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Date Posted: 07:19:43 09/03/16 Sat
Author: Lace
Subject: Nine years after series part 17 Reaffirming love

June 2015
Pearl Harbor, Wednesday morning
Mac heard the phone as she turned off the water. She hurried to grab a towel and hurried out of the small bathroom. She grabbed the phone off the bed.
“Colonel Rabb,” she said.
“Hey, did I wake you?” Harm asked.
Mac smiled. “No, you caught me in the shower.”
Harm let out a sigh. “Can we skype instead?”
Mac laughed softly. “What are you doing?”
“I’m in the office. I suddenly got a round of Mac withdrawals,” Harm whined. “So when are you coming home.”
“If everything goes as planned I’ll be on a plane tonight,” she promised.
“You better. If you don’t come home it’ll look silly when I renew my vows on Saturday,” he said teasingly.
Mac laughed softly. “We could do it on skype.”
“Let’s not,” he said in a more serious tone. “Seriously, I miss you. We barely landed after that trip to Sedona before you left, and two weeks later you’re still gone. Can I say that I hate the Navy?”
“You got it bad, huh? I miss you too, you know. And my babies,” Mac said as she felt her hair dripping down her hand and phone. “Harm, let me dry off. I’m dripping all over. Hang on.” She hurried to gather her hair in a towel and dried off her body before she reached for the phone again. “That’s better. Is Nathan still going to make it on Saturday?”
“Yes. I talked to his supervisor and he has to be back on Sunday before noon. Grams is already here, my aunt and her family will be here Friday night, Mom and Frank arrived yesterday, Matt will be here tonight, as will Chloe and her family,” Harm said.
“Good. I can’t believe you planned this all by yourself,” Mac couldn’t help feeling a little emotional.
“I just wanted our ten-year anniversary to be memorable,” he said and wished that he could hold her in his arms. “Even though it’s a few weeks later than our original date.”
“Ah yes, but so great that people have the time to celebrate with us, even though it was on short notice,” Mac said
“Well, June fourth was a bad date for us, but the most important thing is that we celebrate with our friends and family,” Harm pointed out.
“At least we got to celebrate together before I had to leave,” Mac said longingly.
“It felt a little rushed. First we got back from Sedona, then you got your orders to leave for Pearl. But we’ll have our memorable celebration, and that’s the most important thing,” he said.
“Ten years,” she said with a sigh. “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow morning.”
“Me either. I love you.”
“I love you too.

The next morning, Mac and Harm's house
There was a lot of noise around the breakfast table that morning. The house was filled with people, Chloe and her husband Charlie and their two children, Uncle Matt and Grandma Sarah stayed with them. Trish and Frank had a hotel room, but came over for breakfast. Mattie and her boyfriend Brian, who they hadn’t even met before, had also decided to join them. Brian, it turned out, was a Doctor at Bethesda, a Lieutenant in the Navy. Harm hadn’t had time to talk that much with him, but he seemed like a nice guy.
“Any more pancakes Dad?” Matthew asked.
“Plenty,” Harm said and put another plate on the table.
“I’m full,” Grams said and stood. “I’ll help you clean up.”
“Grams, you’re a guest. Sit down and relax,” Harm said with a smile.
“I might be old, Harmon, but I can still load a dishwasher,” Grams said stubbornly and proceeded to do what she had planned.
“Yes, ma’am,” Harm said.
“When’s Mom coming?” Claire asked.
“She had to report to JAG first, but she’ll be here soon. I hope,” Harm added the last part with a little worry.
“They can’t make her work, can they? She’s supposed to be on leave, right?” Claire asked.
“They can, but they won’t.”
Everyone turned to the doorway where Mac stood smiling. Matthew was the first one to get up and hug her. “You’re home!” he yelled as he ran into her waiting arms.
“Finally. The plain was delayed, and the morning staff meeting took forever, but now I’m officially on leave,” Mac said just as Claire came to hug her.
“Finally,” Chloe hurried over to hug her.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t be here when you guys arrived. “Where’s the baby?”
“Asleep,” Chloe said just as her three-year-old daughter, Sarah, shyly walked over to them.
Mac crouched down. “Hey Sweet pea, you’ve grown so big.”
“I’m three,” Sarah said and held out three fingers.
“Yes that’s right, and you’re a big sister now,” Mac said with a sweet smile as Sarah walked closer, put her arms around her and hugged her. Mac stood and brought Sarah with her. “I’ve missed you guys so much.”
“What about me?” Harm asked as he walked over.
“You too,” Mac said and kissed him.
“Mom, this is Brian,” Mattie said.
Brian stood. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Nice to meet you too,” Mac shook his hand. “And please call me Mac, or Sarah.”
“Mac it is then. It’s a lot of Sarah’s to keep track of in this family,” Brian said.
“It can get a little confusing,” Harm agreed.
Mac said hello to the other’s and had some breakfast. It was nice to have everyone there, but since it seemed like everyone had plans and that she was tired after her nightly flight, she excused herself to unpack, and to take a nap. She never slept much on plains, and that night had been no exception.
“Tired?” Harm asked as he took her hand and followed her out of the kitchen.
“Very,” Mac said tiredly. “It’s nice having everyone here though.”
Harm smiled. “It is. You go relax, I’ll clean the kitchen.”
Mac refused to let go of his hand. “There’s enough people to clean that kitchen. I’ll sleep so much better if you join me.”
“I guess I could be persuaded,” he said teasingly. “Let me make one phone call to the caterer, just to double check everything for Saturday. I just want to make sure they remember to have something without gluten for Grams and Charlie.”
“You really do have it all under control, don’t you?” Mac let go of his hand. “Don’t be too long.”
“I’m right behind you,” he promised.
Harm hurried to make the call, then he went by the kitchen where his mother had everything under control.
“Where did everyone go?” he asked.
“Chloe is taking a nap, Charlie took Sarah, Matthew, Claire and Grams with him to the park, Mattie and Brian left to do errands. Frank and I have the kitchen under control. Go be with your wife,” Trish said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Harm said and hurried upstairs.
He found his wife busy taking off her uniform. “I can help you with that,” he said.
She turned to him with a smile. “That’s the best offer I’ve gotten all day.” She moved into his waiting arms. It was time to reconnect on a more physical level.
“I really missed you,” Mac said as she was snuggled in his arms after their lovemaking. “I hate to hide away after being away for two weeks, but I just really needed you right now.”
“We’ll spend time with everyone later,” Harm said as he closed his eyes and yawned. “This is nice.”
“It is,” Mac agreed.
They fell asleep, and was woken up by a knock on the door a few hours later. Harm reluctantly let Mac go. “Coming,” he said as he dressed. Mac reached for one of Harm’s t-shirts that lay on the bed and slipped it on.
“Grandma wants to know if she should prepare lunch?” Claire wanted to know when her father opened the door.
“I’ll go help her,” Harm said as he walked past his daughter.
“Is everyone back?” Mac asked her daughter.
“Yes,” Claire walked into the room. “Are you tired after you travel?”
Mac sat up. “I needed a few hours of sleep,” she admitted. “How are you doing?”
Claire sat down on the bed. “I’m good. I like working at Dad’s office. I didn’t know that law could be that exciting.”
Mac smiled. “Do we have a lawyer brewing?”
“Maybe,” Claire said cleverly. “Someone has to take over the family business, right? So, are you ready for Saturday?”
“I really am,” Mac said with a sweet smile. “Our wedding was very small, and rushed. We both just wanted to be officially married as soon as possible. I know our friends were pretty disappointed back then, so we figured that renewing our vows and holding a party with all our family and friends would be nice for our ten-year anniversary.” Mac took Claire’s hand. “We have been blessed with so much, first Mattie’s recovery, then we found out that we were expecting a baby, then you and Nathan came into our lives and we had Matthew. It was a pretty crazy first year.”
Claire smiled. “Most of my friends have parents who are divorced, so I think it’s really awesome what you and Dad are doing.”
“It’ll be a special day. Something to remember, and to remind us how lucky we are.” Mac said as she pulled Claire in for a hug. “It’s so good to be home.”
“It’s good having you home,” Claire said as the hug ended.
“Knock, knock,” Chloe stood outside the door with the baby in her arms.
“Hi, Chloe. Oh. Look at him,” Mac said as Chloe walked over to the bed.
Chloe handed the baby over. “He wants to say hi to his aunt.”
“Hi there,” Mac said as she took the baby into her arms. “He’s so sweet, Chloe.”
“He is,” Chloe agreed as she sat down on the bed. “Did you sleep well?”
“Very. It’s so good to be home again,” Mac said as the baby started fussing.
“He’s probably hungry,” Chloe said as she reached for him. Her cellphone rang as she stood. “Oh, probably my neighbor again. Her mare had a foal and she’s a little hysterical. It doesn’t help that both her veterinarians are in D.C at the moment. She doesn’t trust the other guy.”
Claire stood. “I’ll take Mark while you talk.”
Chloe handed the baby over. “Thank you.”
Claire smiled. “He’s really a cutie isn’t he?”
Mac stood. “Absolutely. I’ll just take a shower and I’ll join you guys downstairs.”

Fifteen minutes later she walked into the kitchen and found her husband and mother in law busy arranging lunch. “Sleep well?” Trish asked.
“Really well for the first time in two weeks,” Mac said as she stepped into Harm’s waiting arms. “What’s for lunch?”
“A simple chicken salad,” Harm said and kissed her sweetly. “Why don’t you gather the troops out on the porch.”
Mac nodded as she reluctantly let him go. She went outside and found Charlie busy mowing their lawn. “He really don’t have to do that,” Mac said as she found Chloe on the porch with both her children.
“There’s no way to stop him, Mac. He goes crazy when he’s away from the farm,” Chloe said. Carlie and Chloe were both veterinarians, and they had taken over Chloe’s grandmother’s farm where they bred horses.
“Aunty Mac,” Sarah walked over to her.
Mac crouched down and gave the little girl a hug. “I’ve missed you so much Sarah. How’s Billy?” Mac asked about Sarah’s pony.
“He likes to eat a lot of carrots, aunty Mac. And apples,” Sarah said with a clever smile. “Mommy says that he shouldn’t eat so much, because he’s fat.”
Mac laughed softly. “Sounds like she’s right about that. I should come ride with you soon.”
“You can borrow Cloetta. She’s big now,” Sarah said and looked at her Mommy. “Right Mommy?”
“She’s not big enough to ride yet, Sarah. We have to wait another year,” Chloe explained.
“I’ll just take Harry then. He’s such a gentleman,” Mac said and ruffled the girl’s hair. “Uncle Harm says that it’s lunch soon.”
“Good. I’m hungry,” Sarah said.
“Mom, look at my elbow and knee,” Matthew said as he joined them on the porch.
“Ouch, we better clean you up. Basketball?” She asked.
“Nah, skateboard this time,” Matthew said proudly.
Mac shook her head in amusement. “Chloe will you let Charlie know that there’s food, and gather the rest of the troops?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Chloe said cleverly.

The day went by in a hurry. It was past eleven when the house finally was quiet. Having so many people visiting was both exhausting and nice at the same time. Mac enjoyed the quiet of the night from her place on the porch swing.
“Ready for bed?”
Mac turned and saw Harm leaning against the doorframe leading out to the porch. She smiled and held out her hand. “Join me.”
Harm moved over to her and took her hand as he sat down beside her. “Finally alone.”
“Finally,” she agreed and leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her. “But it’s nice to see everyone again. Sarah has grown so big since we last saw her.”
“Yeah,” Harm agreed.
“Mattie looks happy,” Mac said.
“I’m glad. I just hope Brian is as great as she says,” he said thoughtfully.
“You thinking differently?” Mac wondered.
“Nah, just being overprotective,” he admitted with laughter.
Mac smiled. “You’re such a great Dad.”
Harm leaned in and kissed her sweetly. “What about husband?”
“You’re pretty great at that too,” she said and nuzzled his nose with hers.
“Good enough to marry again on Saturday?” he teased.
“Absolutely,” she kissed him. “We’ve had ten amazing years. Ten years ago we were getting the house ready for Mattie to arrive.”
“I was afraid you’d regret your decision to marry me,” he remembered.
“I spent my last week at JAG packing my stuff and answering a hundred questions about my sanity,” she laughed. “Who would be insane enough to flip a coin and let it decide if she was taking over her own command or not?”
“Only we could be that insane,” Harm said with a chuckle. “Those first weeks in London were pretty intense. I could barely keep my hands to myself.”
Mac smiled cleverly. “Nine years of foreplay will do that to a person.”
“We only had one night before I had to leave you in D.C. It was hell leaving that morning,” Harm remembered.
“Think how I felt? I was left behind with all the questions,” Mac said.
Harm nodded. “And then there was Mattie in the hospital,” he remembered.
“She was recovering faster than anyone had expected. The Doctors were in awe by that stubborn girl,” Mac said.
“She made it,” Harm said proudly. “And now she’s a Doctor herself.”
“And you and I worked out,” Mac teased.
“Who would have thought,” Harm said and laughed softly.
Mac smiled widely. “The best ten years of my life.”
“Mine too. I swear, when you said I do, my heart skipped a beat. And so many moments to remember. When the Doctor told us that we were expecting Matthew. His birth,” Harm said his eyebrows raised.
“Yeah, who would have thought that you’d be an excellent birthmother,” Mac teased.
“It was a special moment,” Harm said and looked thoughtful. “I had been worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep my promise of going half on a baby with you.”
“It wouldn’t have been your fault if we hadn’t,” Mac reminded him.
“No one’s fault really, but I’m glad we did it,” he said and hugged her close.
“Yeah,” she greed.
“What do you say? Time for bed?” Harm asked after a little while.
“Yes definitely,” she said as she started to rise.

Friday flew by with all the preparations for the ceremony and the party. Saturday came with lovely weather. Harm had chosen the church they had their first wedding ceremony in to have the renewal in too. Unfortunately, Chaplain Turner had deceased, but they had asked retired Admiral A.J. Chegwidden to officiate the ceremony.
“As you all know, we are here to watch as Harm and Mac renew their vows. A little over ten years ago, when Bud called me to let me know that Harm and Mac had decided to get married, and that they had flipped a coin to see who would resign their commission, I was surprised. I think my exact words were, ‘What the hell are they thinking? And let me say that it wasn’t the first time those words had come out of my mouth.”
There was a round of laughter in the church.
“But as crazy as it was, here we stand. We’re not just celebrating a marriage, but a partnership. I have never met two people more committed to each other. I’m honored to stand her with both of you today, and I’m honored to be your friend. Now, Harm and Mac would like to say a few words. Harm.”
“Ten years ago we were in London, it was pretty chaotic with my things and your things, then Mattie’s things arrived and I lost all faith that we’d ever get organized. That’s when I realized that I had been hit full force by a United States Marine. You took charge and the chaos became a home. Our home. You never even dwelled on the decision to go on inactive reserves. You took on the role of Mattie’s mother without hesitation. You made me believe even stronger that as long as we were together we could do anything. I love what we have created together. And I love you.”
“Harm, from the first time I met you, you have been my greatest challenge. No one has ever infuriated me like you have, or made me question my believes, but I have also never loved anyone the way I love you. You have given me the family I always wanted. With you by my side I feel invincible. You are my best friend and one true love, and to this day I still can’t believe that I was the one who got to marry you. I love you so much.”
Harm gathered her in his arms and kissed her deeply. When the kiss ended A.J said; “Ten years ago you promised to love each other, do you wish to reaffirm the vows you took?”
“We do,” they said.
“Harm, will you continue to have Sarah as your wife and continue to live in this happy and loving marriage?”
“I will,” Harm said.
“Do you reaffirm your love for her, and will you love, honor and cherish her in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do,” Harm said.
“Sarah, will you continue to have Harm as your husband and continue to live in this happy and loving marriage?”
“I will,” Mac said.
“Do you reaffirm your love for him, and will you love, honor and cherish him in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do,” Mac said.
“Harm, Sarah, today you have renewed the promises and vows you made to each other on your wedding day. It is with pleasure that I conclude the ceremony of renewing the vows of marriage that joined you and forever binds you as husband and wife. You may kiss.”
They kissed again, before they turned smilingly to their guests. “We want to thank everyone for being here today to celebrate with us,” Harm said.
There were kisses and hugs and a round of taking pictures before they left the church to have dinner.
“I’m glad we did this,” Mac said as Harm led her out of the church.
Harm stopped, leaned in and kissed her deeply. “I love you so much.”
They shared a sweet look before leaving the church.

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[> Thank you again, Lace. I really love this series, such lovely insights into what might have been had JAG continued. Your writing is truly wonderful to read. -- EmmaJade, 23:59:22 09/03/16 Sat [1]

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