Harm and Mac Moment: Little AJ's fourth birthday party is coming up. Harm and Mac are shopping for gifts.
Cass Eastham 2002
Toys R US - Arlington, VA
Harm moved through the aisles with a greet basket in his hand and Mac walked with him, squinting at the alien artifacts hanging from the shelves. "Boy stuff." She stepped to the next aisle and looked both ways. "Where is the boy stuff?"
Harm pointed to the end cap full of action figures and started moving in that direction. Mac followed, taking a closer look at a few things as she passed, but wincing in complete awe at what of this junk could they get for a four year old. Harm stopped and pointed at GI Joe array and grinned back at her.
She slapped his elbow. "He's four, Harm. Save the war toys until he's at least five."
Harm kept strolling and browsing, "What did you get him last year?"
"These little wooden trains. What did you get him?"
"Blue's Clues books." He scanned over the shelves of boy stuff and grinned to pick up an orange stormtrooper rifle.
"Blue's Clues will still work," she commented, "But I don't think we're in the right neighborhood-"she stopped when he pointed it at her and shot her with it. A little red light flickered with the staticy attempt at laser bolt noise.
She ducked and grinned, scrambling to grab an equally ridiculous looking M-16 and aimed it at him with a cute wrinkle in her nose.
Harm lifted his chin and backed away. He shot her again. His eyes lit up with fun when she stepped out of the way of the invisible attack and advanced.
He laughed and backed up and around the corner as she attacked him. Little red lights flashed and electronic laser fire buzzed from the plastic toys. Harm bumped backward into a pair of small boys, who ran around his legs and passed Mac with giggles on their own mission.
Mac stomped forward and shot at him again, hooking his ankle with her foot and deliberately tripping him backwards before he'd regained his balance. Harm willingly rolled backward into the next aisle, laughing all the way down to the floor and dropped his weapon.
Mac stepped forward with a snarl in her lip and kicked away his gun. She straddled his waist with her knees and threatened him with the small orange stormtrooper rifle, trying not to laugh. "Where is your rebel base?"
Harm was rolling with laughter and in no hurry to get her off of him. Mac snickered, finally dropping the gun to curl over and giggle even more.
"Christ, Colonel, I'm glad your on our side." The voice was humored, but also shook both of them from their laughter in an instant.
Harm blinked and pushed her off of him the same time she scrambled to a stand.
"Admiral!" They said with unanimous surprise and straitened their civvies like they were totally busted for something.
Admiral Chegwidden already had toys in his hands suitable for a four year old and watched the Colonel and Commander nervously shuffle their feet back to a stand and stumble over their words.
"We were just shopping for little A.J., sir." Mac smiled innocently.
Chegwidden looked at them from under his brows, clearly seeing right through them, and didn't give them the benefit of a smile to ease their worries. After all, they were just playing. "Mm." The Admiral's noises never gave clue as to whether they were positive or negative. He could read clearly, however, that these two felt so guilty about something that they were nearly standing at attention, in civvies, right there in the busy toy store. "Well, carry on."
Harm nodded honorably. "Good to see you, sir." He moved as quickly as he could around the corner.
Mac smiled at the Admiral before ducking around the same corner with wide eyes and a bubbling snicker. Harm was already rubbing his brows and leaning with a locked elbow against the shelf of models. Mac rested her shoulder blades on the same shelf to giggle a silent red face up at the ceiling. "You forgot your gun."
Harm sputtered out into a new mad snicker and fought to keep it silent, then he saw what aisle they ended up in. "Hey," he said suggestively and picked up a box full of plastic Stealth Bomber parts.
Mac opened her mouth and laughed. "He's four." She was surprised she kept having to remind him of this.
Harm picked up another, simpler model of an airplane and pointed at it. "Ages five and up."
She sighed patiently, "Then get him a model when he turns five next year."
Little AJ is turning five next year?!
Harm slowly put the box down and Mac took a moment to lift her brows at nothing in the air. Blue eyes flicked over as cautiously as brown eyes flicked back.
Harm stood tall on both feet and pulled in a deep breath. He sighed it out and shuffled back to the end of the aisle, trying not to look guilty for the crime he might someday commit. "So where's the Blue's Clues stuff?"
Mac smiled her open mouth and followed him, trying to decide if she would ever get the guts to let him commit it. "Right. Blue's clues."
The Admiral peered around the corner as they found their way to the other end of the store, and big AJ grinned wisely at their backs.