TITLE: Friends and Serial Santas
AUTHOR: VIDZ
PAIRING: Harm/Singer
SPOILERS: Answered Prayer, All Ye' Faithful
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc of the TV show JAG are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fic. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I updated my profile page. Tell me what you think. *g* Btw., it's a VIDZ original, I didn't rip off anyone.
Also, don't worry, I'm not gonna leave you hanging with "They've got..." (I solemnly swear that one was fnished and complete even before I started posting), but I really wanted to share this one with you.
The seed of this fic was a scene of Harm showing up at Loren's after taking a drive with the new Vette, but the last part had to be completely rearranged and changed when I checked the timeline of the show and realized I had it all wrong. You'll know what I mean when you get there.
SUMMARY: another short Christmas fic, this one late by a couple of days.
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Hearing the strong knocks on her door Loren strolled over and checked the peephole.
Recognizing the person on the other side she sighed, shaking her head and smiling as she opened the door.
Leaning coyly against the door-frame she crossed her arms under her breasts, raised an eyebrow and regarded her loaded visitor, unaware that she was a vision that would make any man's heart beat faster.
"Finished playing with your original parts?" was Loren's dry greeting.
Harm smirked "Yup, they were pretty fun. You would've liked them too."
She faked a look of disgust "Who says I would even want to touch them?"
"Who says I would let you touch them?" Harm smirked, parrying back at her.
"So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" she sighed in mock regret "I just lay... sorry, sit there while you have all the fun?"
"Pretty much." Harm grinned, then corrected playfully at her scowl "Trust me, though, I'd make it worth your while. You'd like it too."
"Red light, Commander." was her stern warning.
"Yeah, right." he scoffed as he pushed by her into the apartment "You know you like it."
Loren watched in fond exasperation as he made himself at home in her home, taking off his shoes and coat and heading into her small kitchen with the air of someone fully entitled.
Shutting the door she shouted after him as she started to trail in his direction "And Mac called you a prude? Does that woman even know you?"
"You say that as if she ever did." Harm shot back and handed her a DVD case and a tablet of chocolate while he opened a cabinet to retrieve a plate to put the pizza on.
She knew she probably should've felt disturbed at Harm's intimate familiarity with her kitchen and where everything was and the strange feeling of domesticity that grabbed her as she watched him, but she shrugged it off.
Indeed, the only thing she felt was touched at his thoughtfulness and caring. The chocolate pretty much revealed what was going through his head when he was making his purchases for this evening. Especially since he wasn't a fan of chocolate and sweets and almost never bought them.
Looking away from the man acting like he owned the place she checked the DVD.
"Muppet Christmas Carol?" she raised an elegant blond eyebrow at him and remarked sarcastically "I promise, I'll change."
"That's good to hear." smirked Harm "But you're gonna watch it nonetheless."
"But it's for kids!" she protested, but only half-heartedly.
"Exactly!" he said and smirked at the glare she shot him.
Grabbing the plate with the pizza and one beer he waited for Loren to pick up her own bottle of water before leading the way into the living room.
Once there they deposited everything on the coffee table and he opened their drinks while Loren put in the DVD.
Lowering herself onto the couch about a foot away she shot him a look.
"If the others knew you're consorting with the enemy they would burn you at the stake."
"If they knew I've been consorting with the enemy for the past 2 years I wouldn't be just burned at the stake, but tortured too." he corrected and after a moment of thought she nodded in agreement.
They watched in companionable silence, with the distance between them slowly disappearing. By the time young Ebeneezer met Belle Loren was leaning on Harm for warmth, physical and emotional. She watched Scrooge destroy his own happiness, trying to ignore the similiarities to her own life, but finally she could no longer keep silent about the something that weighed heavily on her soul.
"I sucked up to CDR Lindsey earlier." she admitted on an ashamed sigh.
Harm frowned, trying to recall when that could've happened "When?"
"When we left the church and CDR Turner brought you the 'Vette."
Harm said nothing, just squeezed her gently. She let her head fall against his shoulder and sighed.
"I don't know why I did it, force of habit perhaps. After I talked to him I felt the intense need for decontamination."
Harm chuckled and Loren wrinkled her nose up at him.
"Yeah, you just make fun," she grumbled "but he just makes my skin crawl."
"I know." Harm agreed, his eyes still trained on the TV.
"How?"
"I worked with Lemon-face a couple of years ago." finally he looked down at her, his eyes glinting in the darkness "He was Admiral Brovo's assistant and then the Interim JAG until Chegwidden was appointed. He was my direct superior for a while."
Loren frowned in thought as she got this glimpse into JAG before her time there.
Harm rarely if ever talked about the past, it wasn't something he liked to dwell on, it was too full of pain.
But whenever he did, it just brought to the foreground that he'd been at JAG longer than anyone, in fact nobody even knew just when Harm had been first assigned to HQ, he was almost like a fixture.
Some of the junior officers and enlisted called him Richelieu, but with an affectionate note.*
The fact that TPTB had always wanted him there and had only unwillingly given in when he'd practically forced his reassignment back to flight duty, said to Loren everything about just how much they valued him. It was namely practically unheard off for a non-CO to be billeted anywhere for so long since rotations in the military usually take place every 2 or 3 years.
But Loren was sure that wasn't the reason he never talked about the past and had a pretty good idea about the reason. From what she'd been able to figure out he'd carried a torch for a young Texan lawyer he'd been partnered with 7 years ago, but then the young woman had suddenly disappeared and had never been heard from again.
She was sure there was only one person with a worse luck in love and relationships and she was staring at him.
Harm said nothing while he watched Belle break up with Scrooge, then looked down at Loren with sadness.
"I'm sorry for how it turned out with Kevin."
Her eyes threatened to fill, but she snorted "No, you're not. You hated him from the start."
Harm observed her silently for a short while, then said slowly, seriously "True, I didn't like him, but that's because I don't like seeing you hurt and I had a bad feeling about him from the start."
"Why do I have to have such a rotten luck with men, Harm?" she asked quietly, picking at the wool of his sweater.
"I don't know, Lory, I really don't know." Harm sighed, comfortingly rubbing her other arm from shoulder to elbow.
"Why can't I meet a nice guy like you and be happy?" she sniffed, holding back tears.
"Because I'm special." he answered, tongue in cheek.
"Oh, you're special, alright." she muttered, giggling and looked up at him gently.
Her eyes suddenly grew serious when she realized just how stupid she'd been. She already had met a nice guy like him, she'd namely met him. She'd looked everywhere else, too blind to notice the very thing she was looking for was under her very nose.
In the past 2 years, ever since he'd made the effort to get to know her after she'd told him hurt that she was neither a thief nor a liar, their friendship had advanced so quickly that she'd committed the greatest mistake a person can commit towards another person: she'd taken him for granted.
No more.
"What's wrong?" Harm looked down at her quizically, unsure why she was staring at him with that look in her eyes.
"Nothing." she muttered and looked away, pretending to be watching the Muppets again.
While she would've loved nothing more than reach up, kiss him and make love to him in front of the Christmas tree with a passion that would make her aborted plans for her first time with Kevin a pale copy; she knew the time wasn't right.
She'd just broken up and she didn't want to use Harm as a rebound. Knowing him, he wouldn't even give in, his sense of honor preventing him from taking advantage of a vulnerable and hurting woman.
"Was that kiss everything you dreamed of?"
Harm looked disoriented at the abrupt change in topic, but quickly caught on "It was nice, but that's all it was. There was no spark there. It was almost like kissing my sister."
Loren smiled and settled against him, content to spend the rest of the evening with the best friend she'd ever had.
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Loren was dozing on the couch, covered by a blanket, when she heard the key in the lock and looked up.
Harm walked in, pocketing the emergency key she'd given him so long ago.
Getting up from her spot with considerable effort she ambled over to greet him.
"Hey." she said smiling, relieved he got back okay.
"Hey." he returned passing her a plastic shopping bag so he could get his coat off.
Loren took the bag, but frowned when she noticed something wrong "Where are your wings?"
Harm chuckled lowly, shaking his head "You wouldn't believe everything that's happened today."
"Why?" Loren asked, not sure she wanted to hear the details "Am I gonna have nightmares again?"
"Not this time." Harm answered, having already decided to let out the part with the weather baloon and watched Loren's shoulders relax in relief.
Beside Meg Austin she was the only woman he'd ever been close to that never got on his case about flying. Oh, there was no way to miss the fact she wasn't really thrilled he had such a dangerous hobby and was a bundle of anxiety every time he went up, but contrary to so many other women he'd been involved with she never abused him for it, something he appreciated more than he could ever express. Still, she would no doubt be glad when he relayed something he'd decided while away.
Getting down on his knees Harm kissed her sweater-covered slowly growing belly "Hey, kid."
The baby inside kicked in greeting to his father, making Harm smile with happiness.
"I excused us from the gathering at Roberts' house. Figured you would be too tired."
"Thank you." sighed Harm with exhaustion as he gave one last gentle pat to her swollen stomach "You're right, I'm way too wiped to go anywhere tonight. All I want is to have a quiet evening in with you."
Loren had meanwhile started snooping inside the bag and was wearing a long face when the only thing she found was a DVD case. And even the wrong one to top it off.
"Muppet Treasure Island?"
Looking up at him she demanded "What happened to Christmas Carol?"
"Decided to break the tradition. Besides, I think you've learned your lesson." Harm quipped as he went about untying his shoes.
"And what about my chocolate?" she demanded.
"Didn't figure you'd need it." Harm smirked as he stood, toed off his shoes and put his arms around her.
Loren slipped her own arms around his body and leaned her head on his chest to listen to his heart beating.
"After all, you're in a happy relationship this time."
"Right, completely forgot that part." she said smiling as she rose up to meet his lips in a tender kiss.
THE END OF THE BEGINNING
*Richelieu was famous for outlasting in politics every competitor and held on with the tenacity of a tick until his death. He is also considered to be the world first true Prime Minister, in the modern sense of the term.
PS: originally the second part is set 1 year after the first one aka during All Ye Faithful, but contrary to this version in the original H&L were just secretly dating, Loren having realized that the one she'd been looking for had been in front of her all this time. I wanted to write it in a way that only the last sentence would alert the reader to their changed relationship, that their relationship was still largely the same with the exception of them being a couple now.
But then I went to check the timeline and found out Loren was actually pregnant by then so I had to rework the whole damn part to fit that in, which means they're not secretly dating, but are openly together and Harm is the father of Loren's baby and not some nameless guy as in canon. While I'm a sap I really hate that I was forced to write it like that because it makes my fic look predictable and because it almost seems as if I'm copying unwittysidekick's amazing "A JAG Christmas Carol" which I'm not. I'm getting off my soapbox and really hope you liked the story.
Reviews are love.