Disclaimer: They aren't mine ... wish they were.
JAG HQ
Friday 1924
The office was nearly deserted as Mac concluded her meeting; a long arduous meeting which had gone long beyond the hour she'd allowed for it. The Navy Ball was on that night and she had brought her gown to work with her and had planned to shower and change before going with Harm. After an extremely hectic day, she made her way to Harm's office. He looked up and smiled.
"Your client's finally gone?" he asked, coming around the desk to greet her.
"Yeah, just now. You scrub up well," she smiled, adjusting the epaulettes on his Class A uniform.
"Why thank you, ma'am," he said with a small bow. "And what will you be wearing?"
"My gown's in my office but we seem to have a problem," she said with a small grimace.
"And what would that be?" Harm asked, hoping she hadn't changed her mind about going as his date, they had been so much closer of late and he'd really been considering this more of a date - date, though he hadn't told her that.
"I need to take a shower and the ones in the female restroom are out of order," she explained. "Some drainage problem."
"Use the male restroom," Harm offered. "There's no one around except me, so you won't be interrupted." Mac considered her options and decided to take up Harm's offer.
Opening the restroom door, she made her way around the corner to the showers, cringing when she realised they weren't cubicles, as were in the female restroom, but open style. Knowing they were already late she decided to chance her luck. Mac quickly stripped down and turned on the taps. She showered at a rapid rate and was just doing a final rinse when she heard the door open.
"You nearly finished?" Harm yelled.
"Yeah, yeah," she yelled back, after all the times she had waited for him he could wait for her this time.
Mac slowly turned the taps off and moved to the bench. She picked up her towel and dried off. Dropping the towel to the floor, she stood on it, before searching through her bag for her underwear.
"I'm sure I left it in here." She heard Petty Officer Tiner say to himself, but he had rounded the corner and saw her standing there before she could say anything or cover herself.
Tiner stood frozen to the spot. His mouth dropped open and his face flushed with embarrassment before the colour drained away completely.
Mac grabbed her skirt and held it in front of her. "Have you seen enough, Petty Officer?" she asked, a slight colouring coming to her cheeks.
"No ma'am, I mean yes, ma'am. I mean…" Tiner stammered but didn't move.
"Do you need something in particular, Tiner?" she questioned, trying to ensure the skirt covered all that it should.
"Oh, I … I… think I left my … my watch in here when I showered earlier, ma'am," he stuttered, trying not to look at her but not succeeding.
"Would that be it over there?" Mac carefully pointed to an object sitting at the end of the bench.
Tiner looked down. "Yes, ma'am it would."
"Then, Petty Officer, I'd appreciate it if you'd take it and leave," she said, with as much conviction as she could muster.
"Oh, yes, ma'am, sorry, ma'am," he muttered picking up the watch. "I'm so very sorry, ma'am, so sorry." She heard him mumbling as he departed at speed.
Tiner sprinted from the restroom and towards his desk. He wanted to collect a folder and be gone before the Colonel emerged. In his haste he nearly bowled Harm over.
"Hey, Petty Officer, where's the fire?" Harm asked in jest.
Tiner looked at him, still pale with his heart still racing. "Oh, sorry, sir, I didn't see you."
"Something wrong, Petty Officer, you look unwell?" Harm questioned, grabbing Tiner's elbow.
"Yes, sir, I mean, no sir, oh God," he stumbled; this wasn't a conversation he wanted to have.
"Tiner, sit, sit, take a deep breath, it can't be that bad, can it?" Harm said, pulling out a chair.
"You wouldn't say that if you'd just seen what I did," he retorted before he could help himself.
"And what would that be?" he asked, following Tiner's eyes as they darted back to the restroom.
"Colonel MacKenzie – naked," Tiner replied looking at his boots.
"Wow!" muttered Harm, that's one view that he had dreamed of for many years.
"Sir, I've got to go," he replied, jumping up. "I need to be long gone before the Colonel comes out and kills me."
With that Jason Tiner departed, Harm was sure he could hear his tyres squealing from the car park only minutes later.
Sitting in the chair Tiner vacated, Harm allowed his mind to drift, unsurprisingly to Mac, and what Tiner had seen in the restroom. It wasn't the first time he'd sailed this course, and it wouldn't be the last. And while he was enjoying his little Mac fantasy, he was still damned annoyed that he could only dream about it while Tiner had had it in the flesh. He shook his head vigorously; Mac was a marine colonel and respected lawyer; he owed her more than adolescent fantasies in their workplace. He stood up and paced the bullpen waiting for her.
"You ready?" Mac said, touching his arm and startling him.
"Yeah," he smiled, taking in her floor length, jade gown which hugged everything at the top, then dropped away, flowing sensually around her legs. Her hidden black high heels gave her added height and she liked being able to look at Harm more eye to eye.
Taking her arm, Harm led Mac to the elevator and pressed the button.
"Nice shower?" he asked seriously, before smirking and giving himself away.
"He told you?" Mac asked incredulously.
"He was a little shell shocked to say the least," Harm grinned.
"I'm going to kill him!" she growled. "Jason Tiner is a dead man!"
"Aw, give the kid a break," he replied as the elevator doors opened. "I'm sure he won't tell anyone else."
"What makes you so sure?" she asked.
"He knows you'll kill him," Harm laughed.
"I don't find anything funny about this," Mac retorted, shrugging her hand from his.
"I do," Harm laughed again.
"How would you like it if it happened to you?" she snapped, now more angry with the humour Harm found in the situation than with Tiner himself.
"Can't say I'd be that phased if Tiner walked in on me," he smiled.
"Well, what if it wasn't Tiner?" she said. "What if it was Harriet?" He shrugged his indifference. "Or Chloe?" he shrugged again. "Or me?" This time there was no shrug, no comment either. "See, you'd be embarrassed if I walked in on you," she said gruffly and exited the elevator as the doors opened on the ground floor.
Harm stood there for a moment. He wouldn't have a problem with her walking in on him; he may have a problem with her not joining him though. He shook his head again. There were changes he needed to make in their relationship. This teenage lusting after her had to stop. He needed to be a man and tell her he was in love with her and pray she felt the same way.
And it had to happen soon.
Realising laughing at her and her situation with Tiner was not the way into her good books, he decided to change tack.
"Mac," he called as she headed out the door before him. "Do you want me to have a word with Tiner? You know, make sure he doesn't relate this story to anyone?"
"No, it's okay," she sighed. "I'll let him know in my own way."
By the time they'd reached the ball, Mac's good humour had returned and she was looking forward to a night of dining and dancing, very pleased most of it would be spent in Harm's arms. She had convinced herself that tonight she was going to move their relationship to a new level. Although not 100 percent sure what that constituted, she was sure it was going to involve her kissing him and kissing him thoroughly. And this time it wouldn't be because of mistletoe or parting, purely because she had decided she needed his lips on hers.
The night was a blur of food, music and lights; sometimes the dazzling ones from the dance floor, at other times, the incessant flashing of cameras as a range of people tried to capture the events of the night. As the night came to an end, Mac moved to pick up her wrap before Harriet came over.
"Excuse me, ma'am," she smiled. "Could I get a photo of you and the Commander together, please?"
"A photo, Harriet? You've already taken about ten," she sighed.
"I know, sorry, ma'am," she apologised. "But there was something wrong with that camera and you were overexposed."
"Excuse me?" she choked, her eyes darting to Harm in case this was a reference to her 'over exposure' in the bathroom earlier. He didn't flinch.
"There was a problem with the setting, there was too much exposure for this lighting … Bud said…" she began to explain but Mac didn't want to hear it, she was convinced it was genuine.
"Take the photo, Harriet," she smiled as she stood next to Harm.
Happily Harriet snapped away and checked the photos before declaring it was a wrap and walking away. Harm reached across and placed Mac's wrap around her shoulders before using it to pull her closer to him.
"Why is it…" he drawled, whispering into her ear. "That everyone's talking about you being over exposed tonight?"
"Shut up," she growled, still with a twinkle in her eyes.
"But, Mac," he said, "they are the bare facts."
"Harm," she warned, glaring at him. "Don't push it!"
"I take it you want me to 'butt' out?" he grinned as he led her from the ballroom.
"I am warning you, Harmon Rabb," she snarled as they walked to his car.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he apologised, raising his hands to surrender.
It wasn't til they were securely locked in the car and speeding down the highway that Harm decided to continue his teasing of her.
"Mac," he began slowly, glancing at her. "Did you 'uncover' any stories tonight?"
"Harm, don't!" she shook her head.
"Did you like the 'buff' colour of the tablecloths?" he grinned, enjoying himself.
"Harmon Rabb, you continue this and I'll get out of the car now," she warned, turning to face him.
"Okay, okay," he surrendered. "I'm throwing in the towel."
His final comment earned him a punch in the arm.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing the spot. While Mac looked like the perfect lady, she was also a marine, and hit like one.
"You finished now?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, definitely," he conceded. Admonishing himself for always having to go that one step too far.
"Good, now take the next turn off," she instructed.
"That's not the exit for your place," he said, looking at her.
"No, it's the exit for yours. Take it!" she retorted and still feeling the sting in his arm, he decided just to go along with her.
"I'm sorry, Mac," he apologised again, after a prolonged silence, just before they reached his apartment. "I couldn't help myself."
"I could tell," she said, her tone formal.
"Yeah, but I should have," he continued, trying to minimise the damage from his big mouth. "I should have been able to show you the respect you deserve."
"Yes, you should have," she agreed staring out her side window so Harm wouldn't see her smile. He definitely had a big mouth, but little did he know she was going to put that mouth to use the minute they were inside his apartment. Personally, after the surprise of the whole Tiner incident had worn off she could see the humour in it. And she knew that had the situation been reversed, she would have shown Harm no mercy either. But there was no reason to let him off the hook just yet.
"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" he asked hopefully as he parked across from his apartment building.
"Well, for starters, you can make me some coffee," she said, climbing out of the car.
"Yeah, sure," he replied, waiting for her to round the car before taking her hand and crossing the road.
"And you can take me to dinner and the movies tomorrow night and get the biggest popcorn and soda," she continued as they stepped into the elevator.
"Yes, definitely," he agreed, a very willing participant to those plans.
"Then Sunday, you can come over and fix the bathroom door and the kitchen sink," she listed as they exited at his floor.
So far, it all sounded good to Harm, a weekend with Mac was hardly punishment.
"Anything else?" he asked, as he unlocked his door. He pushed it opened and allowed her in first.
"Oh, yes, lots," she smiled at him. "First, make that coffee while I use the bathroom."
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, snapping to attention.
"That's more like it," she said, turning and taking the few steps up to his bedroom.
It was ten long minutes before Mac appeared on the steps to his bedroom once more. Harm had heard lots of strange noises but hadn't dared investigate. Twice he had called out to her but she reassured him she was fine. Harm's eyes froze on her, she was standing there is bare feet and a white dress shirt of his, the colour contrasting beautifully against her tanned skin.
"The dress was suffocating," she said by way of explanation as his eyes finally made it to hers. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Ah, no, no, not at all," he uttered. "Not at all." She grinned at his response and decided to put the man out of his misery, as well as herself.
"I thought of something else you can do too," she said, as she crooked her finger and beckoned him over.
"And what's that?" he asked, his throat suddenly very dry.
"Closer," she instructed as she rested her hands on his shoulders and positioned him on the lower step.
"Ah, what else can I do?" he managed, his eyes locking onto hers.
"You can let me do this!"
Mac's hands moved from his shoulders to around his neck drawing him closer, her position on the higher step allowing them to be face to face. Tilting her head she moved in, gently drawing his head towards her and brushing her lips against his. When she felt his hands encircle her, she smiled, and swept her lips across once more before parting them slightly and connecting with his. Harm allowed her to control the kiss, to caught up with the fact it was actually happening to think for himself, and not wanting to do anything to stop her, he stayed there, at her mercy… until she pulled back and brought him back to reality.
"You can kiss me back," she informed him, the sexiest grin he'd seen on her lips.
"Oh, I can do that, definitely," he nodded, claiming her lips and then her mouth with his tongue.
After long minutes of sensual kisses being exchanged, Mac pulled back and sighed deeply. This was truly what she wanted… this man, his arms, his body, his kisses, his …
"Anything else I can do?" he asked interrupting her thoughts, his stomach filling with butterflies as he caught the look in her eyes.
"Yeah, one more thing," she whispered, anchoring her hands around his neck and wrapping her legs around his body. "Make me scrambled eggs for breakfast."
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!