maybe we should ask a neutral third party to do the coin toss." She blinked again, and gradually both eyes opened and she stared up at him. "Oh." "Yeah." He dropped a kiss on the end of her nose. "We need to make a decision – soon." She sighed. "I'd rather stay here," she said. "I know." He tightened his hold on her. He seriously did not want to let her go. For a few moments, they both lay quietly, and then Mac sighed. "You're right," she said, easing herself away from him to sit up. "The problem isn't going to go away if we ignore it." "No, it won't," he winked, "but it sure is fun trying." She smiled down at him where he still lay beside her. He was tracing circles on her hip with the tip of one finger, and she found the sensation delightfully distracting. "I'm guessing you want me to call?" Harm looked up at her hopefully. "Would you?" "Coward," she teased. "Damn straight," he answered without hesitation, and they laughed easily together. "Where's the phone?" she asked. He leaned over the edge of the bed and fumbled about on the floor. A few seconds later he grunted in triumph and came up with the cordless telephone. Mac decided not to ask why he'd chosen to store it on the floor underneath the bed. A man was entitled to a certain degree of privacy – even after what they'd just shared. She dialed the number from memory while Harm resettled himself beside her, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist. She could get used to this, she decided. Bud answered the phone. "Captain Rabb! We don't usually hear from you this late at night. Is everything okay?" Damn. She'd forgotten all about caller ID. "Bud. It's Mac." She held the phone tilted slightly away from her ear so that Harm could hear what was said, but for long moments, there was only silence. When Bud did speak again, the surprised curiosity in his voice was almost palpable. "Colonel! What can I do for you?" "I was just wondering. Could you and Harriet do us a favor?" She doubted her pronoun use escaped his notice, but Bud's manners were so deeply ingrained that he didn't question her. "Anything at all, Ma'am. You know that." "I know this is short notice, but can you get a babysitter for the kids for a few hours and meet Harm and me at McMurphy's?" "McMurphy's, Ma'am?" "That's right." "What time?" She glanced at Harm, eyebrows raised. He lifted one finger, and she nodded. "Can you be there in an hour?" "No problem." "And Bud?" "Yes Ma'am?" "Bring a coin." There was a moment's hesitation, and then, "A coin, Ma'am?" Mac grinned at Harm. "That's right. You see, Harm and I have decided to get married and we need your help to figure out which one of us should resign our commission." There was a heartbeat of stunned silence, and then a wary - "You aren't pulling my chain, are you, Ma'am?" "Would I do that, Bud?" "Well, no… but-" Harm took the phone from Mac. "Bud? It's Harm." He listened for a few seconds, and Mac laughed at the expression on his face. He was enjoying this almost as much as she was. "Yes, Bud…" a pause. "No, Bud. No. She wasn't joking. We're really going to do this." Mac ran her hand through Harm's hair and smiled, imagining the scene on the other end of the line. Harriet was probably jumping up and down ecstatically, and Bud, most likely, was looking vaguely stunned. There were a few more moments of conversation, and then Harm hung up the phone with a wide smile. "I do believe we've really shocked him this time." "Are they going to meet us?" "Yep. In an hour." Mac stood and stretched, enjoying the feeling of total relaxation that came with being well and deeply loved. Regretfully, she started picking up her clothes. "I'd better go," she said. "I want to stop by my place for a shower and a change of clothes before going over there." Harm nodded and stood, taking her into his arms for a long slow kiss. Afterwards, Mac smiled up at him, her eyes just the slightest bit misty. "I love you, you know." "I love you too." She sighed. "I'll see you in an hour?" "Looking forward to it," he smiled. She kissed him once more. Then, with a final smile and a wave, she unlocked the door and let herself out. Harm grinned foolishly at the closed door. His life, he decided, was about to be perfect – no matter where they ended up.
***** The End *****
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