Just something I wrote after seeing "Tribunal" again. (Season 7)

The characters are not mine and all that...

All mistakes are my own.

In control

Mac stared into the ceiling with a panicked look on her face.

Thirty minutes earlier.

"Excuse me, but who made you first chair?"

"The Admiral mentioned my name first."

"So?" Mac was amused.

"All right, I'll tell you what, we'll flip for it." Harm found a coin.

"Okay."

"You call it."

"Heads."

The coin fell to the floor and both Mac and Harm hurried to find it, hitting their heads together as they did.

"Ow." Mac rubbed the sore spot on her head.

Harm touched Mac's head. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but I'm second chair." Mac looked defeated.

Harm laughed softly. "I'll be gentle."

"Don't be gentle, be good." Mac met Harm's eyes with her own. They both were captured in a spell and before either of them could back down they kissed. It wasn't a sweet kiss, it was a heated kiss followed by hands roaming over each other's body's. Harm stood, dragging Mac on her feet without breaking their connection.

By the time Harm had walked Mac backwards towards his bedroom and steered her up the stairs and landed her on the bed, non of them would back down. Clothes flew and soon there was nothing between them, not even air; it was just two bodies melting together.

Back to the present moment.

Mac started chewing on her lower lip. What would she do now? They had to leave this apartment in exactly sixty minutes and thirty tree seconds to make the flight and one of them had to make the first move. How could this have happened? She had her feelings for him under control. That was until he had looked at her in that particular way, and she had lost all control. She never lost control! So why on earth did she have to lose control thirty minutes ago?

Mac continued to chew on her lip. She was hungry too. They hadn't eaten their dinner and she was really hungry.

Mac looked over at the man by her side. His eyes were closed and he looked to be asleep. She silently got out of bed and slipped his bathrobe over her naked body. She silently walked down the steps and to the kitchen table. She silently grabbed her plate and put it in the microwave to heat the food.

Then the microwave biped when it was done. Mac froze. Damn it! Harm would wake up. She grabbed her food and sat down to eat.

"Hungry?"

Mac saw Harm standing on the top of the steps to his bedroom looking at her.

"Yes." Mac let her eyes go from Harm too her plate. "It's good." She mumbled and wished that the floor would open up and swallow her. She had her feelings for him under control. Damn it!

"We need to leave in fifty minutes." Harm sat down on the top step of the stair.

"Forty nine minutes and thirty seconds." Mac mumbled and took another bite of her food.

Harm looked at his watch. "How do you do that?"

"I have very good timing." Mac swallowed hard. She had her feelings for him under control.

"I'm going to take a shower." Harm stood. "You probably want to shower too."

"Yes." Mac put her plate down on the table. "I do."

"Want to share?" Harm had a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Mac just stared at him. 'I have my feelings for him under control.' She thought.

Harm laughed softly and disappeared.

Mac stared at the spot where he had just been standing. "I'm in control." She mumbled.

The USS Seahawk

They had both showered. Separately. And they hadn't mentioned their little incident again. Mac had started talking about the case and she hadn't stopped until they were on the helicopter that would take them to the Seahawk. As soon as they arrived at the Seahawk there hadn't been anything but talk about the tribunal and for that Mac was relieved.

Until she was alone in her quarters. Then her mind started wandering. She had slept with Harm, the man she was in love with. How could she had let it happen. She had been in control of her feelings for him. In control.

There was a knock on her door.

"Enter."

It was Sturgis. "Hi Mac. Is everything okay?"

"Why?"

"You've been acting weird since you arrived at Andrews."

"I have?" Mac stood and started wandering around the small room.

"Yes." Sturgis sat down on a chair and studied her. "I know that we're on different sides in this tribunal, but if you need to talk I'm here."

"I was in control Sturgis." Mac stared at her friend. "In control."

Sturgis was confused. "Is this about the tribunal?"

"It's about Harm. Pay attention." Mac sat down on her bed. "I was in control Sturgis."

"What happened?" Sturgis had a hunch about where this was going, but he didn't want to assume anything.

"I slept with him." Mac buried her face in her hands.

"And you told him that you're in love with him?" Sturgis assumed.

"No!" Mac sat up straight. "No."

"Oh." Sturgis hesitated. "Why?"

"I can't tell him that." Mac ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "We work together, it would get uncomfortable."

"And it's not going to get uncomfortable now?" Sturgis questioned, mildly amused.

"Of course it will. It already is." Mac stood. "I'm going to sleep now."

Sturgis stood and walked to the door.

"If you tell anyone about this Sturgis, I will..."

Sturgis cut her off. "I'm not saying a word."

"Thanks."

Sturgis gave her a smile and a nod before he left her.

Mac lay down on the bed and hugged her pillow close. She was in control.

Sturgis quarters

A few minutes later

There was a knock on his door and Sturgis yelled for the person to enter.

"Hi, I need to talk to you." Harm entered his quarters.

Sturgis looked up from the file he'd been reading. "About the case?"

"No." Harm started walking around the small room. "What I'm about to tell you is top secret and can't leave this room."

"Okay." Sturgis knew exactly where this was going.

Harm stopped and looked at Sturgis. "I slept with Mac."

"Oh?" Sturgis felt successful in hiding his knowledge of this information.

"I don't know what to do." Harm crossed his arms over his chest. "And Mac won't talk to me. About the sex, she's talking about the tribunal and acting as though nothing happened."

"Have you tried talking to her about it?" Sturgis asked, mildly amused and feeling like he was in High School. Why was he their 'go to' guy?

"No, not really. I asked her if she wanted to shower with me, but she didn't respond." Harm sat down on Sturgis bed and put his head in his hands. "You don't need to know that."

"No, I really don't need to know that and God knows I don't want to know about it." Sturgis stood. "Harm, you and Mac need to talk about this."

"I know." Harm mumbled into his hands. "How could I let this happen?"

"The sexual tension between the two of you have been threatening to explode for a long time. It was the first thing I noticed when I saw you two together when I arrived at JAG. Harm, this was bound to happen." Sturgis slapped Harm's shoulder. "Buddy, get up and talk to her."

Harm lifted his head from his hands. "I'm in love with her, you know."

Sturgis rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know. Harm, it's written in your face whenever she's around you. Now, will you go talk to her and leave me alone?"

Harm stood. "Okay." But he didn't move towards the door.

"Harm!" Sturgis said loudly. "Go."

Harm walked to the door. "I'm going."

Mac's quarters

A few minutes later

There was a knock on her door, she sat up in bed and yelled for the person to enter.

Harm walked in and closed the door behind him. "We need to talk."

Mac was in control. "I thought we could table work until tomorrow."

Harm sat down in her chair and gave her a stern look. "I don't want to talk about work. We can't ignore what happened."

"Why?" Mac's control slipped a little.

"Because I've seen you naked and I can't ignore it." Harm put his head in his hands. "I can't ignore it." He mumbled.

Mac had lost her control. "I can't ignore it either."

Harm let his hands drop and he lifted his head. "Things will never be the same."

"I know." Mac felt tears escape her eyes.

Harm stood. "What? Don't cry."

"I can't help it Harm, I'm sad." Mac tried to wipe away her tears, but they kept coming.

Harm sat down on her bed. "Mac, please don't cry."

"I can't stop it." Mac sniffled. "I can't."

"Great, I've made you cry." Harm pulled her close. "I suck."

"It's my fault." Mac sniffled into his shirt. "I'm so stupid."

"Why?" Harm held her closer.

"Because I fell in love with my best friend and partner." Mac held him closer. "It wasn't supposed to happen."

"We can't help how we feel, Mac." Harm kissed her head. "I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you either."

Mac pulled away from him. "What?" She wiped away her tears. "You are what?"

"I'm in love with you." He wiped away a tear from her cheek. "It wasn't supposed to happen, but it did and I wanted to tell you, but I never found the words. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you and I want us to be together."

Mac sniffled. "I feel stupid."

"Why?"

"Because I'm crying like a girl." Mac wiped away a newly fallen tear.

"You are a girl." Harm pointed out.

"But I'm not supposed to act like this. I don't cry."

"I've seen you cry before." Harm touched her cheek softly. "But that's not the point, let's go back to the part where we are in love."

"I like that part." Mac whispered.

Harm smiled. "I do too."

Mac laughed. "We're on a ship in the middle of the ocean about to prosecute a terrorist, maybe we should table this until we're back home."

Harm laughed as well. "That sounds like a good idea." He stood. "I should get out of here. Let's act professional while we're on board this ship."

Mac nodded and stood. "Let's do that."

Harm took hold of the doorknob. "Mac." He turned to her. "When we get back to D.C I won't act professional."

Mac smiled. "I'm counting on it."

Harm opened the door. "See you tomorrow Colonel."

"Have a good night Commander." Mac watched him leave. She laughed out loud in the empty room. She was in control.

The End