A Snowy Date In Belleville

Harm, Mac and their first date after 'A Snowy Weekend'

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4    Part 5    Part 6    Part 7

Author Name: Michaela aka Michi

Rating: IM15

Classification: Harm & Mac / Romance
 
Spoilers: My story ‘A Snowy Weekend’ and everything up to Season 10 Episode 9 ‘The Man On The Bridge’. The rest of Season 10 never happened in this series of mine…

Disclaimer: JAG and its characters are the property of Bellisario Productions, CBS, and Paramount. The song ‘I belong to you (Ill ritmo della passione), does not belong to me either. I just borrowed it for this story, because it fit perfectly. The song is written by Eros Ramazzotti, Kabella, Anastacia, and K. Dioguardi, and performed by Eros Ramazzotti and Anastacia. The whole lyrics, meaning the English and Italian part, you can easily find on the internet… oh… and I know the song didn’t even exist in the year 2004. However, while writing this part I heard the song in the radio and simply had to use it even though I’m normally not a fan of song fics…

Authors Notes:

- I may have used an AP (author’s privilege) when it comes to Harm flying a Cessna in difficult weather conditions. However, in my story the airfield in Blacksburg has all the proper technical equipment and the same goes for the one near Belleville…

- Also, I have no clue how old Harm’s grandmother would have been in season 10 but in my story she is still a very agile lady… the age doesn’t really matter, but I would go with mid-eighties…

- Last but not least, a huge thank you goes out to my beta and advising team. Special thanks for helping me form the idea for this story. You girls are amazing! And Kathy, thank you so much for joining my team and for teaching me the fine art of American English language. I hope I’m a teachable student :-) Any mistakes left are mine…

*

Thursday
December 23, 2004
Harm's Apartment
North of Union Station, DC
5:09 AM

Harm, clad in only his boxer shorts, stood at the doorway of his bedroom, leaning against the wall to watch in awe the woman of his dreams lying in his bed.

It was still pitch-dark outside, and the soft glow from a street lamp filtering through the curtains was the only illumination in the room. Mac was still asleep, lying on her belly with his pillow safely tucked under her left arm, the sheet barely covering her bare backside. A little smile was gracing her face, her hair was all tousled and to Harm she looked totally relaxed, contented and simply gorgeous. They had barely gotten any sleep last night attempting to make up for the past eleven days that they had spent apart.

However, the magic was quickly lost that Monday morning after the weekend they had spent together with their godchildren Jimmy and Little AJ. Mac got orders to go to Naples while Harm had to stay in Washington. During the time they were separated, they’d communicated by e-mail and a few phone calls in between. They missed the closeness they’d shared during their magical ‘Christmasish’-weekend.

For a while, they didn’t even know if they would be able to go through with the plans they had made for their first date at the Rabb pond in Belleville; therefore, both had worked very hard on their cases, trying their best to be done in time, even though it meant not getting much sleep in between. While Harm had been able to finish his cases by Monday afternoon; Mac had only been able to finish her assignments yesterday.

Without bothering to go to her apartment first, Mac arrived at Harm’s apartment last night around eleven o’clock. They both simultaneously had the same fear that after being separated for over a week, and after just one weekend together as more than friends, their reunion would be somehow awkward and filled with apprehension. However, the moment Harm had opened the door and their eyes finally met, every bad thought vanished in a heartbeat and Mac threw herself into Harm’s waiting arms.

Overcome by their desire for one another, they left a trail of shed clothing between the living room and Harm’s bedroom where their reunion, at first, was passionate and demanding, but later gave way to a night of cuddling, kissing and slow and tender lovemaking until they were totally sated and let their fatigue totally overcome them and fell asleep in each others arms.

Harm now slowly moved back into the room and made his way over to the bed. Careful, so as not to startle Mac; he knelt right next to her on the bed. Tenderly he kissed her bare butt cheeks, before letting his lips and tongue slowly wander up her spine. The first reaction Harm got from her was the twitching of her back muscles under his lips before a quiet and soft moan completed her response.

“What?” Harm softly asked, not understanding what she had just murmured into his pillow. He immediately continued to cover her back with more little kisses and left a little wet trail behind wherever his tongue touched her soft skin before letting his lips touch her neck, only to get another moan from her in response. Moving his mouth to her ear, he kissed her earlobe before sucking on it. “Good morning, beautiful,” Harm whispered. “It’s time to get up, honey.”

“Tired,” Mac quietly mumbled into his pillow with a sleepy voice but still loud enough for Harm to understand her. She slowly moved her head a little so that she was able to look into his bright, glimmering eyes and see an even brighter smile on his lips as he greeted her. “How come you’re already up?” She wanted to know with a whispered murmur, just to let a huge yawn follow her question. “And why for heaven sake are you so cheerful this early in the morning?”

Harm just showed her one of his best flyboy-grins and together with a wink gave her the answer. Mac could only groan and threw her head back into the pillow. Then she started to snicker and while shaking her head, Mac slowly turned around to stretch her still exhausted body. “I should have known that the chance to go flying would get you out of bed without any complaints,” she commented with a big smile before slowly winding her arms around his neck to pull him a bit closer to her. “Good morning, handsome,” she whispered against his lips, letting a short but sweet kiss follow.

“Hmmm, it is now,” Harm softly said, letting his hand slowly run over the upper part of her body, just to let his lips follow down the same trail, causing goose bumps to form on her soft skin.

“Harm,” Mac huskily moaned with her eyes closed laying her left hand on his head, starting to let her fingers run through his thick hair while trying to decide whether she wanted to push his head away from her sensitive skin or even closer to the where she desired his touches the most.

Harm slowly started to kiss his way back up her body and towards her lips, settling himself between her legs. “The coffee is not quite ready yet, so why don’t you take a quick shower first?” He suggested against her lips, his barely touching hers with each word he spoke.

Mac slowly wound her legs around his hips, bringing their bodies into even more intimate contact. They both moaned and Mac could feel Harm’s desire for her, just as he was able to feel hers through the thin fabric of his boxer shorts.

“Will you join me?” Mac breathed seductively against his lips before they came crushing down on hers, giving her a hot, passionate, and demanding kiss that was full of love and tenderness.

“Oh, you don’t have to ask me twice,” Harm spoke huskily against her mouth before letting his tongue trace the seam of her soft lips.

As soon as Mac felt his tongue on her lips, she moaned and immediately opened her mouth to welcome him. His tongue slipped into her warm mouth just to duel with hers; both seeking and probing for more as their kiss grew and grew.

Harm softly let his hands run down her body once more just to cup her buttocks, trying to get her even closer to him while Mac’s hands did not remain idle as she copied his every movement. She tenderly let her hands run over Harm’s back, feeling his muscles dance under her fingertips moving down slowly until they found their intended destination on his buttocks and affectionately squeezed him under his boxer shorts.

Harm quickly moved onto his knees, never letting go of Mac, who also had not bothered to loosen the hold her legs had around his hips one bit. Slowly he moved off of the bed and just as slowly made his way to the bathroom, never breaking their kiss or his hold on her. He stopped at the bathroom door allowing Mac to find the switch for the ceiling light before continuing his way into the room.

When the need for air made them break their kiss, Harm stepped into the shower stall and blindly fumbled for the knob to turn on the shower while his tongue followed the line of the pulse on Mac’s neck. He tried to keep her away from the cold jet of water while she was busy kissing and sucking along his jaw and then down his throat as far as she could reach.

After a few seconds, Mac let her hands slowly run down his chest just to follow the narrow trail of hair down south to his bellybutton before moving them to his backside and to the waistband of his boxer shorts.

Mac started to pull at them, signaling Harm that she wanted him to take them off since she wasn’t able to do it without his help. He didn’t need to be asked twice and pulled them over his hips as fast as he could, letting them slide down his legs before stepping out of them.

As soon as nothing stood between them anymore, Mac grinded her hips against him and both shivered and moaned at the contact before Harm quickly stepped under the now hot jet of water.

What followed was neither a passionate nor a demanding lovemaking session. It was much rather like a slow, loving and emotional dance between Harm and Mac. Both took their time to caress, pleasure, and touch each other with all the tenderness, desire, and love they felt. It seemed like they took hours to let their mouths, hands and eyes tell each other their feelings before they finally came together and became one.

Only when the water started to cool and they had finished soaping, rinsing and washing each other’s hair, did they part to get ready for the day.

*

Harm’s kitchen
6:29 AM

Harm, who by now was wearing faded jeans, wool socks and a natural cotton mock turtleneck sweater, looked out the window while Mac was still in his bedroom getting dressed. He was deep in thought as he gulped his hot coffee, waiting for their toast to be ready.

They had gotten more snow during the last week and everything looked like a beautiful winter wonderland, but the streets were clear and easy to handle. For now, it seemed like he and Mac would be able to go sledding with Mattie and the Roberts’ boys on Christmas Day, and the way he was looking forward to it made him feel like a little boy again.

Harm had to smile when he remembered the day he brought his godchildren back home after their snowy weekend together at Mac’s apartment. As soon as Bud had opened the door for them, Little AJ had started to tell his parents everything they had done over the weekend even before Harm had been able to say ‘hey Bud’.

Of course, Little AJ had mentioned that they were unable to go sledding and how sad he was about it, but that his uncle Harm had the coolest idea to make a gingerbread house and to build a snowman family that included a dog.

As soon as AJ had finished his story and was up in his room Harm had asked Harriet and Bud if it would be okay for Mac and him to take AJ and Jimmy along should they go sledding on Christmas Day with Mattie. Both Harriet and Bud had agreed at once and were happy that their boys and friends had such a great time together. Of course, they were even happier about the news that their friends had finally told each other their feelings and ‘about damn time’ had been the first words coming out of Harriet and Bud’s mouths in perfect unison.

They had talked some more before it was time for Harm to go because there were still files to be worked on waiting for him at Mac’s apartment. Back then he’d decided not to bother driving back home and stayed the night at her apartment, just like she’d told him to before leaving in a rush for Naples. Harm had to admit that sleeping in her bed and smelling her sweet, unique scent on her sheets had made him miss her a bit less, if that was even possible.

Mac tenderly watched Harm from the doorway of his bedroom and saw the little smile on his face, feeling that he obviously was thinking about something special. She quietly stepped behind him and gently wrapped her arms around his waist, putting her hands on his chest before starting to kiss a certain spot on his neck.

Her actions brought him out of his thoughts, and he slowly turned around to place his arms around her waist, giving her a quick peck while drawing her even closer into his embrace. “Want some coffee?” He gently asked and held his mug to her since he didn’t feel like letting go of her so she could get her own mug.

“Thank you.” Mac gladly took his mug in her hands and took a big sip. “Mmmmm, this coffee is great,” she told him, a bit surprised not to taste the usual ‘squid-coffee’ she normally liked to call his coffee and quickly took another, even bigger, gulp.

Harm gave her a boyish grin and then quickly took the mug out of her hands to take a long sip of his own. “Yeah, I thought we should try to find a happy medium when it comes to our coffee. I gather that from now on we will be spending much more time together and drinking a lot of coffee so maybe it’s time to find the perfect coffee for the both of us so we don’t have to always make two pots of coffee,” he sheepishly told her.

“I like the way you think, sailor,” Mac told him with a husky voice before giving him a soft and sweet kiss. “And if you didn’t already have my heart, with that coffee you would have captured it, Mr. Rabb.”

“I’m glad you approve, Ms. MacKenzie,” Harm replied before copying her earlier movement and gave her soft lips a sweet kiss. “And now let’s eat, so we can hit the road.”

“Sounds good to me,” Mac agreed with a big grin on her face before she once more took the coffee mug out of Harm’s hand to take another big gulp of the steaming coffee. Then they took their toast, orange juice, soft and medium boiled eggs and jam to the dining table. “I still need to pack my bag and change into something more fitting for the trip,” she explained while looking down at her uniform, which looked a bit crumpled after their moment of passion last night.

*

During their breakfast they talked about how they would spend the holidays together with Mattie and decided that it would be best to stay at Mac’s apartment. One reason was the already decorated Christmas tree she had in her apartment, while Harm had had no time to get and decorate a tree. In addition, the fact that Mac had a guest room where Mattie could sleep for a few days was another big reason why they should stay at Mac’s apartment. Not to forget that her apartment provided for much more privacy.

They also agreed that they would not hide their feelings for each other in front of Mattie, and that they would talk with her about the direction their relationship had taken. Up to now, the only people who knew about their new liaison were Harriet and Bud, and they knew that sooner or later they would have to let the other people around them know about it also.

Harm had not even told his grandmother about it when he had phoned her a few days ago, simply because he wanted to do it the right way. He wanted to tell her in person and introduce Mac at the same time. However, a part of him knew already that his smart grandmother didn’t need to hear the words from him since she had always had the gift to read between the lines, and probably suspected it already.

After they had settled the issue of ‘Mattie’ and their plans for the Holidays, they put the dishes into the dishwasher and gathered Harm’s bag and the picnic basket he had prepared earlier with the stuff he had made the day before.

Now they could drive to Mac’s apartment so she could pack her bag before they could get on the road to Blacksburg and to the Cessna Harm had chartered for the next two days.

*

On the road to the Rabb Farm
Outside Belleville, PA
2:16 PM

After they had landed at the small airfield near Belleville, Harm and Mac had rented a Jeep Grand Cherokee before making their way to Harm’s grandmother’s farm.

Belleville and the region around it got even more snow than the Washington area and Harm was sure that the nearer they got to his grandmother’s farm, the more snow they could expect since her farm was farther up the hills. The roads up there were much more difficult to pass, but Harm knew the area and the way to his grandmother’s inside out and therefore encountered no problems during their ride.

Mac enjoyed their ride up there immensely. Until this day she had thought she knew what ‘a lot of snow’ looked like from living in Washington, but today she learned just how beautiful this much snow could actually be.

The open landscape allowed her a wide view and to her it was simply spectacular. The fir trees around them were covered with a thick layer of snow causing their branches to hang low from the weight. At times she even saw a shy snow hare or a deer between them.

The sky was cloudless and the sun was shining down brightly, making the snow around them twinkle like a blanket of diamonds.

In the distance Mac spotted a slope where a bunch of happy looking children were having a blast conquering the hill with their sleds and tractor tires while other youngsters were obviously building a giant snowman with their parents or grandparents.

Every now and then, Harm’s eyes left the road and he glanced over at Mac and it was obvious just how much she liked what she saw around her. To him she looked like a little child who had just walked into a candy shop for the very first time.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Harm tenderly asked her, breaking the delightful silence in the car.

Mac turned her head to look at him and a cheerful smile was covering her face, the shimmer in her eyes was even brighter than the shining of the sun above them, at least in Harm’s opinion.

“Yes, it is. This is beyond beautiful and so calming. It is simply breathtaking.”

Harm nodded his head with one of his flyboy-grins, knowing exactly what she was talking about. For him it always had been a place of peacefulness, relaxation, and sometimes even a place of recovering.

Harm pointed with his forefinger to the right side at some kids in the distance obviously having a lot of fun. “I bet Little AJ and Jimmy would love to spend some time out there”.

Mac chuckled and turned her gaze for a short moment back to the slope. “I’m sure we would get the ‘It’s so cool’ speech from Little AJ before he and Jimmy would spend hours on the slope with no hope of getting them away from the place before they had gotten their fill of fun and excitement.”

Harm laughed as he took a right turn into a little dirt path, the right and the left sides planted with huge firs, nearly making an avenue out of it. “Very true and I know we would have loved and enjoyed every minute of it,” he said with a bright grin and immediately got a nod from Mac in response.

“Very much so,” she concurred with a ripple of laughter as Harm steered the car in front of the farmhouse and brought it to a halt.

Harm turned off the engine and slowly took the key out of the ignition, but instead of opening the door to get out of the car, he turned in his seat a little so that he could look a bit better at Mac. He took one of her hands into his to give it a little squeeze. “Maybe the next time we plan to come up here, we could take the kids with us,” Harm suggested.

Mac’s huge smile and her bright shining eyes already gave him the answer he had hoped for, and this time it seemed for him as if there were even more emotions displayed in her eyes. When she leaned forward a little to let her soft lips meet his, he knew for sure that her answer was a ‘yes’ and he couldn’t suppress the huge smile which covered his face as soon as they broke their kiss.

“I gather from your reaction that this is your way of saying ‘Yes, we should bring them with us the next time we come up here’,” Harm said confidently with a boyish grin, not even thinking about making a question out of it.

Mac just tapped his nose with her forefinger and then opened the door. “You’re too smart for your own good, Commander,” she told him with a laugh and was on her way out of the car, just to be held back by Harm’s arms, which quickly embraced her from behind.

She turned her head and before Mac could say or ask anything, Harm’s lips were covering hers for another kiss. This one wasn’t short, soft or simple, but rather demanding and heated. Harm put all the passion, desire, and love he felt for her into this single kiss and got each of these feelings back from Mac in response while everything around them seemed to fade into nonexistence as their kiss grew and grew.

“Yeah, you’re right, Colonel. I’m really too smart for my own good and to catch and kiss you just now was the best idea I had in… hmmm… let’s see… twenty minutes or so,” Harm huskily told her with a smirk, remembering their little make-out session in the plane after they’d landed at the airfield near Belleville.

“Twenty-three minutes and fourteen seconds…,” Mac corrected him with a seductive voice and completed it with a wink, making Harm chuckle and roll his eyes about her correction in response. “… but who’s counting,” she concluded and suddenly started to blush.

Harm raised his eyebrow in wonder when he saw her reaction and then slowly followed Mac’s gaze with his eyes, only to start laughing aloud while shaking his head. “Oops,” he said and gave Mac’s hand another quick squeeze before opening the door of the car to jump out. Then he stuck his head back into the car and smiled at the still brightly blushing Mac.

“Come on, Marine. It’s time for you to meet the other important woman in my life,” he told her and Mac could only nod since she was still too embarrassed after being caught by Harm’s grandmother while she was practically making out with her grandson in the car; right in front of her house nonetheless. ‘Oops indeed,’ she thought to herself. ‘Make that a very big oops.’

Mac took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly and then just like Harm got out of the car, suddenly feeling very nervous and moreover, she felt shy about meeting someone from Harm’s family. Up to now the thought had never occurred to her, but this was actually the first time she would meet a member of his family.

She slowly closed the car door behind her and stood back to watch the reunion between the man who owned her heart, and whom she loved dearly, and his grandmother. Just watching this scene in front of her warmed Mac’s heart immensely and right then and there she knew that this was what family was all about. ‘I just hope she likes me,’ Mac unintentionally thought to herself and was surprised about the uncertainty she was feeling at that moment.

*

“Harmon, my dear, it is so good to see you,” Sarah Rabb happily welcomed her grandson pulling him into a bear hug. “It has been too long, my boy,” she mockingly added and closed her eyes for a moment, trying her hardest to hold her emotions in check.

“Hi Grandma, it’s so good to see you too,” he tenderly told her with a bright smile before they broke their embrace so that he could give her a peck on the cheek. “You’re looking great, Granny,” he continued and gave her one of his best flyboy-grins.

Harm’s grandmother laughed heartily while giving his arm a little slap. “You’re the same old charmer like always, Harmon. Boy, you’re so much like your dad,” she gently told him with a smile and immediately got a ripple of laughter from Harm in response. Then he gave her forehead a quick kiss before taking her once more into a loving embrace.

Mac, who was still observing them from a few feet away, could see that Harm’s grandmother had tears in her eyes, and she had to smile as Harm started to wipe off a tear from his grandmother’s cheek. It was such a familiar gesture to her and Mac took another deep breath, feeling that her emotions too were getting a bit out of control by all this.

Harm instinctively turned his head around a little and saw that Mac was still standing by the car, obviously nervous since she was biting her lower lip, and playing with her fingers all while her eyes seemed to be glued to them.

Right then and there he fell in love with her all over again. She looked so shy and uncertain to him that Harm only wanted to take her into his arms so he could hold her for eternity.

Mac, sensing that she was being watched, slowly lifted her gaze from her hands, and her eyes immediately found Harm’s smiling ones. She gave him a little shy smile in response before continuing to nibble on her lower lip without breaking their eye contact.

Sarah Rabb silently watched the interaction between her grandson and the young woman who stood just a few feet away from them and could only smile about what she discovered. She was amazed about the conversation, which happened between these two young people while everything around them obviously didn’t exist anymore. It was a conversation spoken not with words but with the look in their eyes. The love between them was as clear to her as the sky above her head, and it made Sarah Rabb’s smile brighten even more.

When Harm had called her a few days ago to ask her if he and Mac could come for a quick visit, she was delighted about it. Back then he may not have told her that he and his Marine had finally found their way to each other’s heart, but in his voice she had clearly discovered the sound of happiness and love right away, it’d been so much clearer than at any time before.

And now, while letting her eyes wander once more between her grandson and Mac, she knew for sure that Harm got his girl… his soulmate. ‘About damn time,’ Sarah Rabb whooped in joy to herself.

“Harmon, dear, don’t you want to introduce the young lady to me?” Sarah Rabb curiously asked her grandson bringing him down from cloud nine and back to earth with her question.
She didn’t wait for him to answer or move, instead, Sarah made her way over to the car to welcome Mac with wide-open arms. “You have to be the other Sarah in Harmon’s life, my dear,” Harm’s grandmother said delightfully as she took Mac into a warm embrace. “I’m so glad to finally meet you. Harm has told me so much about you that it feels like I know you already.”

Mac softly returned Mrs. Rabb’s embrace and noticed that Harm was still standing back, watching them with a sweet smile on his lips, looking totally happy and content to her. “I’m glad to finally meet you too, Mrs. Rabb,” Mac responded with a gentle voice as they broke their embrace.

Harm’s grandmother took Mac’s hands into hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. “My dear, call me Grandma, please. Mrs. Rabb is way too formal up here and it makes me feel even older than I already am.”

Mac immediately recognized that smile and slowly let her eyes wander back to Harm, seeing that he was coming over to them now. “I think I can do that, Grandma,” she replied still feeling a little shy, but a lot less nervous all the while thinking that Harm and his grandmother shared more than just the same eyes.

Harm stopped next to Mac and laid his right arm around her hips, pulling her a bit closer to him. He looked down at Mac giving her a smile before moving his gaze to his grandmother. “Grandma, this is my Sarah,” Harm introduced Mac and especially dwelled on the word ‘my’ since his grandmother always had said ‘your Sarah’ when she and Harm had spoken to each other.

“Oh, I know, dear. And I’m so happy to finally meet your Sarah,” Mrs. Rabb told him with a wink and gently squeezed Mac’s arm. Harm chuckled because just as he had dwelled on the word ‘my’, had his grandmother had lingered on the word ‘your’.

Mac knew there was a story behind the ‘my Sarah’ and ‘your Sarah’ comment and looked questioningly at Harm who just shrugged his shoulders and moved his head down to hers. “I’ll tell you later,” he whispered into her ear before turning his gaze back to his grandmother. “I know, Grandma. Believe me, I know.”

“So, Harmon…. If I may ask… what are your plans for today? Why did I have to call my neighbor and best friend Maria to ask her if I could borrow her daughter’s skates and also have to polish your old ones? Back then on the phone you didn’t have enough time to tell me more about this plan of yours,” Sarah Rabb said and chuckled. “Or did you simply not want to tell me?”

Harm laughed and quickly kissed his grandmother’s cheek. “Now would I really do something like that?”

“All the time,” his grandmother and Mac answered at the same time before joining Harm’s laughter.

“Cute, really cute,” Harm retorted with a smirk. “Anyway, I’m hoping that Maria’s daughter Marilyn has the same shoe size as Mac so that she could borrow her skates for our first date. And since I know that I haven’t used mine in ages, I feared that they would be a bit rusted and; therefore, I asked if you could polish them.”

“Oh.... For your first date?” Harm’s grandmother asked him astonished while raising an eyebrow, giving him a look that Mac had seen quite a few times in the past on Harm’s face too.

“Yes, Grandma, I asked Mac for a date and thought we could go skating on the family pond and have a little winter picnic there.”

“Skating on the family pond? Oh, my dear, that is such a lovely idea. That’s just perfect,” Sarah Rabb softly said with a nearly tearful voice and quickly took her grandson into another bear hug, feeling totally moved about what her grandson had just told her.

Harm gladly returned the hug, knowing that his grandmother knew just how special that place had always been for him.

The reaction from Harm’s grandmother and the fact that Mac could see just how much she had been moved by Harm’s plans for their first date, once more in a short time made her look questioningly at him, just to get a mouthed ‘later’ from him as an answer.

Mac just gave him a nod before she took a deep breath, finally noticing that she had been just as moved by this scene as Grandma. ‘Grandma…. It feels good to call her that,’ Mac thought and quickly wiped off a single tear, which had formed in the corner of her left eye and started to run down her cheek. ‘You’re such a sap, Marine,’ she told herself with a chuckle and couldn’t hold back the little grin that covered her face as she remembered Harm’s words from years ago. ‘You give the Marine corps a bad name, Marine.’

Harm saw Mac’s reaction and smiled at her before blowing her a kiss. Then he broke the embrace with his grandmother and took Mac’s hand into his. “Yeah, I’m sure it will be perfect,” Harm finally answered his grandmother with a gentle voice.

“And I gather the hot apple cider you love so much and asked me to make is for your winter picnic,” Sarah Rabb said, understanding more now the phone call between her and Harm. “Well, the cider is ready whenever you two are.”

“Great! Thank you, Grandma,” Harm retorted and then looked at Mac. “So, what do you say, Marine? Are you ready for our first date?”

Mac sweetly smiled at him. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” she softly let him know in a whisper before his lips came down on hers to give her a short but lovely kiss.

Sarah Rabb could only sigh in happiness about the scene in front of her and knew that she couldn’t possibly be any happier for her grandson than she was at that very moment. “Good. Since that’s settled, why don’t you two bring your bags up to your room before you make your way to the pond?” Harm’s grandmother stated and started making her way back to the house before stopping midway to turn her head back to her grandson and Mac. “Oh, and if I may suggest… Harm, you two should take Dopey up with you. I think he’ll be very helpful,” she added before disappearing through the doorway of her house.

*

“Who’s Dopey?” Mac asked bewildered with a raised eyebrow while she and Harm got their bags, a wool blanket, and the picnic basket out of the jeep.

“Dopey is Grandma’s Dutch Draft horse,” Harm answered as he leaned against the hood of the car.

“She named her horse Dopey? As in Snow White and the seven dwarfs, huh?” Mac inquired in amusement.

Harm just shrugged his shoulders and wasn’t able to hold back the bright and boyish looking grin that covered his face. “Yup. The one and only.”

Mac’s look at him revealed to Harm that she had just figured out who had actually named the horse after the Disney figure. “What? I loved the movie as a kid and the horse reminded me a lot of Dopey,” he explained with another shrug.

“How so?”

“Well, Dopey the dwarf was loose-limbed, had never spoken a word, and was very childlike. The same goes for Grandma’s horse. Then there’s the fact that the dwarf always tried to steal a second and third kiss from Snow White, right? Well, back then Grandma had a horse named Snow White, and Dopey was very much in love with her. And last, but not least, I always thought that Dopey the dwarf was very smart, and the same goes for my Dopey.”

“This is so cute,” Mac said with a sweet smile. “My Harm loves Disney.”

Harm chuckled and shook his head. “Anyway, I think my grandmother has a point. The way up to the pond may be difficult to pass on foot, but with Dopey it should go very easily,” Harm explained as they made their way to follow his grandmother into the house.

They had nearly reached the front door when Mac suddenly stopped dead in her tracks as if a lightning bolt had just hit her. When Harm noticed that she wasn’t walking beside him anymore, he stopped and slowly turned around to look at her, and saw for the second time that day a brightly blushing Mac.

“Umm… Mac?” Harm tried to get her attention. “Is everything okay?”

Mac looked at him with wide-open eyes, and it seemed like she wanted to answer him, but for now no words were coming out of her mouth. Harm had to chuckle as the thought that she reminded him of a fish was now running through his mind. “Mac, what’s wrong with you?” He asked after clearing his throat.

“Umm… did… did she… I mean… did she just…,” Was all Mac could stutter before she took a deep breath, trying to get herself under control again.

“Did she what?” Harm asked and stepped forward so that he stood directly in front of her. ‘What did Grandma do now?’ He asked himself, not understanding what made Mac react like that.

“Did… did she just say the word ‘room’?” She finally was able to ask. “Like… ‘room’ as in singular and not plural?”

Harm couldn’t resist and smirked, giving her a wink. “Yeah, I actually think she did. I mean the plural of ‘room’ would be ‘rooms’ and she said ‘your room’,” Harm answered her with a teasing note in his voice, barely able to keep himself from laughing aloud.

However, the moment he recognized that she was blushing even more, if that was even possible, he gave up and started to laugh heartily. “Oh my, and you once told me that I’m a prude.”

“I’m not a prude,” Mac retorted emphatically. “It’s just… I never thought… I just can’t believe she assumed… I mean, I just can’t believe she said that,” quickly spitting out the words.

Harm took Mac’s head into his palms and softly kissed her lips. “Honey, my grandmother is anything but a prude when it comes to… well, to you-know-what,” Harm tenderly told her as he avoided using the word.

“Sex,” Mac said out loud, since Harm obviously didn’t want to say it and she knew that he had done it only to make her relax a bit. ‘It apparently worked like a charm,’ she thought and that made her smile at him.

Harm chuckled and nodded his head. “Yes, that’s what I was talking about,” he concurred with another wink and was glad that the blush on Mac’s face vanished slowly but steadily. “To tell you the truth, she was the one who told me everything about the birds and the bees after my mom obviously surrendered and begged her to do it.”

Mac started to giggle. “Now that sounds like fun. I bet you really enjoyed that.”

“Oh yeah, I sure did. It really was a lot of fun… not,” Harm said with another chuckle.
“Well, she may have enjoyed it, but I can’t tell you just how embarrassed I was during the entire conversation. Grandma dealt with it open-mindedly though, and she did a damn good job if I may add.”

“That she did.”

“But seriously. Mac, if it makes you uncomfortable to spend the night together with me in the same room while we’re under her roof, I’m sure I can sleep in another guestroom,” Harm offered as they started to make their way to the house again.

Mac immediately shook her head and gave him a little smile. “I’m not really uncomfortable about it. Her assuming simply surprised me… caught me off-guard… somehow. And no, I don’t want to be separated from you, neither during the day or at night.”

“Oh, is that so?” Harm jokingly asked, but felt happy to hear that.

“Yes, it is. I mean, I barely got any sleep over the last ten days because I missed having you right next to me. I for sure don’t want to go through that again, at least not of my own free will,” Mac stated and then walked through the front door, which Harm held open for her.

“You really missed me, huh?” Harm asked flashing her his flyboy grin that she loved so much.

Mac smirked and looked through the doorway of the kitchen, where Harm’s grandmother was busy getting the hot cider into a thermos bottle. Mac then stood up on her tiptoes and moved her mouth right next to his left ear. “Terribly,” she breathed her answer softly into his ear before sucking on it. “You certainly have a way of keeping me warm at night.”

“Hmmm, just wait ‘till tonight and I’ll show you how warm I really can keep you,” Harm replied with a husky voice and gave her a quick peck on the lips before starting to walk up the stairs, which would lead them to their room for the night.

“I can’t wait,” she whispered and quickly followed Harm upstairs while a silly grin formed on her lips.

*

The Rabb Farm
At the pond
Outside Belleville, PA
4:12 PM

Harm’s grandmother had been right about Dopey. Without the help of the Dutch Draft horse it would have been much harder if not impossible for them to reach the pond by foot. This was definitely a very special and romantic first date. The glistening snow along with the crisp, cold winter air and being accompanied by Dopey made it all simply perfect.

For over an hour Harm and Mac enjoyed ice-skating on the family pond tremendously. Even though their backsides, especially Mac’s, had made light contact with the ice plating a few times, they were having way too much fun to even think of giving up.

For Mac it was her first time on ice skates, and she was a bit unsteady on them. However, with Harm’s help, especially the support from his strong arms, she was learning to master the fine art of ice-skating.

Sometimes Harm ran backwards while holding Mac’s hands to drag her behind him, and at other times he was running behind her, softly pushing her forward. He would even let go of her, staying close enough just in case he needed to catch her before she fell.

“Woooaaahh,” Mac squealed laughing in pure delight. “Haaaarrmm... watch me!” she yelped making exaggerated rowing movements with her arms, trying her hardest to keep her balance while reaching out for Harm, hoping he would catch her before she fell, which was often forth-coming.

“Don’t worry, I’m right behind you, honey,” Harm softly told her catching Mac in time. He gently clinched her from behind and skillfully glided them over the ice to the edge of the pond where he had laid out the wool blanket for their winter picnic. An old military trap belonging to his grandfather underneath the blanket kept them sheltered from the cold of the snow-clad ground.

As soon as they had reached the edge of the pond, Harm slowly let go of Mac so she could sit on the blanket. There was a groan from Mac when her behind touched the ground. “Somehow I don’t think I want to know what my butt is going to look like by tomorrow,” she said with a wide grin. “Not that I really care.”

”Not to worry,” he said with a husky voice while flashing a huge grin. “Should your cute little butt bother you, I promise you the best TLC you ever got.”

“Hmmm, that sounds very promising, Commander,” Mac whispered giving Harm a coy smile.

Thoughtfully, Harm got down on his knees in front of Mac, and being the perfect gentleman started to untie her ice-skates before slowly taking them off. Then he took her wool-socked feet in his hands and started to knead them gently. When he hit a particular spot, he got a deep whimper from her, which faintly sounded like a purr.

Likewise, Mac slowly pulled off her leather gloves and took his head into her palms, pulling him a bit closer to her so that she could touch his lips for a lovely kiss. “Thank you so much, Harm. This is the most beautiful and romantic date I could ever have,” she whispered after their lips parted, and she let her fingertips caress his cheek and then his lips.

In turn, Harm took her hands into his and brought them to his lips, giving each one a kiss. “I’m glad you like it so far. There’s much more to come,” he promised her with a sparkle in his eyes and once again their lips met for another searing kiss.

This one was a bit more passionate and needy, but still soft, tender and full of love. Mac’s fingers were running through his hair and she held his head in place while Harm’s tongue traced the seam of Mac’s supple lips. She slowly parted them and his tongue slipped into her warm mouth. Their tongues dueled, probed, and sought more until the need for air made it necessary for them to separate their swollen lips.

“Are you hungry?” Harm asked as he sat down right next to Mac on the blanket and started to take off his own ice-skates before getting his boots that were lying on the blanket.

Mac nodded her head affirmatively and completed the gesture with a bright smile. “Hmmm, now that I’m thinking about it… yeah, I’m actually starving,” she answered and took her boots from behind her and pulled them on.

Harm just shook his head and laughed. “Tsk, you and that stomach of yours, Marine. I just hope I made enough to feed you.” Harm donned and tied his boots, before he got the picnic basket.

“Hey, we haven’t had anything since breakfast,” she told him as a matter of fact. “And before you say anything, some power bars from the vending machine at the airfield in Blacksburg doesn’t count as food, flyboy. However, I wouldn’t worry about it. If the food isn’t enough, I’m sure you’ll come up with something else to feed me,” Mac said smiling sweetly at him, giving him a wink before slowly changing her position on the blanket a bit so that she was now sitting across from him.

“Yeah, I’m sure I could come up with one or two things,” Harm replied waggling his eyebrow suggestively and started to put out the food he had made for their winter picnic.

“Mmmmm… wow, this looks absolutely yummy, Harm,” Mac told him enthralled, as she let her eyes take in everything Harm was dishing out.

There were cherry tomatoes stuffed with ham, bacon, tuna, as well as feta cheese. Some avocados with shrimp and tartar sauce, a seafood salad served on cracked pepper crackers, mozzarella and tomato crostini, and a few celery sticks served with a yogurt dip. Dessert consisted of some sliced apples and a caramel sauce, which Harm made to dip them in. Last but not least, there was the thermos bottle along with the two glasses, which Harm proceeded to fill with the apple cider.

One of the filled glasses he held out for Mac to take and then he let his glass clink against hers before raising it for a little toast. “Here’s to love,” Harm said tenderly while looking deeply into Mac’s expansive brown eyes.

“And to friendship that lasts a lifetime,” Mac gently replied with a smile.

“Here’s to eternity,” Harm murmured.

“Here’s to eternity,” Mac repeated his words before both took a little sip of the hot cider and finally sealed their toast with a loving kiss.

“I love you,” both said in unison after their lips parted, and all they could do was smile as they looked intently into each other’s eyes.

Harm took a cherry tomato stuffed with bacon from the plate and held it in front of Mac. She opened her mouth to welcome it, as she closed her eyes savoring the delicious appetizer. Not to be outdone, Mac took one of the cracked pepper crackers with seafood salad and fed Harm. This action turned their picnic into a romantic feeding game, just like it had the morning after their first night together at Mac’s.

And just like back then, they shared tasty kisses in between feeding each other all the food that Harm had prepared.

Mac offered Harm the last slice of apple with some of the caramel sauce. As he bit into it, some of the sauce ran down his chin and Mac quickly raised a finger to his jaw so she could stop the sauce from dripping onto his jacket, letting the side of her finger run up his chin to collect the sauce and moving it forward ‘till she’d reached his waiting lips.

Her finger paused as she looked up into the blue-green eyes that were staring back at her, and they both smiled sheepishly. Harm’s hand immediately enfolded her wrist; his tongue slowly licking the sauce off her finger. Harm’s sensual ministrations caused Mac to unconsciously run her tongue over her lips in anticipation.

When Harm was done removing the sauce from her finger; he let go of her wrist. Mac leaned forward enticingly letting the tip of her tongue run over the seam of his lips, asking for entrance. Harm obliged gladly opening his mouth to welcome her. Her tongue slipped into his mouth, dueling with his wanting more.

When Harm got a sudden shove from behind, they broke their kiss and laughed when they recognized who had just rudely interrupted them.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Dopey. We totally ignored you the entire time,” Harm spoke to the horse while petting Dopey’s nostrils and giving Mac a big grin. “Guess we should feed him too, huh?”

Mac sighed, looking down at the empty plates in front of them, and shrugged her shoulders. “There’s nothing left to feed him with.”

Harm smirked. “Good thing my grandma knows Dopey so well,” he said and opened the picnic basket to pull out a huge bunch of carrots and some sugar cubes. He jumped up to his feet giving Mac one of his best flyboy-grins she loved so much. “I’ll be right back,” he said walking away with Dopey in tow.

Mac giggled and shook her head, letting her fascinated eyes follow him and Dopey.

*

As soon as Harm had fed the horse and turned back to join Mac; he saw that she had already put all their dirty plates and glasses back into the picnic basket. She was now sitting fully relaxed on the blanket. Her legs were outstretched while she supported the upper part of her body on her elbows enabling her to raise her face towards the sky to catch the last few rays of sunshine before the sun set.

Mac sensed Harm’s nearness. She turned her head a little and slowly opened her eyes to look up at him. “This is the most enchanting place I’ve ever seen,” Mac cooed in awe about the beautiful landscape surrounding her.

Harm just nodded his head and sat down behind Mac, who sat up a bit as soon as she knew his intentions. Once he was seated; Mac sat between his outstretched legs and let herself fall back into his warm, comfortable embrace.

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” he softly replied, looking dreamily out into the distance. He let go of her momentarily to open his downy feather jacket.

Mac looked questioningly at him and got a boyish grin accompanied by shrug in response. “I just want to hold you as close as possible,” he tenderly explained. After his jacket was fully opened; he pulled her back into his loving arms and deepened his hold on her, placing a kiss on top of her head.

The family pond was well up into the hills giving them a spectacular view over the wide- open landscape below.

The slope Harm and Mac had spotted on their ride up to the farm was also visible from where they sat and it still looked like it was fully occupied just as it had been earlier that afternoon.

Off in the distance, they could even see Belleville and of course the Rabb farmhouse, sheltered by a number of huge firs on all sides.

While taking in the breathtaking scenery, Mac remembered that the wall of multi-unit casement windows in the room they would share that night faced the hill where the pond was. Knowing that she could lie in bed, in Harm’s arms, and view this magnificent place from the window made her smile happily.

Mac spoke in a hushed voice, “Have you ever thought about living up here? Far away enough from all the trouble and noise of the big city, but still near enough to obtain everything you need in life. To be able to leave all the hectic schedules behind you just to experience something new?” She took his large hands in hers and started caressing his palms. Then she attempted to snuggle even deeper into his embrace wishing she could remove her own down jacket so that she could feel the intensity of his massive chest against her back.

Harm nuzzled Mac’s neck, inhaling her sweet and unique scent. “Yeah, once or twice,” he responded in a whisper. Mac turned her head a bit, so that she was able to look into his pensive eyes.

“Does this have anything to do with how your grandmother reacted earlier?”

Harm took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it. “Yes, it does,” he quietly answered. “My grandmother knows how much this place up here means to me. When I spent time recovering here with her after my ramp strike, I came up to this place quite often. I would sit here for hours, just thinking about everything or nothing at all. And yeah, sometimes I actually thought about leaving everything behind and building a little house right over there.” Harm pointed to his left, at a space right next to the pond.

Mac looked at the space he pointed to responding with a nod of understanding, pondering how wonderful it would be to live up here.

“Even as a kid I came here often when I visited my grandma. In the summer I would swim in the pond, and in the winter I always had fun on the ice. It’s the perfect place for reflecting on one’s life.” They then took a moment to silently enjoy the majestic sunset before Harm spoke softly into Mac’s ear. “The reason my grandmother reacted that way was because she knows you’re the first person I’ve ever shared this special place with. There’s been no one else, not even Mom or Frank.”

Mac leisurely brought his hands up to her mouth to kiss each of them while a single tear slipped down her cheek. She took a deep breath; feeling overwhelmed by what he had just revealed to her. “Why didn’t you go through with it? Building a house over there I mean.”

Harm laughed throwing his head back. “Grandma,” he answered as soon as he had calmed down a bit.

“Grandma?” Mac asked looking questioningly into Harm’s expressive eyes. She was a bit surprised as that was not the response she was expecting.

“The one and only. Back then; when I told her about my idea, she said that she wouldn’t deter me if I were sincere about wanting to live up here. She would have been happy to have me around. Right after that, I started making plans when she suddenly asked me to make her a promise.”

“What kind of promise?”

“I had to promise her that before I left my old life to start a new one on this hill, I would think about why I wanted to do it. Did my reasons justify going through with it, or was I just running away from everything.”

“She sounds like a really smart lady to me.”

“Oh yeah, that she is. Grandma made me promise because she knew me well enough to already know the answer before I did. Just like a very good lawyer should,” Harm said with a snigger. “It took some time, but I figured out that I indeed was running away and that was not a good enough reason to build a new life here.”

“Running away is never a good enough reason for anything,” Mac concluded, remembering the talk she had with Harm about running away over their weekend together.

“Very true.”

“So your plan to live up here is no longer an option?”

Harm increased his hold on her, once again trying to pull her even closer to him. “No, I wouldn’t say that. I mean, just look around Mac. This place is like paradise and a part of me can definitely imagine living here one day. Retired from the Navy, in private practice or maybe even a farmer… yeah sure, why not? What about you?”

“What about me?” Mac sighed looking at him before turning her eyes back to the panoramic view. “You mean if I could imagine leaving everything behind and start something new?”

“Yeah… exactly … could you envision leaving behind your old life, and your career… to live up here? I don’t know… maybe become a civilian lawyer…the wife of a farmer…the mother of 2.5 children… would that be something you’d like?” Harm asked in interest.

Mac was just about to give him an answer, but her words stuck in her throat when she suddenly became distracted by something. “Oh my…Harm?!?”

*

The Rabb Farm
At the pond
Outside Belleville, PA
5:03 PM

“Maybe I should re-phrase that a little,” Harm said anxiously letting go of Mac to move around her until he was able to kneel down in front of her. He cleared his throat, gave her a little nervous smile; and then took her delicate left hand into his strong right one, giving it an affectionate little squeeze.

“Could you, Sarah MacKenzie, imagine leaving your old life behind to build a new one… with me? Could you imagine… maybe one day… living here in this beautiful place …with me? And could you also imagine… one day… being the wife of a civilian lawyer or a farmer and the mother of 2.5 children?” Harm’s voice broke as he asked her all these questions. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it trying to get a hold of his frayed emotions.

Mac fought to smile through the tears that were running down her cheeks as Harm once again held out to her the object that had her words sticking in her throat earlier.

By now, the sun had already disappeared behind the horizon, but the remnants of its red and yellow hue still lit up the sky and made the ring Harm held out to her even more exquisite.

“Harm…,” was all Mac could utter in her emotionally charged state, which had left her speechless, and in tears.

Harm paused in order to get his own emotions under control as he realized that she wasn’t the only one crying at that moment.

“Sarah MacKenzie, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? To share your dreams with me like I want to share mine with you, to follow each of them and to spend an eternity with me? … Marry me, Sarah,” were the last words spoken before he lost his voice completely.

They were both misty eyed when Harm gently took Mac’s left hand into his shaking left hand and nervously tried to place the ring onto her ring finger.

Harm looked up at Mac’s tear drenched face. Her lips were attempting to form a smile as her eyes shimmered with more tears. She gave a tiny nod. ”Yes,” she whimpered in a voice that was barely audible, and Harm almost didn’t hear her. “Oh my god, yes,” was her elated response.

“Yes,” Harm repeated nodding his head also before they both succumbed to giddy grins as they looked down to their entwined hands. Harm’s hands had now steadied, and he was able to successfully slip the ring onto her left hand.

“I love you,” both said at the same time before their lips came together for a long, passionate kiss.

Harm then reached out and began to wipe away the tears streaming down her cheeks with his thumb; much in the same manner that Mac was wiping away the tears that had spilled from Harm’s eyes. Then their gaze wandered down to the platinum engagement ring on Mac’s finger.

“This is by far the most beautiful incredibly gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen,” Mac said in awe, still admiring the unique style in the dying light of the sunset.

Harm nodded his head in understanding and smiled, remembering too well, how he felt the first time he saw the finished ring. “I wanted to find something special. Something that symbolizes both of us,” Harm started to explain and pointed to the small stone on the right side while Mac’s eyes followed Harm’s finger and listened agog. “This stone here is from my Grandma’s engagement ring.”

Mac gasped in astonishment the moment Harm’s words left his mouth and before she could speak, he was already pointing to the other small stone on the left side. “And this is the stone from the engagement ring my mom got from my dad. Both smaller stones represent me and they embrace the larger one in the middle, which represents you. I picked out a princess cut diamond since I know that your name Sarah in Hebrew means ‘Princess’. All three stones are pillowed in a bed of roses which reflects the beginning of ‘Us’. The beautiful rose designs engraved on the ring is our very own rose garden,” he avowed.

Mac looked at Harm; she was completely choked up and her eyes were over-flowing with tears. Harm reached out to wipe them away just as he had done so many other times. “It’s perfect,” was all she was able to say through all the emotions swirling inside her.

“Yes, it is. It’s us,” Harm said and moved in to meet her soft lips in a kiss of love, tasting the saltiness of her tears.

“But when… I mean, when did you…,” Mac tried to ask as soon as they broke their kiss.

“When did I came up with the idea for it and arrange to have it made?” Harm asked if that was what she wanted to know and got an affirmative nod as her answer. “I had the idea on Monday night after our weekend together. I was staying at your apartment, lying in your bed wide-awake unable to sleep. I could smell your sweet scent on your sheets, in all your rooms, and I missed you like crazy. Right then and there I just knew that I never wanted to be without you again, at least not of my own free will.” These last words of Harm’s caused them both to smile as they remembered that they were the same words she had used earlier.

“I knew it was finally time to go after what I wanted most. The next day I visited a friend of mine who’s a jeweler and told him about my idea and yesterday afternoon I was able to pick it up.”

Mac took his head into her hands, totally enthralled by it all. “I love you so much,” she breathed against his lips a few seconds before their lips came together for a sweet kiss full of love and promises.

Harm gently laid her back on the wool blanket following her down to kiss her supple lips tenderly while Mac’s hand started to travel down his back and under his jacket to reach for the hem of his sweater, pulling it up a bit so that her fingers could find their way under it.

When her fingertips touched his warm and smooth skin, Harm started to shiver. “Cold,” Harm muttered against her lips just as another passionately heated kiss began.

Mac suddenly started to giggle against his lips and Harm looked down at her questioningly with a raised eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing,” she answered between giggles and then totally burst out laughing. “I just realized where we are,” Mac was somehow able to get out between her ripples of laughter.

Harm joined in Mac’s laughter looking around them and noticing the darkness that had fallen. “Yeah, I think it’s time for us to head home. I was so pre-occupied that I wasn’t aware of how dark it was getting,” he said as something grazed his face. Looking up into the darkened sky, he smiled. “It’s snowing,” he said looking down at Mac just as a big snowflake fell on her eyelid. She too smiled unable to conceal her feelings of pure delight at the thought of more snow falling.

Harm got up and held out his hand for Mac to take. “Come on, let’s go home. Right now I really feel like snuggling up in front of my Grandma’s blazing fireplace and drink her special mint hot chocolate. What about you?”

“Oh, I’m all for it,” Mac replied, giving him a dazzling smile. They quickly packed up their stuff before getting Dopey and making their way down the hill and back to the warmth of the farmhouse.

*

The Rabb Farm

Outside Belleville , PA

10:43 PM

The sounds of soft, sultry jazz music accompanied by the intermittent howl of the raging wind outside filled the living room as the amber glow from the crackling fireplace illuminated the otherwise dark room. The firelight flickered and danced, casting muted shadows on the wall.

Harm was sitting on the fleecy rug in front of the couch facing the blazing fire that had them wrapped in cosy, comfortable warmth. Fully relaxed he was leaning back against the couch, his legs outstretched and his bare feet crossed while Mac had closed her heavy eyelids as she lay totally at ease next to him using his lap for a pillow.

Both in good spirits, they had let the stress that had accumulated over the past two weeks be washed away as they unwound together obviously tired after their long, exciting day. Shortly after his grandmother had called it a night, Mac dozed off. Between the excitement of the day and her jet lag from her short trip to Italy she was absolutely exhausted.

Harm’s right hand was entangled in Mac’s hair, gently massaging and scratching her head. She would often utter a sated sigh, but he was sure that she was sound asleep. Harm had to admit that he was tired too and a part of him knew he should wake her or at least bring her up to their room so they could get some decent sleep, but the other part of him was simply enjoying the moment. Harm just wanted to sit there in the cosy warmth of the room for a while longer.

He looked down at the sleeping beauty that was now his fiancée and began to reminisce about all that had happened that day. He let his gaze wander down to Mac’s stomach where their joined hands were resting. As her chest rose and fell contentedly with every breath, he admired the ring she was now wearing. He could hardly suppress his glee when he remembered his grandmother’s reaction earlier when he announced their engagement. The look on her face had been priceless, and Harm couldn’t remember her ever being speechless as she was then.

The moment Mac showed her the engagement ring, and Harm told his grandmother the meaning behind the design, happy tears ran down her cheeks. When his grandmother proceeded to wrap Mac in a bear hug, Harm realized just how important it was to him that his two Sarah’s liked each other and how easy the word ‘Grandma’ was coming from Mac’s lips.

Oh… how well they had hit it off. At times, they enjoyed ganging up on him and he couldn’t be any happier than he was right then. It delighted him to listen to his grandmother tell her ‘Harm’-tales while watching an enchanted Mac get caught up in the pure rapture of each story becoming captivated by every word and detail.

A few of those stories had made them laugh hysterically, while others subdued them and even made them a little sad, some even put a blush on Harm’s handsome face. However, it didn’t take his grandmother long to come up with one of her all time favorite tales about the youngster Harm, and any sadness had vanished and only to be replaced by even greater laughter. Harm smiled and shook his head as he longingly gazed into the burning fire while the glow from the crackling embers was reflected in his eyes. Though the storm was unleashing its fury outside, inside the radiating flames danced wildly in the fireplace and kept the room bathed in warmth.

A sudden move and another soft sigh from Mac yanked him out of his thoughts. Harm took his eyes from the dancing flames in front of him to look down at her. She had just moved her head a little and was now nuzzling his shirt with her nose while she was still asleep. She had a sweet little smile on her lips and somehow Harm knew a pleasant dream was the reason for it.

Harm slowly let his fingertips caress her hairline, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear while watching her, fascinated as the light from the fire flickered over her face, casting a golden glow over her warm skin.

Right now, she looked like a sleeping angel to him, like a child that was sheltered and protected from everything evil that could hurt her; totally satisfied and relaxed. Harm silently promised her and himself to do everything in his power to make her always feel safe.

He breathed a long sigh as he closed his eyes feeling for the second time today the little pang of hurt around his heart as if it was being crushed by a higher power a sort of evil claw.

Harm couldn’t help but wonder how Mac had truly felt when his grandmother recounted a particular story about the ‘baby’ Harmon Rabb. Though telling the story was meant to be an amusing tale, it was certainly a difficult topic for Harm and Mac and could have had an emotional affect on them.

“Oh I should warn you, Sarah. If your babies turn out to be anything like my Harm was, you’ll have a handful, I can promise you that.” These joking words of his grandmother’s at the end of the story sent up another ripple of laughter.

Without intending to, the remark had made him gasp quietly and his body tensed a bit right after the words had left his grandmother’s mouth. However, before he could say or do anything, he felt Mac’s smaller hand slipping into his bigger one followed by the gentle squeeze she had given him.

His eyes searched and found Mac’s just to get a graceful smile from her before she had turned her face back to look at his grandmother again. ‘Oh I know, Grandma. Believe me, I know,’ Mac had answered with broad laughter, before she once again looked at Harm giving him a smirk and a little wink.

“You know what’s even scarier?” she said without breaking their eye contact as Harm shook his head. “If they are in any way like me, they will be just as much of a handful… if not even worse. And God only knows what will happen if they are the perfect mix of the both of us,” she’d jokingly completed her statement. This made the three of them laugh before she moved forward to give Harm a sweet little kiss on his lips with a whispered “I love you” afterwards.

“Hey,” Mac whispered with a sleepy voice and brought Harm out of his deep thoughts. “Where were you just now? You seemed a million miles away.”

He quickly looked down at her smiling face and could only smile himself. “Hey, welcome to the land of the living, sleepyhead. I was just thinking about you and how much I love you.”

“I love you too.” Mac scooped forward a little and let go of Harm’s left hand to place hers on his shirt, slowly opening the lowest button to let her hand slide underneath it and the t-shirt he wore underneath. “I’m sorry for falling asleep on you. I guess the pleasant warmth of the fireplace lulled me to sleep.”

Harm chuckled. “Well, as long as it wasn’t me who lulled you to sleep, I’m very okay with it,” he replied jokingly with one of his flyboy grins she loved so much. “It has been a very long day and after your trip to Italy I’m not surprised the jet lag caught up on you.”

Mac pushed the fabric of Harm’s shirt, where she had opened the lowest button earlier, and the hem of the long sleeve t-shirt aside, smiled up at him and leaned in, planting a gentle kiss on his belly button. “You should have woken me. You look pretty tired too, Harm,” she softly said and sat up, placing her left hand next to his right hip to prop herself up on it.

Harm smiled at her and took her face into his hands. He placed a kiss on her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a few seconds before kissing her eyelids and then her nose and cheeks. “Nah, I enjoyed watching you sleep too much to wake you, and I could never ever be too tired to look at my beautiful fiancée and soon to be wife,” he said in a whisper, bending his head to kiss the corners of her mouth, before brushing his lips softly against hers.

Mac sighed against his lips and her right arm went around his neck to pull him closer as he kissed her tenderly. “You know what I really would like to do now,” she mumbled against his mouth and moaned when Harm once more let his lips wander over her face before he pressed them against the side of her neck, placing a soft kiss on a certain spot right below her ear.

Harm chuckled and his hot breath tickled her sensitive skin there, sending her into a fit of giggles. “I’m not sure but I do have a few ideas of my own,” he said huskily before letting his tongue follow the line of her pulse.

Mac gently pulled away and looked seductively into his eyes as a smile crossed her lips. Then, without saying anything, she pulled out of his embrace and stood up.

Harm looked questioningly at her and was about to ask if something was wrong when Mac suddenly held her hand out for him to take. “I’m sure I will love each and every idea of yours, Harm. But right now, I really would like to dance with my fiancé and my soon to be husband,” Mac explained in a whisper and Harm placed his hand into her outstretched one and slowly stood up.

Harm wrapped his arms around her and Mac held him even tighter as they slowly swayed to the music, a duet in Italian and English called ‘I belong to you (Il Ritmo Della Passione)’, sung by the Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti and the American singer Anastacia.

“A few days ago while in Italy , I heard this song for the first time. I was lying in bed alone in a dark hotel room thinking about you and missing you so much. This song portrays everything that I feel for you and want to tell you,” Mac told him in a murmur before Harm placed his lips on her sinuous ones, giving her a kiss filled with love and affection while listening carefully to the song and taking in every word that came out of the radio.

There Is No Reason, There’s No Rhyme: It’s Crystal Clear

I Hear Your Voice And All The Darkness Disappears.

Every Time I Look Into Your Eyes You Make Me Love You

I Do Truly Love You

How You Make Me Love You

I Do Truly Love You

I Belong To You, You Belong To Me Forever

Want You, Baby I Want You And I thought That You Should

Know That I Believe. You’re The Wind That’s Underneath

My Wings. I Belong To You, You Belong To Me

You Are My Fantasy

You Are My Gentle Breeze

And I’ll Never Let You Go

You’re The Piece That Makes Me Whole

I Can Feel You In My Soul

Want You Baby I Want You And I Thought That You Should

Know That I Believe

I Belong To You, You Belong To Me You’re The Wind That’s

Underneath My Wings I Belong To You, You Belong To Me

I Will Belong Forever

To You

During their dance, they started to express their feelings for each other with their eyes, hands, and lips while no more words between them were needed. They were still swaying to the last notes of the song when Mac’s mouth found a sensitive spot on Harm’s neck. She moved to the hollow of his throat and slowly started to unbutton his shirt. As soon as his shirt was undone, she let her fingertips graze over his chest and then down to his abdomen, making his muscles quiver underneath them.

Before she got the chance to slide her hands underneath his long sleeve t-shirt, Harm picked her up into his arms and slowly started to carry her up the stairs which would lead them to their room where they would express their feelings in many more ways; where they would celebrate their engagement and make love all night ‘till dawn.