Title: Falling Hard

Author: Carrie

Pairing/Classification: Harm/Mac Romance

Rating: GS

Summary: This is the sequel to ‘Falling Fast’. It’s Mac’s POV now.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Mistakes are, SORRY!

2200 Zulu

Rabb Residence

San Diego, California

“I hate my job,” I sing at the top of my lungs, pulling the convertible corvette into the driveway. I was in such a pissy mood this morning I took it from him. Oh well, he had the day off and needed the sturdy SUV.

Guess this means tomorrow we’re going to have pizza. I don’t feel much like cooking. Now or ever. Groaning, I haul my poor, battered body into the house, shedding clothing as I make my way up to our room.

I bet he’s asleep. It may only be nine p.m. but with the baby…both of us haven’t stayed up to midnight in ages. He may only weigh twenty pounds, but man that kid can take it out of you.

Slowly, I open the door to our bedroom, frowning when I’m staring at the gorgeous six of Harmon Rabb. I blink and stare. Both of them are lying on their stomach, playing with something.

I lean against the door and watch, curious at to what my two men are discussing so seriously. World politics? The new amendment to the UCMJ? Maybe the brand new picture on pull up diapers?

“Just sign your name,” he sings, moving a pen around. “All you have to do is sign your name then we can give the card to Mommy. She’s been working real hard.”

He coos and attempts to shove the pen in his mouth. Harm calmly takes it away from him and sticks it back in the pudgy fingers.

“Try again buddy.”

What is he wearing? It takes me a minute to recognize the horribly trashed white shirt we often share when dealing with the baby. He’s such a little monster. I love him to death.

He runs his fingers through his hair and I notice that it’s a little bit more messed up than usual. Oh boy, I bet today was fun. We’re going to through teething and it’s just a beautiful and happy time for everyone involved.

“Okay Flyboy one last try and then Daddy is giving up.”

I grin widely and just watch them. I think I’m falling more in love with him everyday. I was so nervous when I realized I was in love with him. I’d always loved him as a brother or a best friend.

Then one day I looked at him and my heart stopped. I fell so hard it hurt me to the core. After that I looked at him in such a different light. He was not my friend, not my brother. He was the man I was in love with, the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

Sure we had hard times, but I don’t know what it was that made me fall so hard. Was it when he dealt with me as no one else had when I fell off the wagon? Was it when he held my hand in the police station and defended me without question after Chris? Perhaps it was when he offered to have a child with me? When?

I have no idea when I fell for him, all I know is that it hurt me so badly inside. I fell so hard for this man lying on the floor that I never fully recovered.

I fell so hard that I don’t ever want to recover from the feelings inside of me. I love him so much and all he has to do is blow raspberries at an eight month old to make me see it.

“I wonder when Mommy is going to be home, huh? You know she’s going to make dinner tomorrow night so I should probably give you some sort of antacid. She’s probably going to get pizza and we all know how that hurts your tummy.”

“I don’t give him pizza you jerk,” I laugh, walking in.

He rolls over and flashes me that damn smile. Maybe that’s when I fell hard. When he flashed that smile at me. “Hey baby. Long day?”

“The worst,” I grumble, pulling my pumps off along with my stockings. I fall to the floor, smiling at my little boy who squeals at the sight of me. “How was your day?”

“It was fun. We ate breakfast then we threw it up all over Daddy,” Harm begins, tickling the baby’s nose. “And then we slept and woke up screaming with hurt gums. Then when Daddy gave him the medicine he decided to throw up all over me again. So we took a shower and then he spit up his lunch. After that we watched a movie and he took a nap while Daddy cleaned up the barf from his snack. Then we ate dinner and shockingly he’s kept it down.”

“Sounds eventful,” I laugh. Grinning, I pick up the piece of construction paper lying in front of Harm. On it is a rather crude drawing of a Marine bulldog with a speech bubble coming out of its mouth. In it is Harm’s block letters of ‘We Love You Mommy’ then signed ‘your loving, devoted, helpful, handsome, and just oh-so-perfect husband Harm and your beautiful, chubby, silly, adorable, handsome little miracle’ Then it was followed by a bunch of scribbles I’m presuming is my son’s handwriting for his name.

I look up from the red paper, tears in my eyes. God this man does things to me that just jumble my system. My heart is starting to hurt again. Looks like I fell even farther.

Each time I fall, the hit is harder and it just aches through my body. The love never goes away and oh God I don’t want it to ever leave me.

“Harm,” I whisper, snaking my arms around his neck, holding on tightly. “I love you.”

“Oh baby don’t cry,” he laughs, wiping at my eyes. “I love you too. Come on, get in your pajamas and we’ll go to bed.”

The baby yawns wide enough to crack his jaw. He almost jumps, startled at the noise. Then he smiles and reaches up for Harm. Instead of Harm, I pick him up, cuddling him to me.

There’s nothing better than the smell of fresh baby. Powder, soap, and just…baby. I cart him to his room, placing him gently in his crib. He falls asleep almost instantly.

Several minutes later, I’m dressed in a pair of Harm’s shrunken boxers and an old tank top. I walk in the bedroom, pausing to watch him for a moment.

He putters around the huge four poster queen bed, plumping pillows, turning the sheets down. Then he does the sweetest thing.

He places a glass of water on my nightstand.

That simple act rocks me to my core again. Now I feel like I’ve fallen from atop the highest building in the world.

“Hey. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I whisper, walking over to him. I rest my palms against his bare chest, feeling his gentle heartbeat beneath my fingertips. “I love you Harm.”

He simply smiles and lifts me up, resting me carefully in the bed, almost like he would porcelain doll.

I watch him climb in with me, my heart thudding in my chest. When did I start loving him?

I’ll never know the answer to that question because I fell so hard that it feels like I’ve been living my entire life loving him.

THE END