Permission to Sleep, Ma'am?
By, Camilla Faye Montgomery

Summary: Harm and Mac stop at an inn on the way back from working on a case.

Rated: G

Disclaimer: We don't own JAG. If we did, Ashley would be very happy (she'd probably make it all-Rabb, all the time. Get rid of all that boring court and military stuff. Just have the camera pan over his well-chiseled nose, his beautifully carved mouth, his ruggedly handsome jaw, and his long, long eyelashes), and I'd kill off Clayton Webb. Throw him out a window, or off a cliff, or under a bus. Or, even better, throw him out the window of a house that's on a cliff, and then roll over him with a bus.
We also don't own Gilmore Girls, or Michel. I for one wouldn't really want to. (Kate)

And now, the story....

A full moon shined unusually bright in the summer sky. The stars paled against its pure, silvery-golden light. With the murmur of a well- kept engine and the soft crunching of pebbles under the wheels, a little red corvette pulled up lazily in front of a quaint building. An antique wooden sign with the words "Independence Inn" carved and painted indicated that this place had been around for quite a while. The doors of the car opened and two imposing figures in military uniforms stepped heavily out.

As he handed the woman her traveling bag, the man said, " I don't know about you, Mac, but I'm exhausted"

Mac groaned as she placed her bag over her shoulder, "Me too, Harm, I'm going to drop at any second now, I'm so bone-weary."

Mac walked toward the entrance to the inn, but stopped and turned when she realized that her partner wasn't following. He was just standing there leaning against the car, with a very strange expression on his face. Mac realized that he was holding in laughter.

"I'm sorry, Mac. Bone-weary? How exactly did you come up with that?"

She blushed slightly. "I read it in a book," she said, her voice mysterious, and maybe a little flirtatious.

"What book?" he grinned at her good naturedly, and despite her current annoyance with him, she felt a flash of affection for her partner.

"It was a romance novel," she sheepishly, as she returned his smile.

"Why Mac, I had no idea..." he teased as he crossed his arms comfortably.

"Oh, shut up," she said in a mock-severe tone, "That's an order."

With that, she turned abruptly and marched towards the entrance determinedly. Each step raised a tiny cloud of dust that slowly settled to the ground behind her.

"Aye aye, ma'am" came Rabb's reply as he followed behind her.

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Our bantering protagonists are Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. and Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie, two military officers at JAG. They had been sent to Massachusetts to meet with Crewman Michael Jonas, accused of making midnight raids on the officers' mess hall of the U.S.S. Indiana. The meeting had taken longer than expected, as the Crewman insisted upon his innocence, despite the heavy evidence against him. Combining their fine skills of deduction, The Colonel and the Commander had in time solved the case. Jonas was innocent, and in way he was also guilty. He had been sleepwalking. The two lawyers had come up with a deal that would please everyone: Jonas would replace the Jell-O and cauliflower that he had liberated from the mess during his nocturnal wanderings, and take two weeks leave, without pay, to visit a sleep clinic.

Tired, amused, and slightly bemused at Jonas's subconscious culinary choices, Mac and Harm had left Boston harbor at 22:47 to start the long drive back to Virginia. But somewhere in Connecticut, near Hartford, they had decided to find a place to rest, for it was past midnight. Shortly after passing through the small town of Stars Hollow, they had stopped at this friendly looking inn.

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As they stepped up to the desk inside the lobby, Harm took off his cover and said to the man behind the counter, "Two rooms for the night please."

With a thick French accent, the man replied, "I'm sorry, we only have one room left. Otherwise, we're completely booked."

At this both Harm and Mac couldn't help but slump a little.

"Are you completely sure?" Harm questioned as he leaned on the desk for support. He felt like he would fall over soon, he was so exhausted. "Can you double check please? We're really tired and need a place to rest."

The man gave them a sour face: "I'm sorry, but we're completely booked, except for the one room."

Harm looked helplessly at Mac, "Do you want to try another hotel?"

"I don't think I can move another step, let alone drive to find another place"

"Do you think we should.. umm.. stay in the same room?" Harm raised his eyebrows.

"Sure, why not? It's not like we've never shared a room. Besides, there will be two beds, won't there..., " she paused to read the clerk's name tag, "...Michel?" said Mac, almost threateningly.

"Of course, Madam," the clerk replied.

Turning to the desk, Commander Rabb said, "We'll take it."

The man said, "All right, we take Visa, and MasterCard."

"How about American Express?" Harm asked.

"Are you crazy, no one takes American Express," said the clerk calmly, all in one breath.

"Sign right here, here's your key, wait just a moment and someone will show you up to your room. Enjoy your stay." The last sentence was dripping with sarcasm.

Harm and Mac fell into the two nearest chairs that they could find. They sat for a few minutes waiting to be shown to their room. The clerk puttered around the desk and after "just a moment" walked over to where the two officers were sitting.

"Good evening," he said in his annoyingly snooty French accent, "May I show you to your room?"

"Hilarious," mumbled Harm under his breath.

Their room was very homey and cheerful. The furniture was all beautiful, and the wallpaper was lovely. Whoever had decorated had added all the right touches to make the place as comfortable as possible. There was a bouquet of fresh pink and yellow roses on the table and chocolate mints on the pillows. A handwritten card hung in front of the mirror, with the message, "We hope you enjoy your stay." Next to the vase of roses was the hotel restaurant's menu for the next day. Harm and Mac noticed none of these special touches. All they saw were the beds. They looked soft and comfortable and inviting to the way worn travelers.

They dropped their belongings on the floor and took turns using the bathroom to prepare for bed.

As Mac came out from the bathroom, Commander Rabb looked up and couldn't help but give her a quick glance. His eyes passed from her short chestnut hair, to her warm, friendly eyes, down her delicate face, the tilt of her nose, and stopped on her lips. He came to the sudden realization that she had a perfect mouth.

The officers were used to seeing each other in their uniforms, or if not, at least fully clothed. It was a little strange for Harm to see Mac wearing only a deep green lacy silk nightgown that stopped a few inches above her knees. It was an equally interesting experience for Mac to see Harm in his shorts and T-shirt.

Harm wasn't the only one struck by the appearance of his partner. Colonel MacKenzie couldn't help but notice the handsome man in front of her. Harm usually slept with only his shorts on, but for the sake of decency, he drew on a plain white T-shirt tonight. As he folded his uniform, Mac saw his muscles flex beneath his one-size-too-small shirt and mused to herself that he must work out a lot. She had time to study his face more closely now. His dark short hair was a little out of place from wearing his cover all day. Under long eyebrows was a pair of deep ocean blue eyes that could steal any woman's breath away. Strange that she'd never noticed how long his eyelashes were until this moment. They fanned out above and below his eyes and gave them a touch of mystery. Her gaze dropped down to his well-chiseled nose that defined stubbornness, and then to his beautifully carved mouth that spoke of defiance. Mac's eyes lingered on his jaw, its squareness gave him a ruggedly handsome look, a look that she'd have a hard time forgetting anytime soon.

Mac realized that they had been staring at each other for quite a while. She decided it was time to break the uncomfortable silence.

"I can't believe I'm still awake," she joked as she sat on one of the beds, "I thought I was going to fall asleep in the lobby, waiting for that clerk"

"I know what you mean. So, uh, which bed do you want?"

"This one's fine," she yawned, "I don't think I could make it to the other one if I wanted to."

Colonel MacKenzie had chosen the one on the left of the little bedside table that held their covers so Commander Rabb took the bed on the right.

They got into their respective beds and Harm turned off the lights with the switch on the bedside table. The lack of electric light made the air uncomfortable and stiff and somewhat intimate. They lay in silence for a few moments.

Suddenly, Harm laughed out loud then controlled himself and in a semi- stern voice said, "Permission to sleep, ma'am?"

It was Mac's turn to laugh, more like a sleepy giggle, she returned, "Permission granted, Commander."

In a lighter tone, Harm's voice filled the room, "Good night, Sarah."

"G'night, Harm," replied Mac, already half asleep.

Moonlight shined into the room through the open curtain and cast shadows on her soft figure and on his muscular one. The two slept fitfully, the depths of their minds filled with thoughts of their future, wondering what would happen next.

June 29, 03 and June 30, 03