Ally McJAG
by Sarah Brown
sbrown@slbrown.com
JAG and the characters are the property of Donald Bellasario, Paramount and CBS.
Ally McBeal is © 1997 by FOX and is a David E. Kelley production.
No copyright infringement intended.
This takes place before the season finale.
Harm leaned his head into Mac's office. "Ready for a road trip?" he asked.
"Road trip? Where to this time?" Mac asked. "Please not overseas. I've had so many vaccinations in the last year I'm starting to feel like a pin cushion."
"Well then, you're in luck. Last time I checked, Boston was still part of the United States."
"What's in Boston?" Mac asked.
"Let's see, the Harbor, the North Church where Paul Revere rode . . . oh, and I hear they have a great aquarium there." He ducked as a pen flew toward his head. "Hey, careful of the eyes, I just got 'em fixed!" he protested.
"I meant, what CASE is in Boston? Good grief."
"Oh, well why didn't you say so?" Harm laughed. He walked to her desk and handed her a file. She began flipping through it.
"Harm, this is a civil case," she said, looking up. "What are we doing with it?"
"The defendant is an ensign stationed at South Weymouth Naval Air Station. He's being sued by a civilian for sexual harassment and emotional harm. A private law firm there is handling the defense; we'll just be there in an advisory capacity." Harm explained.
"So who did this sailor hit on?" Mac asked.
"Well actually, it's who he DIDN'T hit on. The plaintiff is a civilian employee at the base. She worked with the defendant and claims he created a hostile and demeaning work atmosphere by failing to ask her out on a date despite her hints that his, er, advances would be welcome."
Mac was outraged. "Harm, that's not a cause of action. With all the emphasis the Navy has put on avoiding inappropriate sexual behavior after the whole Tailhook fiasco, now someone's suing an ensign for NOT . . ." she struggled to find the right phrase.
"Putting out?" Harm suggested helpfully. A staple remover bounced harmlessly off his chest. If this conversation kept up much longer, Mac was going to be throwing the file cabinet at him.
"Leave it to a man to use a term like that," Mac huffed. "Seriously, thought, how is this case going to even get past the preliminary hearing stage?"
"It won't. I figure we fly up there Sunday, meet with the defendant and his counsel on Monday, the first hearing is Wednesday at 0900, the case gets laughed out of court by 0930 and we have the rest of the week to sight-see. It'll be like a paid vacation."
"Hmmm . . ." Mac mused. "I'm starting to like the sound of this."
Mac settled into her seat next to Harm and fastened the seatbelt as other shuttle passengers struggled by with their luggage.
Harm looked up from the papers he was studying. "I think I should warn you, the lawyers that are defending Ensign Tate seem a little . . . odd."
"Odd how?" Mac asked.
"I'm not sure how to explain it," Harm replied. "I just got the impression on the phone that they do things a little differently than we're used to."
"Well, sure, I mean, the private sector's bound to be a little more loose than military courts," Mac reasoned. "Although I can't believe I'm saying that to a JAG lawyer who once fired off a weapon into the ceiling of a courtroom."
"Very funny. Anyway, loose may be an understatement," Harm cautioned. "But they've got a great win-loss record. It seems they kind of specialize in off-the-wall cases like this one."
"As long as they wrap it up in time for me to take a whale- watching cruise, they can tap dance during motions as far as I'm concerned," Mac said, just before the pilot came over the intercom to announce their takeoff.
Harm and Mac stepped off the elevator into a bustling law office.
Mac looked around. "Looks normal enough," she said. Just then a pencil-thin brunette in the shortest skirt Mac had ever seen someone wear in public walked up to them, took one look at Harm and toppled to the ground.
Ever the gentleman, Harm leaned down to help the woman up, then staggered backwards as she bumped heads with him as she struggled to stand. A cup of coffee in her hand that had survived her initial fall went splashing over his pristine white uniform and the front of Mac's skirt. After a moment of confusion, both Harm and the woman managed to get upright.
"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, I was just . . . I mean, I didn't, uh . . . Hi!" the woman said brightly, trying to recover. "I'm Ally McBeal. You must be the military lawyers!"
What gave it away, Mac thought. "Hi," she replied, shaking the hand the woman was offering. "I'm Major Sarah MacKenzie, Judge Advocate General's office. This is my partner, Commander Harmon Rabb."
"Oh, uh, nice to meet you," Ally replied. "I'm sorry, I don't have much experience with the military. Do I call you Major, or ma'am, or . . . what?"
"You can call me Mac, everyone else does," Mac answered with a smile.
"And call me Harm," Harm said, offering his hand. Ally stared up at him as she shook his hand. For a moment, Mac could have sworn the woman was going to reach up and kiss him . . . or maybe lick him. She shook herself mentally. She was imagining things -- Harm had gotten her all nervous telling her how odd the lawyers here where.
"Uh, Miss McBeal . . ." Harm began.
"Oh, Ally, please," Ally urged, continuing to stare up at him.
"Ally . . . is there someplace I could tidy up," he asked, looking down at the coffee soaking his uniform.
"Oh, sure, sorry! Right this way to the bathrooms," she said, turning to lead them. She stopped in front of a pair of doors.
Harm and Mac walked through the doors that said "Men" and "Women," respectively. Two steps through they looked up and at . . . each other. Mac had started backing out, sure she had somehow made a mistake, when the door swung into her backside and Ally leaned in.
"Guess I should have warned you it's unisex," she said brightly, then went back out.
Mac and Harm just stared at one another. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this . . ." Mac began.
"Aw, c'mon Marine. We spent all that time on a submarine and conditions were a lot more primitive there. Don't get all prissy on me now," Harm chided. "Besides, we just need to wash some of this coffee out."
"Yeah, you're right," Mac conceded. They moved to the sinks and began washing off the coffee as best they could.
"Glad I took time to get my uniform pressed last night," Mac grumbled.
"Hey, at least you're not wearing white." Harm shot back. "I'm probably gonna have to replace this uniform. Maybe I can get JAG to pay for it -- it was destroyed in the line of duty, after all."
"The Admiral will never believe it," Mac said. "Besides, after the plane you trashed and the holes in that courtroom ceiling, I think you've used up all your discretionary funds for the foreseeable future."
Mac glanced up as she heard a stall door swing open. Reflected in the mirror she saw a man swinging around the bar across the top of the stall. For a moment she was too stunned to move, but then her marine training kicked in.
"Incoming, HIT THE DECK!" she yelled, diving one way as Harm dove the other. An instant later the man completed his revolution, released and tucked into a flip, opening up to land squarely on two feet with his hands upraised.
"I've perfected my dismount!" he remarked with satisfaction. Then he noticed the two officers sprawled on the floor on either side of him.
"Uh, beduh, uh . . . Poughkeepsie," he stammered, then scurried out the door.
Harm and Mac stood up and brushed themselves off, looking after the man in amazement.
"I'm beginning to see what you mean about odd," Mac said.
"Yeah, let's get out of the bathroom before we get hurt," Harm replied.
They exited the bathrooms and looked around. Ally had disappeared, and there didn't seem to be a receptionist to direct them. Then a blonde woman approached them, openly appraising Harm. What is it about the women at this place? Mac wondered. Haven't they ever seen a man in uniform?
"Hi, I'm Elaine," the woman said, offering her hand to Harm. "You must be the JAG officers."
"Harmon Rabb at your service," Harm said charmingly, taking her hand.
"Sarah MacKenzie," Mac added.
"Nice to meet you," Elaine said, never taking her eyes off of Harm.
By now she ought to have him mentally stripped down to his skivvies, Mac thought peevishly. Sure Harm was a good-looking guy . . . okay, he was hotter than doughnut grease. But did these women have to stare at him like that?
"Let me take you back to Ally's office," Elaine offered. She led the way, putting the maximum amount of wiggle allowed by law into her walk.
Elaine knocked on an office door and then leaned her head in. "The JAG officers are here," she said
"Send them in," Ally said.
Elaine ushered the pair in and then followed them into the room.
"Thank you, Elaine," Ally said pointedly.
"No problem," Elaine replied, continuing to stare at Harm.
"THAT WILL BE ALL, ELAINE," Ally said through clenched teeth. Elaine walked out with a sigh.
"Have a seat," Ally said. "John and Richard will be joining us shortly, so we can talk before the client arrives. Oh, here they come."
Two men stood in the doorway to Ally's office, including the one that had launched himself from the bathroom stall a few minutes earlier.
"Harm and Mac, this is John Cage," Ally said, indicating the would-be gymnast, "and Richard Fish. This is Harmon Rabb and Sarah MacKenzie, uh, Harm and Mac."
John looked grave. "I must apologize for the incident in the restroom," he said. "I was focused on my dismount and didn't notice that anyone had come into the bathroom."
"Yeah, yeah, bygones," Richard broke in. "Let's go into the conference room and go over how we're going to profit from . . . uh, resolve this case. Mac, Harm, this way," he said, ushering them out. As they trooped past Elaine's desk, she snatched up a pen and pad and started to follow them.
"I don't think we'll be needing you, Elaine," Ally said firmly. Elaine sat back down with a pout.
A woman was waiting for them in the conference room. Richard said, "I've asked Ling to join us. Ling, this is Harm and that's Mac."
"Nice to meet you," she said coolly.
"Nice to meet you, Ling," Mac said.
"Hmm, you pronounced my name perfectly," Ling said. "Most people say it with a hard l and a hard g," she added, glaring at Ally. She looked over at Harm, taking in his coffee-stained uniform. "I thought you military types were supposed to be all spit and polish," she said disdainfully. At last, Mac thought, a woman at this firm who wasn't drooling all over Harm.
"Uh, there was a little . . . accident earlier," Harm explained. Ally blushed.
"Bygones, Mac, why don't you have a seat over here," Richard urged. "Say, what's that?" he added, reaching out his index finger and brushing it under Mac's chin. Her normal reaction would have been to put him on the ground, but after a glance at Harm, she decided that wouldn't be appropriate, so she just backed away. As she did, she heard a strange sound coming from Ling's direction.
"Harm," she whispered, "did that woman just growl at me?"
"Let's just try to get through this, okay?" Harm soothed, although frankly, the thought of flattening the handsy attorney had crossed his mind, too. Why was it that wherever they went in the whole world, some guy was there trying to pick up on Mac?
Everyone took a seat around the conference table and pulled out their files on the case. Richard began. "Okay, folks, this is going to get into some legal areas, so I'll let Ally and John take the lead. Ally?"
"Well, it seems pretty ludicrous on its face," Ally started. "I mean, suing someone for not making a pass at you, that would seem to go against the intent of the sexual harassment laws. We should be able to get it thrown out, but . . ."
"But what?" Mac asked. "I can't believe this would survive a motion to dismiss. I mean, we know criminal law, not civil, but still, a judge wouldn't let this go forward, would he?"
John jumped in. "Well, normally no, but there's the matter of the opposing counsel. She troubles me. And she HATES us."
"Yeah, but at least she's not suing US this time," Ally said.
"So this is some kind of personal grudge between you and the plaintiff's lawyer?" Harm asked in disbelief.
"Not exactly. I mean, she took the case before she knew who opposing counsel would be," John assured them.
"But she'll push it that much harder now that she has an opportunity strike a blow for her fellow woman AND stick it to us at the same time," Richard said.
"Who is this woman?" Ling asked.
"Before your time," Richard explained.
"I could send someone after her if you want," Ling offered. "I own a security service . . ."
"I don't think we want to get the firm disbarred for intimidating opposing counsel, do we, LinGUH?" Ally interjected.
"That was a hard G," Ling said with an evil stare.
Mac and Harm exchanged a glance. What have we gotten ourselves into? the look said.
"Look," John said, "I'm not saying she's going to get anywhere with this cockamamie case. I'm just saying we need to be wary."
Ally agreed. "We've already submitted a motion to dismiss. We go before the judge at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Unless she can pull a rabbit out of her hat, the whole thing should be dropped."
"Dropped?" Richard asked. "But wouldn't that cut down on our billable hours?"
"Try to remember that we're supposed to REPRESENT our client, not just bill him, Richard," Ally said sharply.
"Can't we do both? Bygones," he added when he caught the look in her eye.
Harm felt like he needed to bring things back down to earth. "So when is Ensign Tate scheduled to arrive?" he asked.
Ally glanced at her watch. "About five minutes from now. Before he gets here, I should tell you that there's a settlement offer on the table. I got a call just before you arrived. The plaintiff will settle the case in return for $100,000 -- or one night out on the town with the defendant."
"Man, she must really want him bad," Richard observed. "It must be the uniform. I wonder if you can rent those. Maybe I could . . ." Seeing Ling's glare, he added, "Probably not."
"Obviously we'll try to stay out of your way on this case," Harm said, "but I'd hate to see a precedent like that set. The Navy has worked very hard to combat sexual harassment in the service, and anything that might muddy those waters could be detrimental. We take sexual harassment very seriously."
"You could seriously sexually harass me anytime," Ally mumbled under her breath.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Mac asked sharply.
"Oh, uh, nothing," Ally said.
Yeah, right, Mac thought. I'm gonna have to watch Harm's six in this place. For Jordan's sake, of course. It didn't matter to HER if every woman here was after him. "We'd like to ask the ensign some questions and find out what went on," she said out loud.
"Of course. In fact, I see Elaine walking him in now."
Elaine opened the conference room door for the young ensign. Spotting Harm and Mac, he snapped to attention and saluted.
"At ease, Ensign," Harm said. "I'm Harmon Rabb with the Judge Advocate General's Office, and this is my partner, Major Sarah MacKenzie. I assume you already know everyone else."
The ensign nodded. "Take a seat," Harm said. "We're here only in an advisory capacity, but I'm sure you're aware that the Navy takes the issue of sexual harassment very seriously."
"Yes, sir, I know, and I've always been very careful about that," the ensign assured him. "That's why I don't understand why I'm being sued."
"Why don't you start by telling us what happened," Mac said.
"Well, I've been stationed at South Weymouth for 14 months, and Janice . . . Miss Stanley . . . was hired about eight months ago," he explained. "Honestly, Major, I don't think I did anything wrong. I didn't even talk to her all that much."
"Calm down, Ensign. We're not accusing you, we just need to get the facts," Mac assured him. "Now, how often did you talk to Miss Stanley?"
"Well, I saw her everyday. I mean, we worked in the same office. We'd always say hi to each other, but I do that with everybody I work with. Sometimes I'd have to talk to her about work-related stuff."
"Were you her supervisor?" Harm asked.
"No, sir, Lt. Commander Kim was in charge of all the civilian employees."
"Did you ever see her outside of work?" Mac asked.
"A couple of times I saw her at a bar everyone goes to, but we never went together. Sometimes I was there and she would show up, or she'd be there when I got there."
"But you never arranged to meet there," Harm asked.
"No, sir."
"When you would see her at this bar, would you join her?" Harm asked.
"Uh, I think once my buddies and I might have joined the table she was at with other people from work. We were never at the table just the two of us."
"When you saw her at work or at the bar, did you flirt with her?" Mac asked firmly.
"No, ma'am. I was friendly but nothing more," Ensign Tate said emphatically.
"Were you aware that she was interested in you?" she asked.
"Not especially, ma'am. She was friendly and all, but I never noticed that she was particularly interested. I guess I wasn't paying attention because I wasn't interested in her in that way," he said.
Mac couldn't help rolling her eyes a little. Glancing over, she noticed Ally doing the same thing. Typical man, has no idea when a woman is interested in him. She glanced at Harm, then gestured to Ally to they were done asking questions.
"Bill," she said, addressing the ensign, "as your lawyer I have to inform you that the plaintiff has made a settlement offer."
"You mean she'll drop the case?" Ensign Tate asked eagerly.
"Yes . . . in exchange $100,000 . . ."
"$100,000!" he interrupted. "She's got to know I don't have that kind of money. My dad's picking up my legal bills, but I don't think he's gonna fork over $100,000!"
". . . or one date between the two of you," Ally finished.
"$100,000 or one date? Geez, maybe I should just go out with her. I mean, she seems like a nice enough girl, at least she did before she sued me. How bad could one date be?" he reasoned.
"Ensign," Harm said, "Your attorneys are here to advise you and you should take their advice seriously. But just for the record, I don't think you'd be doing the Navy any favors by opening our sailors up to that kind of lawsuit."
"Yes, sir," he agreed. "What do you think, ma'am?" he asked, turning to Ally.
Ally winced at being called "ma'am," but she met John's eye, then said, "Far be it from me to stand in the way of romance, but I would also advise you not to settle, especially not before the hearing on the motion to dismiss. She really doesn't have a strong case under the law."
"I agree," John added.
The ensign thought for a moment and then sighed. "Alright, I won't settle."
After a few more minutes of discussion about Wednesday's proceedings, Ensign Tate left. Ally turned to the two JAG officers.
"I think that about covers it," she said.
"Okay," Harm said, rising. "Here's an amicus brief on behalf of the Navy we prepared before we came up . . . use it if you need it. So, should we meet you here on Wednesday?"
"Sure, say 8:15?" Ally agreed. Harm and Mac nodded. "Say, why don't you guys come back here tonight around 7 and we can go down to the bar together. They have great music."
Harm and Mac glanced at each other, then nodded.
"Sure, ok. What's the name of the bar?" Harm asked.
Ally, Ling, Richard and John looked at each other blankly. "To be honest, I don't know what it's called," Ally admitted. "We just always go there because it's right downstairs and we like the singer. Just come on up and we can go together."
"Sounds great," Mac said. She turned to Harm. "Ready to go? I've got a lot of sightseeing to do before then."
"Lead the way, partner," he agreed. "It was nice to meet all of you. I guess we'll see you all tonight." They said their goodbyes and stepped into the elevator.
When the doors closed, Ally turned to Richard. "How come none of OUR partners are that good-looking?" she asked accusingly.
"Yeah, she was hot, wasn't she?" he said, eliciting another growl from Ling. "But hey, don't sell yourself short, Ally. You're very attractive, too, and Georgia, and of course Ling here and Nell . . ."
"Not her!" she said, smacking Richard. "Him."
"I know, wasn't he to die for?" Elaine enthused, coming up to them.
"I don't know, I didn't see the big deal," Ling sniffed. She and John turned to walk back to his office. As they trailed off, Richard said, "Really? So the uniform isn't a turn-on? Because I could . . ."
On the elevator, Harm and Mac turned to each other and let out a mutual sigh.
"Next time you start criticizing me for being unconventional . . ." Harm began.
"Don't worry. Compared to those guys, you're a straight arrow," Mac laughed. "Although I guess they get the job done -- in their own way. But did you notice all the looks you were getting? I thought one of those women was going to make a grab for you any minute."
"Me," Harm protested. "What about the way that guy Richard was stroking your neck! Talk about a place ripe for a sexual harassment suit!"
"For all we know, they've already had one," Mac said.
"I'm glad our office doesn't have all that sexual tension," Harm commented. Well, except when I look at Mac, he thought.
"Well, not now that Bud and Harriet are married, anyway," Mac agreed.
"Yeah, but it's hard to describe that as sexual tension," Harm said. "It was more like a really big case of puppy love."
"Harm!" Mac said indignantly. "They're married and have a son. That's pretty grown up for puppy love. Besides," she added. "What about all the sexual tension between me and . . ."
"Yeah, you and who?" Harm said. It was silly, but he was holding his breath, waiting for her answer.
"Me and Mick," Mac teased. Couldn't hurt to bring this flyboy off his highhorse a little bit. "Haven't you noticed how bad he wants me?"
"I can't believe a fine, upstanding Marine like you just said something like that," Harm laughed, fighting a little twinge of alarm.
"Hey, just because I've sworn off men doesn't mean I don't notice when someone's interested in me. Unlike our ensign back there." Or you, she thought.
"But MICK? C'mon, he can't seriously believe that you and he . . ."
"Well, no, of course not. In the same chain of command and all that. Otherwise . . ." she left the sentence hanging, looking at him with a twinkle in her eye.
"Mick. Of all the ridiculous . . ." Harm muttered.
"Anyway, what do we do now?" Mac asked.
"For starters, how about I take my partner out to lunch?" he asked. "I know a great Italian place down in the North End. I'll have pasta with steamed vegetables, and I'm sure they can serve up some sausage or something for you."
"Sounds great! But let's go back to the hotel and change into civilian clothes first," Mac suggested. "We're both a little worse for the wear."
Just before seven, Mac and Harm were once again in an elevator headed up to the law firm. They had eaten a huge lunch, wandered over to Fanueil Hall, on to Park Street, then to the Boston Garden, taken a ride in a swan boat, and otherwise done the touristy bit. Now they were on their way to meet Ally and the rest for an evening out, not sure what to expect after this morning.
Elaine was lying in wait as they came off the elevator. "Mac, Harm," she simpered, slipping her arm through Harm's. "Ally got held up on a phone call. She told me to take you on down to the bar and she'll meet us there." They turned and got back on the elevator.
Downstairs, Elaine, still in possession of Harm's arm, led them toward the dance floor to a large table. She introduced them to the woman who was already sitting there. "Mac and Harm, this is Ally's roommate, Renee. She works with the Attorney General's office. Renee, this is Harm and Mac. They're with the Judge Advocate General's office in Washington."
"Oh, yeah, Ally mentioned you'd be joining us! Have a seat," she said in a bubbly voice.
The three of them sat down and a waitress wandered up to take their orders. Mac got her usual ginger ale.
After chatting for a few minutes, they were joined by a couple. Elaine again peformed the introductions. "Harm and Mac, this is Billy and Georgia. They're also lawyers at the firm." They exchanged greetings.
They were quickly followed by Ally, Richard and Ling.
"Where's John?" Harm asked.
"Oh, I think he's waiting for Sub-Zero," Elaine said.
"Sub-Zero?" Mac asked.
"She means Nell," Ally explained. "She's another attorney at the firm. There they are."
Winding their way through the tables came John and a tall blonde woman in a perfect suit with her hair in a chignon at the back of her head. They joined the table, and John introduced Nell to the JAG lawyers.
"Oh, so you're in the military!" she said brightly. "That must be . . . interesting. At least you don't have to spend a lot of time worrying about what you're going to wear to work every day."
Mac was beginning to understand the nickname. "Yeah, that's why I joined up," Mac said with a false smile.
Just then the singer started up a new song. Nell stood up and grabbed John's hand. "Come on, let's dance, John! Excuse us," she said to the others before leading John to the dance floor. Billy and Georgia glanced at each other and then went after them.
"Ling, shall we?" Richard asked.
"Why not?" Ling said, and they followed the other couple.
Harm had barely recovered from the realization that the blonde bombshell was dating John when he felt a tug on his hand.
"Harm, could I have this dance?" Elaine asked. He grinned helplessly at Mac and headed for the floor with Elaine.
"Excuse me, both of you, but I'm gonna go find me a twin," Renee said, getting up. She made her way to the side of the bar where two geeky twin guys were lounging and grabbed one of them by the hand. Soon they were dancing away.
"Do you ever get the feeling that the whole world is part of a couple except for you?" Ally asked mournfully.
"Believe me," Mac assured her with a heartfelt sigh, "I am know the feeling. Let's say my track record with relationships is less than perfect. Disasterous would be more like it."
"Mine, too. I mean, even John's dating someone. He was my last hope for not being the only dateless wonder in the firm and now look at him."
They both glanced out to where John and Nell were dancing happily away.
"It's not exactly an obvious match," Mac agreed.
"To say the least. Uh, oh," Ally said as Nell reached a hand up to the back of her head. "Here comes the hair." Nell pulled extracted a barette and shook her head until her mane of long, curly hair hung down almost to her waist.
"Oh, my," Mac said, unconciously putting a hand up to her own short style.
"Yeah, that hair should be registered as a lethal weapon," Ally said. "Actually she's not THAT bad. It just takes a REALLY long time to warm up to her . . . and vice versa."
"Hence the nickname, I guess," Mac said.
They sat for a minute in silence, watching the couples in silence. Mac noticed that Ally's glance frequently rested on Billy. She decided to take a risk.
"So does your bad luck with men have anything to do with Billy being married to someone else?" Mac asked.
Ally jumped, startled. "What makes you say that?" she asked defensively.
"I can't help but notice the way you look at him," Mac said gently. "Not that it's any of my business," she added hastily.
Ally thought for a moment. She decided Mac seemed like a person who might understand. "Billy and I were a couple from the time we were seven years old until the first year of law school. He transferred to school a thousand miles away so he could make law review. I never saw him again until I joined the law firm two years ago. I found out later he met Georgia his first visit out there, and that was that."
"Wow. Isn't it hard working in the same law firm with them?" Mac asked sympathetically.
"The worst part is, I really like Georgia. It'd be a lot easier if I could hate her, but I don't." Then more cheerfully she said, "But hey, I am out there, I am looking!"
"Not me," Mac said ruefully. "I have sworn off men for the time being."
Ally watched Mac quietly as the JAG lawyer stared out at the dance floor.
"You know," Ally observed after a minute. "I bet the way I stare at Billy is a lot like the way you're looking at Harm."
"But we're not . . . ." She faltered as Ally continued to look at her. Luckily for her, the song ended and Elaine and Harm returned to the table. As the next song began, Harm offered his hand to Mac.
"Major?"
Mac looked up at him for a moment, then took his hand. It's not big deal she thought as they moved toward the dance floor. We've danced together before.
When they found an open spot, Harm put one arm around her and took her hand in his free one. "You know, this is really the kind of song you should two-step to," he said.
"I don't two-step," Mac said firmly.
"We'll just make do then," he said, and began moving with her to the music.
Mac relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of having Harm hold her. As they danced, she listened to the singers' words.
People are talkin, talking 'bout people
I hear them whisper, you won't believe it
They think we're lovers kept under cover
I just ignore it, but they keep saying
We laugh just a little too loud
We stand just a little too close
We stare just a little too long
Maybe they're seeing something we don't, Darlin'
Harm moved closer and she leaned her head against his shoulder. He released her hand and slid his other arm around her as she put her free arm around him.
Let's give them something to talk about
Let's give them something to talk about
Let's give them something to talk about
How about love?
Mac chuckled nervously. Harm could feel her breath against his ear.
"What?" he asked with a smile.
"Nothing," Mac said.
"What!" Harm asked.
"This song just reminds me of something Jordan said to me a few weeks ago."
I feel so foolish, I never noticed
You'd act so nervous, could you be falling for me?
"Jordie? What did she say to you?" Harm asked. If she'd said something hurtful to Mac, he thought fiercely . . .
"Oh, it was nothing," Mac said, wishing she hadn't brought it up.
It took a rumor to make me wonder
Now I'm convinced that I'm going under
"C'mon, Mac, tell me," Harm insisted.
"She seems to think that there's something . . . between us," Mac admitted.
Thinking 'bout you every day
Dreaming 'bout you every night
"Where'd she get that idea?" Harm asked. It couldn't be from the fact that you're such a huge part of my life, he thought.
"I don't know. I told her I was no threat to her," Mac assured him. Not that I haven't thought about it a million times, she added to herself.
"There's no explaining the ideas that get into people's heads," Harm said, pulling her tighter against him.
"Nope, I guess not," Mac agreed, sliding her arms up his back and closing her eyes.
Hoping that you feel the same way
Now that we know it, let's really show it, Darlin'
Let's give them something to talk about
Let's give them something to talk about
Let's give them something to talk about
How about love, love, love, love?
(Bonnie Raitt, Luck of the Draw, Capitol Records, 1991)
When the song ended, Harm reluctantly pulled away. For a long moment, he stared into Mac's eyes as she held his gaze. He broke the look and led her back to the table.
They arrived just as Richard and Ling returned. Richard turned to Mac and asked her to dance. She hesitated, looking at Ling cautiously. Ling narrowed her eyes at her, then flashed a rare smile and waved them off. Harm held out his hand to Ally.
The group spent the rest of the evening dancing and talking. Mac got to dance with a twin, and Harm convinced Ling to go out on the floor with him and even got a little smile from her.
Finally, as 11 o'clock approached, everyone began drifting out. Harm and Mac waved a tired goodbye and walked out to catch a cab.
Mac and Harm trailed from the elevator to their adjoining rooms.
Harm teased Mac as she trudged down the hall. "Why so tired? All we did was dance for a few hours."
"Three hours, 49 minutes and 18 seconds," Mac corected absently.
"I thought a Marine would be in better shape."
"If I weren't so tired, I'd slug you for that remark, flyboy," Mac groaned as they arrived at her door.
She pulled out her key and opened the door, then paused. "Want to go whale-watching with me tomorrow?" she asked.
"Sounds like fun," he said. "I'll come get you around 1000 hours."
"Okay." She watched him for a moment. A bit awkwardly, she said, "Well, goodnight."
"Goodnight, Mac," he responded. But he still didn't move. Mac could feel the tension coiling inside her. What was he thinking? she wondered.
Harm knew he needed to walk away, but just for a moment he watched her, remembering how it felt to hold her tightly in his arms on the dance floor. It had stirred feelings inside him that he'd gotten used to pushing aside. For a moment he toyed with the idea of reaching out to her, pulling her close, seeing what her reaction would be.
"Mac," he whispered.
"Yes?" She waited in suspense.
Finally he said, "Nothing. Sleep tight," and turned toward his room.
Mac watched until he disappeared into his room, then went into hers and closed the door behind her with a sigh. It's not that I WANTED him to kiss me, she told herself. She had just been caught up in the feeling of closeness when they danced together. So what's your excuse every other time? a voice in her head asked. She ignored the voice -- she had a lot of practice by now.
The next day, Mac got a knock at her hotel room door. She opened it to find Harm outside.
"Come on in," she said, trying to not to sound awkward. She still hadn't put last night out of her mind.
"Good news," Harm told her. "I just got off the phone with Ally. The plaintiff's lawyer called -- they've dropped the suit. I guess the settlement offer was just a last ditch effort to salvage something. Her lawyer knew it wouldn't make it past a motion to dismiss."
"That's great," Mac said. "But I suppose this means we have to take the next shuttle back to D.C. Damn, I was really looking forward to going whale-watching."
"You're in luck. I called the Admiral to give him the news, and I convinced him that we needed some time to tie up loose ends, so he's not expecting us back in the office until tomorrow afternoon. We can go whale watching this afternoon and still have time to catch the last shuttle back."
"Good thinking. I knew there was some reason I kept you as a partner. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
THE END
This story copyright 1999 by Sarah Brown, all rights reserved.