Epilogue Harm's Apartment North of Union Station 0135 Local
Mac turned and smiled as she heard the door open, "Everything okay next door?"
"Yeah, Jen's still up. Mattie crashed about an hour ago. They were having a popcorn and movie night." Harm couldn't help grinning back at her. She'd slipped out of her heels and was standing near the kitchen island. He was finding the combination of evening dress and stocking feet wonderfully erotic. Clearing his throat, he moved around into the kitchen, "Want some coffee?"
"Sure," she turned with him and carefully leaned against the counter. Although it had been nearly two months, she was still experiencing some pain. Her ribs were feeling much better but her lower back was giving her trouble. She hadn't said anything to Harm just yet. It was annoying more than debilitating. Fortunately, for her peace of mind, it hadn't had too much of an impact in the bedroom. Harm was a thoughtful lover, taking care not to hurt her while her ribs were still mending. Mac smiled as he finished putting the coffee on and turned to lean on the counter as well. "It was a beautiful wedding, wasn't it? Maggie looked radiant."
Harm chuckled, "I thought Tink was going to faint. Good thing he held on, if he'd fallen, he would have wiped out half the church."
"Harm! That's awful!" Mac gave him a mock scowl and then grinned, "Besides, his brothers would have caught him. I can't believe he's the smallest of the three."
"His sisters were pretty cute."
Mac raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"
Harm's eyes widened slightly, "I was just saying... " He gave her a stern look when she began to smile, "Not funny, Marine."
"Sure it was," Mac smiled sweetly and leaned in closer, "You can look, Navy, just remember not to touch."
He closed the distance between them and kissed her softly, "You mean like this?"
"Mmm-hmm," she put a hand on the back of his head and pulled him for another, longer kiss. "You can't do this either."
Harm slid around the corner and carefully folded her into his embrace. Although she had claimed to be feeling fine, he knew better than to take her at her word on this particular subject. He'd caught the occasional grimaces of pain. If she was still hurting in another week, he was dragging her back to Bethesda. Dropping his head, they shared another deeper, more passionate kiss. When they finally came up for air, he grinned at her, "That off-limits too?"
Nestling further into his arms, Mac sighed happily, "Oh yeah, none of that."
Harm leaned back a bit and tilted his head towards the bedroom, "Is there anything else I shouldn't do?"
Mac looked at him with a gleam in her eye, "Now that you mention it, there are a few other things. We wouldn't want any misunderstandings, would we?"
Taking her hand, Harm led the way, "Heavens no, we wouldn't want that."
Harm's Apartment North of Union Station 0840 Local
Harm roused himself slowly, putting out a hand. When it didn't encounter anything, he opened his eyes. Although he was alone, the warmth of the spot next to him, told him it hadn't been for long. Raising up a little, he sniffed and let his head drop back on the pillow. The scent of coffee permeated the air, telling him exactly where his Marine had gone. He laid there for a few more moments before sitting up with a sigh and scrubbing a hand through his hair. Slowly he climbed out of bed and made his way to the kitchen.
Mac smiled at him at he stumbled to a chair and sank down, putting his elbows on the counter and resting his head. She slid a cup of coffee towards him, "Here, this will help."
Harm made a face as he took a cautious sip, "Or kill me." He raised an eyebrow at her, "It's Sunday, Mac, we could have slept in."
She gave him a look, "It's 08:48. We did sleep in. Besides, I'm hungry."
"Sure it's food you want?" He started to leer but wound up yawning instead.
Mac folded her arms and tilted her head to the side, the barest hint of amusement flickering in her eyes, "Well, that was an ego boost." She turned towards the refrigerator, "How about eggs for breakfast?"
Harm yawned again, his chin propped in his hand, "Sure, whatever. Want some help?"
"No thanks, I think I can manage." Mac started pulling food out of the refrigerator. "I liked Tink's parents. They seem like nice people."
"Yeah... Maggie certainly fit right in. I heard one of Tink's sisters threaten to box his ears if he didn't treat her new sister right." Harm shook his head remembering the incongruity of the scene. None of the Bell women came any higher than Tink's chest but it was obvious that they had no problem dealing with the men of the family. He grinned, "I'd say Tink scored some points for his mother in the oneupmanship game. Did you see the look on some of those women's faces when Mrs. Bell introduced them to the royal family of Bacovia?"
Mac nodded, "I think Tink's Dad got some mileage out of that, too. That reminds me, Carol asked me to check with State about her and Gheorghe's wedding gift. I can't think of any problems but it's better to be sure."
"That was some gift," Harm agreed, "Can you imagine the looks on Tink and Maggie's faces when they realize they now own a sizable estate in Bacovia?"
"One with income. Carol said there's at least one working mine on it. Tink's entitled to a percent of the profits. By the time he finishes out his twenty, he and Maggie should be pretty well off." Mac began grating cheese. "I think Gheorghe and Carol have been itching to do something like this since Kentucky. The wedding was a perfect excuse."
"You're right," Harm admired the view as she went back to the fridge for more ingredients. "Cat told me that they're holding an adjoining property for Tyler whenever the opportunity arises to give it to him."
"That might not be necessary. Did you see how much time Pick spent with Mo? He's got it bad." Mac commented with a smile while carefully dicing an onion.
"It looked like the feeling was mutual," Harm took another small sip of his coffee and grimaced. They were going to have to reach a compromise on the coffee or he was going to have to buy a second coffee maker. "Cat seemed happy about it."
"That's good to hear. I wonder how Carol and Gheorghe will feel." Mac continued to putter around the kitchen for a few more minutes before looking over at Harm, "We're going to have to make some decisions of our own soon."
"I know," he sighed. The news of Chegwidden's impending retirement had rocked the office. "We're equal rank. They really can't do anything until we're married, you know." He couldn't help pointing out the obvious.
"You don't want to wait that long, do you?" Mac raised an eyebrow, glancing over her shoulder from her spot by the stove. "The new JAG might not be as accommodating as the Admiral." When they'd finally made it back to DC, one of the first people they'd told about their engagement had been AJ. He'd taken it in stride, aside from an acerbic 'about time'. To be fair, he'd had every right to be annoyed. Her participation in the NCIS case had cost him two senior attorneys and his head of security for over a week and she'd been on restricted duty for a good six weeks after that. If there was a plus side, it was that six solid weeks of being buried in paperwork had given her a chance to catch up. Fortunately, Chegwidden's wrath hadn't lasted long. She was pretty sure he was genuinely pleased for them. Once his retirement had been announced, he was practically jovial. Considering the circus-like atmosphere surrounding JAG HQ these last few months, that was a blessing.
The furor over the death of Michelle Elbert had lasted far longer than she had expected. Given the miniscule attention span of the media and John Q. Public, she'd figured a week would have exhausted every possible angle of interest. She'd been wrong as more of Mike's past was uncovered. The reporters were engaged in a macabre treasure hunt searching for victims of the Congresswoman/serial killer. Mac was bearing the brunt of the publicity due to the simple expedient of being the easiest participant to find. The initial frenzy was finally over but there were always a few media types hanging about. Gunny Walters kept them at bay, taking advantage of the situation to give his men training. Fortunately, public opinion had landed squarely on her side; a fact that pleased the SecNav to no end.
It didn't keep Mac, however, from realizing that she'd also garnered a few lifetime enemies as well. There were friends of Mike who absolutely refused to believe that Elbert had done anything of which she'd been accused. As far as they were concerned, Mike had been the victim of some massive military/quasi-governmental conspiracy. The reporters that were buzzing around were always happy to tell her some of the more outrageous theories that were cropping up. It was amazing (and unsettling) to find what people were willing to buy into rather than accept that Mike had simply murdered a number of people and died while attempting to kill several more.
Mac's only contact with Kate had been by phone. Gibbs had been absolutely ferocious in keeping the media away from Todd during her recovery and Mac didn't want to jeopardize that by visiting while she was still being shadowed by reporters. The petite brunette had spent a week in the hospital at Lejeune. Although the wound in her side hadn't struck anything vital, it had hit her already stressed system hard. The low-grade infection and fever she'd developed had been tenacious and the doctors wouldn't release her to travel until it had cleared up. She'd been on two weeks medical leave after that. During that time, Kate had completely dropped off the radar. According to Gibbs, she was visiting family but Mac had her own suspicions. Now she was back in the office, and like Mac, just recently allowed back on field duty.
Harm's voice brought her out of her musings, "I could go see Bobbie Latham. It's possible I could wrangle some sort of liaison position with the Armed Services committee."
"And be up to your neck in political wheeling and dealing? You sure you want to do that?" Mac pulled out a couple of plates and served up the eggs while Harm snagged the toast that had just popped up. "I could always transfer to the judiciary. Admiral Morris was fine with my time on the bench before."
"That might not be feasible anymore, Mac. With your language skills and the state of affairs in Iraq, it's pretty likely they won't want to bury you in a courtroom." Harm took a bite of his breakfast and smiled at her, "Not bad, Marine."
"Thanks," Mac picked at her food a little, "Are you thinking about resigning your commission again?" While she didn't think he'd have any problems in private practice, it would mean never flying his beloved jets again. She didn't want to be the reason for putting that sort of hole in his life.
"It's a possibility," Harm hedged a little. He had been thinking about it. Career-wise, he was pretty sure he'd tanked any chance of making Admiral. He'd begun researching firms that specialized in child advocacy, realizing that there were probably a number of kids like Mattie that needed someone on their side.
Mac ate quietly for a few minutes before looking at Harm, "Gibbs offered me a job with NCIS."
His head whipped up as both hands thumped loudly on the counter, the fork clattering nosily on the edge of the plate. Harm glared at her, "That son of a bitch!"
She met his eyes steadily, "I didn't say I would take it but it is an option. They investigate terrorism and, as you've pointed out, my language skills and familiarity with the culture would come in handy."
"I know that but, dammit, this last case with them nearly got you killed."
Mac propped her chin in her hand, "As opposed to some of the other cases we've been involved in?"
Harm looked down at his plate for a moment, "Those were different." He looked up to see her raised eyebrow, "It WAS different. We were together to back each other up."
Her expression softened and she smiled at him, "You're right, but Harm, that's the problem. After we get married, there's no way we'll be able to work together on investigations. If I couldn't have you watching my six, Gibbs would be my next choice. NCIS is not the CIA."
Harm gave a non-committal grunt, unwilling to admit that she had a point. He didn't like Gibbs much but the man did watch over his team. He reached out a hand towards her, "Look, we don't have to decide everything this very second. Why don't we both start checking out different options and then figure out what's best from there?"
Mac smiled at him as she took his hand and squeezed lightly, "Sounds like a plan... Speaking of which, your Mom called me. She wants to know how the wedding plans are coming."
Harm groaned slightly, "I'm sorry, Mac. What did you tell her?"
"The truth. We're thinking about early October and neither of us want a big wedding." Mac eyed him, "That's right, isn't it? You haven't changed your mind, have you?"
Harm shook his head and then flashed her a grin, "If I wasn't sure that at least a half-dozen people would kill me, I'd say the hell with it and let's get married today."
She grinned back, "I can name more than half a dozen, Navy, but I like the way you think."
He raised an eyebrow as his smile grew wider, "Really?" He leaned back as his expression turned mischievous, "Can you tell what I'm thinking now?"
Mac laughed softly as she came around the counter, "Rabb, half the women in the world would know what you're thinking right now."
She moved in close enough to drape her forearms on his shoulders, leaning in for a light kiss. Harm looped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer. Hearing the slight hiss, he let go quickly as his eyes widened in alarm, "God, I'm sorry. I thought... "
Mac shook her head, "It's okay, I was just at the wrong angle. I'm fine, really."
Harm frowned at her, "No, you're not. That wasn't your ribs, was it? What's going on?"
Shrugging slightly, Mac glanced away for a moment before giving him a lopsided grin. "How about 'I'm not as young as I used to be'? It's probably just some leftover aches and pains. I think I might have strained a back muscle trying to compensate for my ribs."
He eyed her dubiously, it sounded plausible. "Okay." He shook a finger at her, "But if it doesn't clear up in the next week, you're going back to Bethesda. You read me?"
She straightened up and whipped off a facetious salute, "Loud and clear, Commander, sir!" Relaxing again, Mac leaned against his leg and traced a lazy circle on his chest. Ducking her head a little, she gave him a sultry look, "So... now that you're in charge of my health, wanna play 'Doctor'?"
Harm grinned, trapping her hand against his chest while reaching out to caress her with the other one, "You realize I can't give a prognosis without a thorough examination?"
The look she gave him made his heart race, "I was counting on it to be very thorough."
He stood up, gathering her in, "I was thinking that for something so important, I should probably do a re-examination as well."
Mac looked up at him, amusement twinkling in her eyes, as they made their way to the bedroom, "Feel free to examine me as often as you can."
Harm cocked an eyebrow at her, "Is that a challenge, Jarhead?"
"More like an invitation, Squid."
She tilted her face up towards him and he obligingly dropped his head to kiss her thoroughly. When they finally parted, he stood for a moment watching as she moved lightly up the steps. Maybe he was over-reacting, she looked fine. Hell, she looked more than fine. Harm felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. Thank God she was still here, still in his life, still in love with him. They'd had more chances than seemed fair, somehow, to get it right but they finally had. In a few short months, she would be his wife. Mindful of everything they'd gone through, he didn't think he would need to remind himself to relish every moment.
He was startled out of his reverie by Mac's teasing voice, "The Marines have landed, Rabb. Where's the Naval support?"
Grinning, he bounded up the stairs, "Take cover, MacKenzie! Incoming!"