Title:  As You Wish

Author:  Tracy

Rating:  G 

Classification:  Harm/Mac Romance

Summary:  Sequel to “The Prince and His Princess”.  I
wanted to continue with the romance because I enjoyed
it, and I got a lot of positive feedback (thank you!).
 Positively worded constructive feedback welcome to
harmnmacfan@msn.com

 

Roberts’ Residence

2 November 2003

1537 Eastern

 

Mac pressed the doorbell while Harm held AJ.  They
debated waking him up, and decided that unless he did,
they’d leave it up to Harriet to decide when his nap
should be over.  They hadn’t spoken since they left
Rock Creek Park.  They had agreed to have dinner
together that evening.  It wasn’t clear if they would
talk, but Mac didn’t care.  She just wanted to spend
some time with Harm.  Over dinner, fixing his plane,
or watching them unload produce at the store.  It
didn’t matter how, but she needed to be beside Harm. 
To be separated from him now would be physically
painful.  She wasn’t sure she’d survive.

 

They heard footsteps and the door opened to reveal a
smiling Bud.  

 

“Colonel, and COMMANDER!” Bud realized who was there.
“It’s so good to see you!” With Bud’s cry AJ began to
stir.


”I ran into Harm at the park this afternoon,” Mac
explained as Harm moved into the house with a now
squirming and fussy AJ.  “When AJ fell asleep, he
offered to bring us back.  We weren’t sure if we
should wake him or not.  He’s been asleep for about 45
minutes.”

 

“It’s just as well he’s waking then,” Bud answered.
“Much later and we wouldn’t get him to sleep tonight.”
 He took AJ from Harm and kissed and hugged the little
boy before setting him down.  Bud stuck his hand out
and shook Harm’s hand warmly.

 

“Daddy! You wouldn’t believe all the fun we had at the
park!” AJ started to bubble to his father, turning
towards his Auntie Mac with a smile.  His eyes fell on
Harm, whom he hadn’t actually seen until that moment.
“UNCLE HARM!” He shrieked and launched himself at
Harm.  Harm picked him up again with a smile.

 

“Hey, buddy, didja miss me?” Harm smiled and tousled
his head. “Cause I sure missed you!”

 

AJ put his little chubby arms around Harm’s neck and
his head on his shoulder. “Uncle Harm, I missed you
real bad.” He brought his head up to look Harm in the
eye.  He put his tiny hand on Harm’s cheek in a
gesture that formed a lump in Harm’s throat. “And so
did Mommy, and so did Daddy.  Jimmy would miss you,
but he doesn’t know you yet.  You’re going to stay for
a while, aren’t you, Uncle Harm? We missed you so
much.”  His voice dropped to a whisper, “Even Auntie
Mac missed you, but she didn’t want anybody to know.”

 

Harm whispered back conspiratorially, knowing Mac and
Bud were listening. “Well, if she didn’t want anybody
to know, how do you know?” Harm smiled,

 

“Because I heard her last week, when were leaving the
park, and I was supposed to be asleep in the car,” AJ
babbled on importantly. “She was crying, real quiet,
and she said something like, ‘oh Harm’ or something
like that.  Yup, she misses you real bad, Uncle Harm!”

 

Mac’s eyes got big, and Harm turned to look at her. 
Her eyes hit the floor, afraid to see the smirk and
quirked eyebrow that was inevitable when he knew he
had her.  Bud decided to minimize everyone’s
embarrassment for the moment by again taking AJ from
Harm and depositing him gently on the floor.

 

“Come on, AJ, let’s go say hi to Mommy,” Bud said
quietly to AJ. “We’ll be right back,” he said to Mac
and Harm, but neither registered his comment.  

 

Mac continued to look at the ground for a moment, and
finally Harm cupped her chin and tilted it upwards to
look him in the eye. To her surprise she saw not the
usual cocky grin, but in his eyes a tenderness that
she hadn’t ever seen before.

 

“You still up for that dinner, Marine?” Harm said
softly, his hand sliding up to cup her cheek, his
thumb brushing her cheekbone.  Mac leaned into the
caress.  Much to her displeasure, her eyes filled with
tears, for about the 10th time that afternoon.  She
blinked rapidly, but he saw.

 

“Would you mind if we just got some take-out? I don’t
know if I feel like being around other people tonight,
Harm,” she said softly.

 

“How about that little Italian place around the corner
from your apartment?” Harm replied just as softly.
“We’ll light a fire and have a quiet evening
together.”

 

“Sounds perfect,” Mac smiled; her brown eyes warm and
inviting.  With unusually perfect timing, Bud walked
back into the foyer with Harriet in tow.  

 

“COMMANDER!” Harried cried and threw her arms around
his neck. Harm hugged her back, smiling, if a little
surprised. “It’s so good to see you! Can you stay for
dinner?  Both of you?  There’s plenty!?”

 

“Oh, Harriet, thank you,” Harm said gently. “We’ve
made other plans. Rain check, please?”

 

“Of course, you know you are welcome here any time,”
Harriet beamed at him, glancing at Mac to gauge her
reaction. “But make it soon!”

 

“We will,” Harm responded as he took Mac’s arm and
they turned for the door. “We’ll see you real soon.”

 

They started down the steps of the Roberts’ home and
Harm slipped his arm around Mac’s shoulders.  It
seemed natural for Mac to then slide her arm around
Harm’s waist as they walked back to Harm’s SUV. 
Harriet watched them from the front window, unseen. 
She sighed happily, her fingers crossed.  She hated
that the Commander had left the Navy.  But maybe when
God closed that door, he opened the window to Sarah
Mackenzie’s heart . . . 

 

Sarah Mackenzie’s Apartment

1745 Eastern

 

Mac pulled plates, utensils and napkins out of
cupboards and drawers while Harm pulled the take-out
food out of the bags.  He removed the lids to figure
out which dish was his, hers and the ones that they
had both agreed on.  

 

“OK, the side of sausage and meatballs is yours, the
eggplant parmigiana is mine, salads and garlic bread
for both of us, and manicotti for both of us,” Harm
finished as he took the last package out of the bags.

 

“Good, I’m really hungry,” Mac said looking at all the
food, licking her lips.  Harm stopped what he was
doing and put both hands on the counter and looked
over at her.  She looked up to see his amused
_expression. “What?”

 

“When are you not ‘really hungry’ Mac?” Harm chuckled
and began to scrape portions of the salad into two
bowls.  Mac laughed too, and got out a basket for the
garlic bread.  He spooned the food onto their plates
and between them they moved everything to the table. 
Mac went back into the kitchen to pour out two glasses
of soda and brought them back to the table.  Harm was
still standing, and he pulled her chair out for her.  

 

“Thank you, Harm,” Mac said with a smile.  She had
been without his gentlemanly ways for so long; she
forgot what it was like to be treated like a lady.  As
Harm helped her push her chair up to the table, he
leaned down to her ear and said, “Any time, Sarah.”

 

Mac blushed a light pink, a fact that did not go
unnoticed by Harm.  She brought her head down and
began eating her dinner.  Over dinner she caught him
up on little Jimmy Roberts young life, and Harriet’s
reaction when she realized that her son was named
after Captain Kirk.  Harm howled with laughter.

 

He sobered as she told him about Bud and Sturgis’
relationship, how strained things were at the office,
and how difficult Sturgis had been lately.  “I think
he’s trying to prove something, Mac,” Harm said as he
took a bite of garlic bread.

 

“I understand that, Harm.  We all know what it’s like
to make a mistake and to try to make up for it,” Mac
realized what she had said, and that it was exactly
how she had been feeling about her relationship with
Harm since his arrival in Paraguay.

 

“Mac,” Harm started.

 

“Listen, Harm,” Mac said at the very same moment. 
They both laughed.

 

“You go first,” Harm said.

 

“All right.  Thanks,” Mac started again. “I want to
apologize for my behavior in Paraguay.  I treated you
badly when you saved my life.  I never even thanked
you for it.  I appreciated it then, and I appreciate
it now.  I can’t excuse why I did it; I’m not sure
what made me behave the way I did.”

 

“Mac, you were nearly tortured, you listened to Webb
being tortured, you saw people killed right in front
of you.  I think we can chalk some of it up to Post
Traumatic Stress,” Harm replied to her. “But while
we’re on the subject, I want to apologize, too.  I
should have recognized the trauma that you had
suffered and gone a little easier on you.  I know I
pushed, and I’m sorry about that.”

 

Mac toyed with the pasta on her plate.  “I guess my
only regret is that you didn’t push sooner.”  She
heard Harm put his fork down on his plate.  She looked
up to see him looking at her intensely.  She put her
fork down, too.  

 

“Are you finished? I’ll clean up,” she said, picking
up her plate and his.  Harm sat in his seat, not
moving, clearly lost in thought.

 

Mac came back for a second load of dishes and as she
turned back into the kitchen Harm found his voice. 
“OK if I light the fire?” he asked as he stood and
moved into the living room.

 

“Sure, sounds good,” Mac called. “Should I put water
on for tea, or make a pot of coffee?”

 

“Have any hot cocoa mix?” Harm asked, sounding very
much like a little boy.

 

Mac smiled, wondering not for the first time if this
is how their son might sound one day.  “I’ll do you
one better: I’ll make it from scratch.”

 

“Wow!  Sarah Mackenzie makes cocoa!  I’ll have to
write this down,” Harm teased. 

 

“Watch your step, flyboy, or yours may end up with a
secret ingredient,” Mac warned. “And I don’t mean
marshmallows!”

 

Their cocoa in hand, they sat shoulder to shoulder on
the sofa.  The fire crackled and the atmosphere was
homey and comfortable.  They were watching “The
Princess Bride” which happened to be on cable, and Mac
pronounced a favorite.  The Dread Pirate Roberts had
just been pushed down the hill by Buttercup.  Harm
drank deeply from his cup and then set it on the end
table.  He took the remote and clicked off the movie. 


 

“Harm?” Mac questioned.  Harm put his arm around her
and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

 

“Mac,” his breath tickled her ear.

 

She, too, put her cup down, before she spilled it.
“Yes, Harm,” she asked expectantly, turning to look
into his grey eyes.

 

He pulled back a little and reached across to take her
hand.  He played with her fingers for a minute, not
looking at her face. “You know what little AJ said
this afternoon about missing me?  About YOU missing
me?”

 

Mac knew that would come up again, and braced herself
for teasing.

 

“I’ve missed you, too,” he whispered into her ear,
finishing his statement with a kiss to her earlobe.

 

Mac turned her head toward him to look into his eyes.
Harm brought his hand up to turn her head further.  He
leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.  For a
moment, she didn’t react except to close her eyes.  As
Harm started to pull away, she responded, leaning
toward him and returning the kiss.  

 

Harm pulled back for a moment and opened his eyes. 
Mac’s face was tilted up towards his, her eyes closed,
her lips pursed ever so slightly, awaiting his kiss. 
As he looked at her, holding her face in his hands,
her eyes slowly blinked open.  Her beautiful brown
eyes were wide with questions.  He brushed his thumb
against her lips.

 

“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known in
my whole life,” Harm whispered in wonder. “Kiss me.”

 

“Oh, Harm,” Mac whispered back.  She lifted herself
up, and brought her knee over his legs so as to
straddle him and sit on his lap.  Harm was a little
surprised, but got with the program quickly.  His
hands at her hips pulled her closer.  She moved her
arms up and over his shoulders, her hands at the back
of his head.  She fitted her mouth to his.  Their
kisses were passionate and hungry.  Harm could hear
her moaning and he pulled back and moved back in,
planting little kisses, sucking on her lips just
lightly.

 

“Harm,” Mac moaned in between his kisses. “Harm, honey
. . . “

 

“What, baby, what?” Harm panted, kissing her again and
again. 

 

Mac stopped just long enough to look at him. He leaned
forward to kiss her again. “Make love to me,” she
said. He stopped and looked into her doe eyes, her
lips swollen from his kisses, her hair tousled.  He
kissed her cheek, and whispered into her ear, “As you
wish.”

 

The end (for now)