AN: this one's much longer to make up for the previous shorter ones.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He shifted on his feet, unable to look her in the eyes, rather looking at his hands. She was looking at his hands too. Beautiful hands they were, big, strong, with long, strong fingers, fingertips calloused from handling the stick of his Tomcat and from lifting the weights, and her dirty imagination had her suddenly imagining how those hands would feel like on her body, calloused fingertips on her sensitive nipples and those fingers in her...

And then suddenly she was flushed for a completely different reason than embarrassment.

She could not believe that she had just been fantasizing about her superior officer in a sexual manner! What's more, it was about the officer of whom she had never had or had even considered having sexual fantasies.

Loren was very ambitious, but she didn't want there to ever be even a hint or a suspicion of her sleeping her way up the ladder. She despised the women who did that and she definitely didn't want to be like that. Nor did she want people to think she was like that.

Which is the reason why this fantasy bothered her so much. She didn't want to even be having sexual thoughts about her superior officers, and yet, here she was having just those.

'It's these damn hormones! One second I wanna cry, the next throw things and the next, jump my superior officer.'

"I've noticed you've been in pain this whole day." His voice broke her out of her thoughts and fantasies

"I've been around women long enough to know what it means. I don't want to embarrass you, or myself, but I couldn't just stay there, on my side of the wall, listen to you pacing, moaning and using the bathroom constantly. I'm sorry, I know I'm way over the line right now and you can report me for sexual harrassment when we return to JAG if you want, I won't deny nor resist, but I couldn't stand you being in pain."

Loren wondered if her face would remain red forever. It sure seemed that way.

"I've researched on the net how I could help you and I found only three more-or-less reliable ways. Only the first is viable in our situation."

"Which is?" Loren couldn't help but ask.

"Something my mother used to do. She placed a hot water bottle on her stomach and the heat lessened the pain. If you are willing, you can try that." he squirmed uncomfortably, the whole conversation was too weird for him.

She was feeling the same. "It is awfully awkward and private for me to be discussing my body and it's functions with you. We are just co-workers, we don't even know each other enough to be friends."

Harm smiled self-depricatingly. "You think you're uncomfortable? Try to imagine how I am feeling. Have you ever known a guy that would willingly discuss this topic with a woman, especially if she's not his wife, but a co-worker?"

She had to concede that he was right. All her previous boyfriends avoided the subject as much as possible.

"But I am willing to discuss it and do something about it if it will help ease your pain. It would be beneficial for me too."

One elegant blonde eyebrow climbed towards the heaven. "Oh? Why's that?"

Harm smiled a rueful grin. "I'll be able to sleep if you won't be making noise because of the pain anymore."

Loren grimaced, chagrined.

He noticed her chagrin and tried to lighten the situation. "Try to think of it this way. You are.. er...injured.. and I'm merely providing medical assistance to a fellow crewmember. Completely in accordance with regs and everything... How does that sound?"

She nodded. "It sounds more... acceptable."

'Yeah, except for the fact that you can't stop this particular bleeding.' she winced at the thought and at the pain that had suddenly spiked.

He looked her deep in the eyes. "Trust me, I don't find any pleasure in this situation or in your pain. I would rather see I wouldn't have to be here at all. But, you are in pain and I am here."

Harm opened the duffel bag, revealling a full rubber hot water bottle, wrapped in towels. "So, will you let me help you?"

Loren looked at the bottle, noticing it was obviously hot. She was puzzled. "Where did you manage to get water so hot that it hadn't cooled off yet?"

Harm grinned a grin filled with a curious combination of emotions. It was an embarrassed, rakish and secretive grin. "It's classified. I mean, I could tell you, but... you know, then I'd have to shoot you. And I wouldn't want that."

She smiled, appreciating his attempt at humor.

Loren closed her eyes, counted to ten, inhaled and exhaled slowly. 'Should I do it? I mean, the embarrassment can't get any worse than it already is. Besides, from what everybody at the HQ told me, he is the embodiement of honor and integrity and a complete gentleman. I'm sure he wouldn't do anything I don't want him to and that he will be out of the room as soon as I'm settled in with the bottle.

She tuned back to the real world and saw Harm looking at her. She searched his eyes, looking for any hint of deceit, of a trap or a lie; but found nothing but sincere concern and a wish to help in those aquamarine orbs. That was what she needed in order to decide.

"Okay, I'll do it." she nodded determinedly. "But if I find out you told anyone about this, about what was with me or what I let you do, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life. At the very least, I will castrate you and I WILL find a way to get you naked to do it."

Harm looked visibly hurt at the insinuation that he would be telling other people about this. When she saw that his eyes showed hurt at her words, she had her final confirmation.

"Okay." Harm looked unsure suddenly.

"What is it?" she thought he would be all Action Jackson now that he got her to agree, but he actually seemed even more unsure than he did before.

"I... ah... I never actually believed that you would do it. I actually got my bags packed for when the MPs would come to drag me away so my stuff wouldn't be handled by some strangers. I never really believed that you would go along with it so I didn't plan on what to do next." Harm knew he was babbling, but was unable to stop himself.

Loren found it truly endearing. The big, bad, tough Naval Commander was babbling!

He had actually believed that she would call the MPs on him and had prepared for it!

She couldn't believe it. She had never met a man who would look like that and be that insecure when it came to women.

Or was it her fault? Did she really project such a bitchy personality that everyone feared her?

She knew she was not Miss Happy at work, but she had never imagined that she had become that bitchy that Harm would believe she would actually have him arrested for wanting to help her with her pain. This would not do!

This man had sacrificed himself so much, had to fight against thousands of years of male discomfort with the topic of a woman's reproductive cycle, against all instinct, against his whole bringing up and against 35 years of life set in his ways, just to help her.

'He's so sweet! Such a nice, thoughtful man. So wonderful and caring.' she had never noticed the return of her hormones and of her mood swings until it was too late. Her last thoughts were heavily influenced by these sappy hormones and she was almost about to hug the man because of her gratefulness.

That is until she felt her eyes brimming and a few tears escape.

--------------------