Mac's Apartment
"NO. STOP. please don't" Mac cried into the night. Jingo, her dog, was sitting in the doorway unable to do anything to help his owner.
Next Day
JAG headquarters
Harm was in the break room when he saw Mac come in. She was late, which was not normal for her.
"Hey Mac." Harm greeted her, when she turned around he could see something was wrong right away, "Mac what happened?"
"Nothing I'm fineÉ I have to go." Mac rushed off leaving a perplexed Commander in her stead.
Later that day
Admiral Chegwidden's office
"You wanted to see me sir?" Harm stood at attention in front of the Admiral's desk. The Admiral looked up from his paperwork.
"Yes I did" he paused and checked to see that the door was shut, "It's about the Colonel. To get right to the point, have you been pushing her buttons again Commander
"No sir I swear it wasn't me this time," Harm paused, "Permission to be dismissed sir?
"I don't see what for your pallet is clear.
"I'd like to talk to the Colonel sir.
"She left after lunch today, said she wasn't feeling well." Chegwidden looked at the Commander and sighed, "go.
"Thank you sir." Harm left JAG in a hurry and was home in thirty minutes.
Harm's Apartment
Once inside Harm threw down his keys and his mail and stripped on the way to his bedroom to change out of his uniform. Harm then grabbed his keys and was gone in no time, leaving his uniform strewn across the floor of his apartment and the mail in disarray on his coffee table.
Mac's Apartment
Mac heard the familiar knocking at the door and reluctantly went to open it to let her partner in. When she opened the door she was greeted by her tall handsome partner wearing his running outfit, athletic pants and a white tank top that fit him like another layer of skin.
"Come on get dressed
"Not now Harm, please leave me alone.
"No Mac you're sitting in your apartment with all the lights off and if I am the friend I like to think I am, I would never leave a hurting friend in a place like this to wallow about god knows what.
"Who says I'm wallowing I could be sleeping" Mac lied.
"Mac you know I know you better than that, if you were sleeping I would have had to get the whole god damn Fleet in your hallway to wake you up, now get changed I'm not leaving 'til you join me for a run." Harm stated sternly so Mac went to her bedroom and came out a few minutes later in her Army sweat pants and Harm's old Navy shirt he had Ôlost' last year.
Park by Mac's Apartment
Harm and Mac had been running in complete silence for nearly an hour when Mac suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong Mac?" Harm asked not sure why they stopped, but upon seeing the look in Mac's eyes he pulled her into his arms and whispered into her ear, "It's ok Mac whatever it is I'm here I'll always be here, I promise.
A few minutes later Mac pushed away and started to run again, faster than usual. Harm still confused about this whole situation just kept on following his best friend blindly.
Later that night
Mac's Apartment
"Harm you really don't need to stay." Mac said Ôplease don't leave o god please don't leave me alone Harm' she thought to herself.
"Remember what I said earlier?" Harm questioned. Mac didn't know when he was talking about so she just waited for him to tell her, "I told you I would always be there and I promised this, do you know what that means?
"That there's no way in hell I can possibly get rid of you." Mac said trying to sound like that was not something she wanted, but to herself she was saying ÔI never want you to go
"Exactly, now get your six in that tub marine." Harm said in his best sergeant voice.
Later that night after Mac had taken a nice long soak in the bathtub she emerged to find Harm in the kitchen making something that smelled like
"Harm, are you making me meat?" Mac asked truly amazed.
"Yes I touched dead animal carcasses fro you so you better be grateful." Little did he know she was grateful from when she heard that knock. Harm had been trying to incorporate comedy everywhere he felt it appropriate, that was how he dealt with Mac he was always trying to get her to smile no matter how bad the circumstance was.
"Thank you Harm." Mac said sincerely
"Don't thank me Ôtil you've tried it." Harm joked.
"I'm sure it'll be just fine harm."
"Just fine, not great, not spectacular, not even good, I'm hurt Mac." Harm acted hurt and put his hand to his heart. Mac didn't say anything to this and Harm new by the look she had on her face that now was not the time for joking. Harm put her plate in front of her and went to feed Jingo with a sly smile on his face.
"You jerk this is a Beltway Burger, you didn't touch any meat.
"Ah, but that's not true I went and got the burgers while you were in the tub and when I came back I realized that there was no salad or vegetables on it whatsoever so I fixed that." Harm replied with his flyboy grin.
"You ruined the burger, the fact that there is no vegetables on it is what I love about them. I should shoot you in the foot for this." Mac threatened.
"Whoa there Ninja Girl, don't shoot," Harm pleaded with his hands up, "I knew you would like it." Harm said a few seconds later smiling, but this wasn't his normal flyboy smile there was something different about it Ôwhat is it?' Mac thought.
After they had finished dinner Harm was cleaning up in the kitchen, he had put Mac to work finding him some sheets for the couch. He was not about to leave now, he was making progress and he knew it.
"You know you don't have to stay." Mac said from behind Harm who almost dropped the plate he was drying, which did not go unnoticed by Mac.
"Yes I do.
"Well then will you at least take the bed you're a foot longer than my couch at least and I fit just fine." Mac tried again to get him to budge on at least that.
"I am not here to take your bed and make you sleep on your couch I am here to be a good friend. Now go get some rest," Harm said then turned around to look into her eyes, "please?
"Ok, fine, goodnight Harm." Harm watched her as she made her way to her bedroom and closed the door but not the whole way. He smiled at this; she had never closed her door the whole way, not in the six years he'd known her.