AN: All the usual disclaimers.
I wrote this for the April 2008 Challenge on HBX - I have no idea why I never posted it here.
Wavelength
Have you ever had the feeling someone is working on your wavelength? Wherever you go they are there too. Popping up at the gas station, the grocery store, the dry cleaners. They are the ones whose hand slides in just in time to stop the elevator doors from closing and the ones who open the door just as you are about to reach it.
This was Harmon Rabb's life at present.
The same face appearing in front of him at unexpected times during the day and through the night, though that part was nothing new. He sighed deeply as he watched said face pass him again and was just thankful it was Sarah MacKenzie who was sharing his wavelength and no one else.
Dropping into his leather chair he maintained his watch on Mac … he had already run in to her three times that morning and it was only 1030. In the break room they had collided causing Harm's coffee to spill, in the library Mac's books hit the floor and in the bullpen Harm had been so caught up with the memo in his hand he had walked straight into the back of her causing Mac to fall forward onto the desk. After his profuse apologies he sought refuge in his office. It wasn't that he didn't like the physical contact, he did, a lot. It was just that these days, every time she touched him, even the merest brush of her hand, would send an amazing tingling sensation through him sending his brain into overdrive and making his body react in ways which were definitely inappropriate in these circumstances.
As Mac passed his door she smiled at him again and Harm dropped the pen he was holding.
"Damn!" he muttered bending down, hitting his head on the desk as his phone rang.
"Rabb!' he grumbled into the receiver.
"Oooh, you don't sound too happy, Harm, what's up?" Mac asked.
"Nothing," he replied, his mood completely lifted just by the sound of her voice.
"Really?" She wasn't convinced.
"Yeah, Mac, it's all good now," he smiled. "What can I do for you?"
"Well,…" she began. "Are you sure everything's alright?"
"I'm sure, Mac. I hit my head on the desk picking up a pen …." He tried to explain but stopped when he heard her laughter. "What?"
"Did you damage the desk?" she giggled.
"No!" he retorted.
"Good," she replied, her voice still full of mirth.
Marginally annoyed by her seemingly endless joy at his plight he added; "It hurt you know," which caused Mac to laugh harder, as she imagined the petulant little boy within him.
"Would you like me…" she said, as she caught her breath, "to come and kiss it better?"
The comment alone was enough to snap Harm out of his self pity. He could handle Mac kissing him better…his head, his lips, his …
"Harm?" Mac repeated.
"Sorry, Mac, what was that?" he asked.
"I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner tonight … watch a movie?" she asked and Harm smiled; he was going to ask her the same thing.
"Yeah, that would be great," he replied.
"Your place or mine?" they asked in unison.
"Mine," they responded.
"No, yours is fine," they continued.
"Wait!" said Mac. "Let's try one at a time. Harm I'll come over to your place about 1900 – is that okay?"
"That'll be great," he answered.
"We can order in - Chinese," she suggested, not wanting him to go to the trouble of cooking.
"Just leave it to me, Mac," he said, his mind already turning to the culinary pursuits of the evening.
Harm's Apt
As part of his last minute preparations, Harm grabbed the trash bag, tied it and headed out to the trash chute. He opened his apartment door to find Mac there, her fist mid-air about to knock.
"ESP?" she asked and he looked at her oddly. "ESP? You knew I was about to knock.'
"Ah, not quite." He held up the trash bag.
"Well," she grinned, stepping aside. "Don't let me get between a man and his housework."
Mac stood and watched him walk down the hallway before shaking her head and reminding herself she wasn't meant to watch him so intently. She made her way into his apartment and deposited her jacket and purse on the armchair. Before she could make it to the kitchen to inspect dinner Harm returned.
"I see you didn't go with my suggestion," Mac commented as she followed behind him. He stopped at the sink to wash his hands before turning back to her.
"Disappointed?" he asked.
"Glad actually. On the way over all I felt like eating was Ch…" she began
"Chicken Alfredo?" he ended, lifting up the lid of the pot.
"Yeah …. How did you know?" she asked incredulously.
"Lucky guess," he grinned.
"I bet you don't have any…" she began again.
"Lemon gelato for dessert?" he finished. "Right?"
"Yeah!" she muttered.
Grabbing the pasta bowls from the cupboard, he placed them on the counter.
"Have you noticed we're beginning to think a lot alike?" he asked, dishing out the meal.
"That's something isn't it," Mac replied, taking the bowls over to the table.
"How do you account for that?" he asked seriously, knowing his own thoughts on the matter.
"Er...A rip in the time/space continuum," she grinned, not quite knowing how else to explain it which wouldn't reveal more than she was ready to.
She watched his face cloud over briefly before a smile was plastered in place and he poured them both some water. She knew that smile, she knew every one of his smiles, this one was definitely the 'everything's fine, trust me' one. Which everyone else always believed … everyone except Sarah MacKenzie who could read it for what it was.
"How do you explain it then, Harm?" she asked, as she picked up her fork.
"Explain what?" he asked.
"Us being on the same wavelength" she said. She took the first mouthful and couldn't help but moan at the scrumptious morsels.
When she received no reply she looked over at him, surprised to see him staring at her. "What?" she asked as she swiped the napkin across her face.
"Ah, nothing," he muttered, embarrassed at being caught. He was fine sitting so close to her, fine with her leg brushing against his but that moan was just too much.
A couple more mouthfuls later, an uneasy silence had settled over them.
"So?" they prompted each other in unison.
"There you have it again," said Mac. "Why do we keep doing that?"
"Perhaps we're kindred spirits," he offered, glancing quickly at her.
"Perhaps we're soul mates," she replied, feeling a blast of heat and trying to blame the candle in the centre of the table, however it was unlit.
"Perhaps we are." He winked at her, their dinner was finished in silence.
Mac cleared the table as Harm got out the gelato and filled two bowls and placed them on the coffee table. Mac went to her bag as Harm went to side table on which Jen's spare TV and DVD player sat.
"Got these," he said, holding up two dvds.
"I've got these," she said holding up two. She smiled when she realised they had a match. "Looks like 'The Great Escape' it is."
Flicking the overhead light off before she moved to the sofa, she flopped near the centre, knowing he would have no choice but to sit close to her. She curled her legs under her and towards the sofa's arm, knowing before long she'd be leaning on him, just like every other time. After a lot of fiddling around, Harm started the movie and sat down beside her, just three inches away. He grabbed his gelato and handed Mac hers.
When they were finished Mac grabbed both bowls before heading to the kitchen and placing them in the sink. She took the opportunity to use the bathroom and when she returned was surprised to find Harm had moved to the end of the sofa. Stopping mid room she didn't know what to do; whether to sit where she had been, or at the opposite end, or next to him.
Looking up, Harm watched her scan the sofa. He grabbed the cushion and placed it on his lap. "I thought you might want to lay down and stretch out," he said, patting the cushion. Making her way to him she eased herself down to watch the movie. Slowly she felt herself drifting off and although she usually tried to fight it, she didn't this time, more than content to fall asleep in this position. A while later, she felt Harm's fingers rake gently through her hair over and over again; her breath caught in her throat, this definitely wasn't a normal part of their evenings.
Not wanting to stop him, she lay as still as possible and enjoyed the sensual feeling of his touch.
"We are soul mates," he whispered to himself. "And I never, ever, want to be without you."
Mac caught her breath and it was enough for Harm to know she was awake. Quickly he tried to retract his hand but she reached out and took it, entwined their fingers and placed it on her heart.
"I'm not going anywhere, Harm," she replied, carefully propping herself up on the cushion that was on his thigh.
"Good," he murmured, trying not to lose himself in the chocolate orbs before him.
"You want to know what I think?" she asked, he nodded slowly. "I think we are on the same wavelength because you love me as much as I love you…" She watched his azure eyes widen. "You think it might be that, Harm?"
"Yeah, I think it might be because you love me as much as I love you," he managed to reply while hooking an arm under her upper body and sitting her in his lap.
Blue eyes locked onto brown and being on the same wavelength both knew what would happen next. Slowly each moved forward, their lips brushing gently against each other before Mac looped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Lips locked as tongues duelled, both wanting access to the other, both conceding and taking turns to explore every inch of the others mouth.
Not satisfied with her position, Mac straddled his lap and enjoyed the feeling of her body pressed firmly against his hard body. Eventually, she pulled back, her head swirling.
"You know what I'm thinking, Mac?" he whispered, his eyes never leaving hers.
"I do," she said, crawling off his lap and pulling him to his feet.
"Are you sure?" he asked. But as Mac linked her hands around his neck and hoisted herself up his body, hooking her legs around his waist to anchor herself, he was left in no doubt they were definitely thinking alike.
"Harm," she muttered, kissing his neck as he walked towards his bedroom.
"Hmmmm," he mumbled.
"I never thought it was a rip in the time / space continuum," she whispered, her lips claiming his as he gently placed her on his bed.
"Me neither," he replied. "Me neither."
