Title: Joyful and Triumphant
Author: manette
Email address: manetjt@aol.com
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Anything through All Ye Faithful
Summary: An expanded ending to All Ye Faithful from 
Harm's POV


I stand outside on the porch for a few minutes just 
listening to the sound of everyone gathered inside. 
Their muffled voices and laughter fill me with 
contentment. 

Now I'm home.

This is not my house or my porch or my front door, but

when I turn the knob I know without question what I 
will find. 

My family.

I have already been to the wall this evening. In fact,

I went as soon as I landed.  And it was nice to have 
Admiral Boone with me though I almost felt like an 
intruder.  Tom Boone was remembering and mourning the 
real man while I have always mourned the man my father

might have been if he had lived. I have spent a 
lifetime honoring him, but that doesn't mean I really 
knew the man. And for more years than I can count I 
have spent the dying moments of Christmas Eve at the 
wall with my father. 

This year is going to be different.

I push open the front door and Bud calls out a 
welcome. Everyone is sitting around the table ready to

eat and I am met with a tide of warm greetings--they 
are genuinely glad to see me. 

I take off my overcoat and apologize for being late 
and before I can take more than two steps into the 
room I am searching for Mac. She is at the end of the 
table smiling at me, relief evident in her eyes. I 
smile back and move to sit in the empty chair across 
from her. Of course she notices my missing wings and I

wave her off promising to explain later.  

Bud finishes his toast and I touch my glass to Mac's. 

"Merry Christmas," she says quietly.

There is no reasonable explanation for the pleasure 
that spreads through my chest at her simple words, but

lately everything she does seems to have a profound 
effect on me. 

Maybe another night I could pretend that the deep 
happiness I feel is just the relief of making it home 
when it looked like I was going to be stuck on the 
carrier--the natural joy that comes from sharing food 
and stories with my friends and colleagues. But 
tonight my defenses are down and I have to admit that 
this euphoria is completely tied up with the woman 
sitting across the table from me--

And I can't think of a single reason to deny it.

The conversation swirls around me as everyone talks at

once, filling me in on all the news of the day.  I do 
my best to keep up and make appropriate responses.  

Bud and Harriet are expecting again. 

"That's great, Harriet," I say as I squeeze her hand.

The Admiral delivered another baby in his office 
today. 

"Sir, I think you've discovered your true calling," I 
respond sincerely.

Coates has been reassigned to our office. I notice 
that Tiner looks pleased.

Sturgis asks me a question about my flight home and I 
start to answer, but my eyes collide with Mac's and 
his question is immediately forgotten. Mindless of 
those around me, I allow myself to stare, to drown in 
her gaze. We are having a conversation with our 
eyes in some language that we have not yet tried to 
translate.  Maybe soon we will graduate to the spoken 
word but for now these silent exchanges feel safer. 
When it comes to the two of us the English language 
has not always proven reliable.

Luckily, Sturgis is distracted when someone else asks 
him a question and I am free to play eye tag with Mac 
for a little longer but she looks away to comment on 
something the man next to her has said.  For the first

time I notice the man sitting beside her. Who the 
hell is he? Surely she didn't bring a date. He doesn't

really look like her type but I have been mistaken 
about her type before. And now she is laughing 
uproariously at some remark he made that wasn't the 
least bit funny. He is preening from her attention and

all I want to do his wipe that silly smile off his 
face with my fists. So much for Peace on Earth.

A little too loudly I say sneeringly, "I don't believe

I have been introduced to your friend, Mac." 

I realize all conversation at the table has stopped 
and everyone is staring at me. Unfazed, I glare at the

little twit and he squirms uncomfortably in his chair.
 

Harriet breaks the silence with a hasty introduction. 
"Excuse me, Harm.  I would like you to meet Warrant 
Officer Scoggins. He was kind enough to provide the 
food for tonight's party so we invited him to join 
us." Harriet may be a junior officer but it is clear 
to everyone that I have been taken to task by a 
master. Her scolding tone changes as she smiles 
sweetly at her poor mistreated guest. "Warrant Officer

Scoggins this is Commander Harmon Rabb."

I glance sheepishly at Harriet then stand quickly and 
lean across the table with my hand extended. "Nice to 
meet you, Warrant Officer Scoggins. Great food, by the

way!"  I swear he flinches when I extend my hand but 
once he realizes I'm not going to punch him he shakes 
my hand, laughs nervously then wisely scoots his chair

a few inches away from Mac's.

A collective sigh of relief fills the room and 
everyone pretends my rude behavior never happened. 
That's what's so nice about being surrounded by people

that know and accept you--all is quickly forgiven.
Well 
almost.  Meredith and the Admiral are exchanging 
knowing glances, Sturgis is coughing to hide the fact 
that he is trying not to laugh and Mac is glaring 
daggers at me when she can bother to look at me at 
all.

Desperately, I try the 'poor, pitiful, puppy dog' look

but Mac is unrelenting.

I am saved from further humiliation when Meredith 
jumps up and declares that it is time for dessert. "I 
brought a homemade pecan pie!" she announces with a 
flourish before disappearing into the kitchen.  

A stricken gasp escapes the Admiral, but he recovers 
nicely and suggests in a stage whisper,  "Don't panic.

Take small bites and chew thoroughly." 

Meredith returns and passes out pieces of pie to every

one. I take a bite and it tastes like straw but I'm 
not sure if it's bad pie or just my mood. Feeling 
miserable, I eat it anyway. Maybe I'll choke on a 
pecan shell and then Mac will be sorry.  I cram 
another forkful into my mouth and chew ferociously. 

I risk a glance at Mac and notice that she is watching

me thoughtfully. A smile plays on her lips and hope 
blossoms in my heart. I knew she couldn't stay mad at 
me for long. I am rewarded with a full-blown grin then

she turns to Meredith and says, "I think Harm needs 
more pie. He's practically licked his plate clean. 
Didn't they feed you on that carrier?"

"Oh Harm, I am so glad you liked it." Meredith seems 
so pleased.

"It w-was great, but I couldn't eat another bite--
really." It's my turn to glare at Mac.

"Nonsense! A growing boy like you!  I'll be right back

with seconds." Meredith disappears into the kitchen 
despite my protests of being too full.  

I look at the Admiral but he won't meet my eye. I 
glance around and notice that everyone is still 
struggling with their first piece-kind of moving it 
around on their plates in the vain hope that it will 
disappear, while my plates sits empty just begging to 
be refilled. 

Mac giggles and I, being a mature adult do what any 
mature adult would do. I try to kick her under the 
table. That only makes her laugh harder and I know we 
are okay again.

Not even a double dose of Meredith's pie can ruin my 
mood now as we all pitch in for clean up duty. Sturgis

and Big Bud start folding up tables and carting them 
out to the garage. I take off my uniform jacket and 
roll up my sleeves and start stacking plates and 
carrying them to the kitchen. 

Tiner and Coates under Harriet's supervision are 
putting up leftovers. Mac is at the sink, a dishtowel 
tied at her waist with her arms up to her elbows in 
hot soapy water.  She looks beautiful and I stop right

in the big middle of everything just to watch her. The

Admiral who is drying notices me staring and somewhat 
impatiently takes the dishes away from me and pushes 
me out of the kitchen to get more. I plow into 
Scoggins who is coming in the door and he nearly drops

the dishes he is carrying when he sees me.  I smile to

show him there are no hard feelings but he doesn't 
seem to want to be friends.  He sidles around me and 
hurries over to Mac with the dishes and sets them on 
the counter. 

I go back out to the dining room and snag the last 
couple of glasses from the table then I wander back 
into the kitchen. "Here's the last of the glasses, 
Mac."

She smiles and turns to take them from me with her 
soapy hands and something in me snaps. I reach past 
her and drop the glasses in the sink, and then as I 
grab her by a slippery wrist I tell the Admiral, "I 
need to borrow Mac for a few minutes, Sir."

"Now?" he demands with a scowl.

"Yes Sir. It can't wait another minute." 

He weighs the determination on my face and the finally

relents. "Very well. Carry on."

I pull a sputtering Mac out of the kitchen and into 
the dining room where Meredith is gathering up 
tablecloths and napkins.

"Harm, what are you doing?" Mac asks as she trots
along
after me.

I don't answer as I look around the room before moving

on to the next.

I pass Bud on my way to the living room and he asks 
Mac what's going on but she just shrugs as I pull her 
along behind me. 

I make a quick survey of the entry hall on my way to 
the den but once there I can see it's no use. "What is

wrong with these people?" I address my question to no 
one in particular.

"Harm, what are you talking about?" Mac grabs my arm 
and turns me to face her.

"Don't they know they are supposed to have mistletoe? 

If I don't find some excuse to kiss you soon I am 
going to die." Maybe that sounds a little 
melodramatic, but I don't feel like correcting myself-
especially not when her eyes are all soft and dreamy 
and her lips are slightly parted in invitation. 

I watch her for some sign that she doesn't want this 
but her mouth is too tempting. 

"What the hell," I mutter. 

My mouth crashes down on hers and nothing about it 
resembles a polite holiday smooch between coworkers. 
For one thing a polite holiday smooch would have ended

say twenty maybe thirty seconds ago instead of going 
on and on like this one. 

I drag my mouth from hers and cup her face with my 
hands. "I've missed you, Mac."

She runs a still wet hand across my cheek and says, 
"I've missed you too, Harm."

I am about to kiss her again when I hear a noise. We 
both look up in time to see the Admiral shooing 
everyone away from the doorway as he slides the pocket

door closed on the den. We stand there listening to 
the sound of everyone gathered outside the door. 
Their muffled voices and laughter fill me with 
contentment.

I smile at the woman in my arms and she smiles at me.

Now I'm home.

The End