Author's Note: This is a little bit AU – Harm and Mac have been married for five years, and Mac is about to turn 40, so I guess they got together earlier. There will be three chapters - the first one is super-short but I'll make up for that in the second chapter.
Originally posted (under the name 'Dee') at the HBX for the May 2012 Challenge. The challenge was to use the following lines in a short story involving Harm. (The lines can spoken by anyone, not necessarily the original speakers.)
Mac: Why are you being nice to me?
Harm: I'm always nice to you.
Baby It's Cold Outside (season six)
Disclaimer: The usual, I own nothing, etc etc.
Chapter One
Harm's POV
Our nighttime routine is almost over. We've read the kids their bedtime story, given and received goodnight kisses, and called Mattie, who's working at a children's summer camp. She's fallen for one of the camp directors – which frightens me a little. She'll bring him home to meet us in a few weeks. I'm sitting in bed in my boxers (it's a warm night), pretending to read a dull book about medical malpractice, but in reality I am watching Mac. She is sitting in front of her dresser mirror; gorgeous and alluring in one of my old t-shirts, applying moisturizer, brushing her hair….
Watching her go through this routine every night is one of the many small pleasures of my day. As she strokes her long fingers over those amazing legs, I can't help but feel a completely irrational twinge of envy… I want those fingers running over my skin…. Just as I'm about to fling my book aside and ask her to come to bed, the phone rings.
'Hello.'
'Hey Harm! It's Harriet!'
'Hey, how are you? Bud and the kids?'
'Good. We are all doing great, Harm. Bud is right here with me, he says hi. Listen, I'm sorry, I know it's really late but is Mac there?'
'Yeah, just a sec. Give my love to the kids.'
I hand the phone to Mac. As she talks animatedly to her friend, she continues to rub lotion into her skin… now she's on her long, graceful neck…. She's driving me crazy, and she has absolutely no idea. As I gaze at her over the top of my boring book, snippets of her conversation float through my lust-induced haze….
'Harriet, I really don't want a party… yes, I know it's a milestone but… you know me, I don't want a big fuss…' Then silence, as Harriet makes her case like only Harriet can.
'You know I would love to see you all too, but not at a big birthday party where I'll be too busy working the room to really spend time with you. I'd much rather have you all visit for a few days when it can be just you and us.' More silence, as Harriet makes more persuasive arguments.
'Honestly, much as I would love to have everyone over for a party, what I really want for my birthday is my own personal slave to handle everything on my to-do list for just one day. I wouldn't trade them for the world, but man, Jack and Katie do such a great job of wearing me and Harm out. Speaking of which, I really am getting old, because my energy levels just aren't the same. '
Harriet must have asked her what our plans for her birthday were, because her next words were:
'I'm so glad it'll be a Saturday, because at least I won't have to go in to work. Harm and I have been talking about it, but we can't figure what we want to do either. He likes the party idea, but he also understands why I'm not up for it. But hey, we have six weeks to figure it out, and I'll definitely let you know what we decide….'
Mac's warm, sweet laughter wafts across the room to me like the smell of the brownies she sometimes makes me bake – more often these days than ever, actually….
'Thank you so much Harriet, you're such a sweetheart. Now get some sleep, it's 0105 over there! My love to the kids, we miss them so much. Love you guys.'
Mac walks slowly over to me, that cat-that-got-the-cream smile on her lips. I'm transfixed. She crawls onto the bed and leans across me to replace the phone. Then she takes the book out of my suddenly nerveless grasp and throws it across the room.
Leaning over and placing her face beside mine, she whispers in my ear.
'Enough pretend reading for tonight, sailor. I'm all yours.'