Hey all! I'm sorry for the long delay in posting Part 9, but as most of you probably already know – my grandma passed away on Nov. 19th. She was not only my grandmother, but she was also my mom because she was the one who raised me. It's hard to let someone you love go, but my family and I are relieved that she is free from the pain and suffering she entailed after hearing the cancer diagnosis. Her last wish was to die at home and we are thankful that we were able to grant her this wish. Next to being my grandmother and mom she was and will always be my idol. She is the one I look to in hard times to get me through all of life's crisis. She is very special to me so when I write about Harm's Grams I will be thinking about her (always did :-)). I want to thank you all for your support, especially in the last few weeks. I hope from here on out I will be able to post the story on a regular basis. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy this part. Love, Michi
Home Is Where Your Love Is Chapter II - Part 9
Disclaimer - See part one for all important information
The morning dawned bright and beautiful - but apprehension and questions still loomed in the air. After a restless night, Grandma Sarah decided to get up and take Jingo for an early morning walk. She was still mulling over what had transpired at the police station – or better yet what she hadn't been told, and she felt a nice, long walk might ease some of her pent up tension.
She re-entered the apartment, Jingo in tow, feeling a little better, but still needing answers. Answers she would get come hell or high water. She took the leash off Jingo who immediately climbed the stairs to lie down outside the bedroom doorway.
Grandma Sarah followed Jingo halfway. "Okay, you two, up and at 'em. It's a new day and time's a wastin' so get yourselves up and down here for breakfast. I'm cooking up a royal feast."
Grams proceeded to the kitchen to start breakfast with Harm's words playing over and over in her head. 'It looks like it wasn't an accident, Grams, but the police are still investigating and hopefully they will know more soon.' Mac had sat there with her hands in her lap unable to meet her questioning eyes. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they were holding something back. After all, the news reports had already confirmed that it hadn't been an accident a few days ago.
Grams had let it go last night and didn't push, but this morning she had other plans. She intended to question them again and get more of the specifics. She knew they didn't want her to worry, but the not knowing only made her worry more.
They had all retired to their beds last night totally drained and exhausted after their conversation. It had been a long, tiring day for everyone and for Grams, it had been an even longer night. She had woken up several times during the night, feeling the urge to look in on Harm and Mac to make sure they were okay. She had quietly crept up to Harm's bedroom, doing her best to not wake them as she peeked inside. She smiled and her heart warmed at the beautiful scene in front of her.
Mac was laying with her back to Harm and his arm was around her waist, holding her close while she slept. It was obvious she enjoyed being held just as much as he enjoyed holding her as they were both smiling. Unbeknownst to Grams, she wasn't the only one unable to sleep as Harm had heard her every time she stood in the bedroom doorway.
Harm had spent most of the night awake, keeping watch over Mac. A part of him still feared that Mac could still be in danger even though Lieutenant Hoyle assured him she wasn't. It had been easier to convince her of that than himself. So while Mac seemed to be sleeping peacefully, he had slept with one eye open.
*
Twenty minutes later, Grams took a bite of her toast with strawberry jelly and a big gulp of her steaming hot coffee. She looked at her grandson and then to Mac and back. They had been unusually quiet during breakfast, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. "Okay, you two, do you want to tell me exactly what went on at the police station yesterday, or do you want me to start guessing, which I might add could take a while. Come on, I know you didn't tell me everything."
Harm and Mac immediately dropped their forks and raised their eyes to hers, completely surprised. "Oh come on, don't look at me like I have grown two heads. You two may be lawyers, but your skills were certainly lacking yesterday. This old lady is still sharp enough to know when she hasn't been told the whole truth."
Mac looked over at Harm uncertainly, getting a shrug in response. Both were still sitting in silence so Grams took the initiative once again with a sigh. "I know you two are worried about me and what my reaction might be, but believe me, I'm strong enough to handle anything the two of you have to dish out. I don't want any more partial stories like yesterday. I want the simple truth, okay? Now, tell me what happened."
They shared another meaningful look between them, and then Harm signaled Mac with a supporting nod. Mac bit on her lower lip before finally finding her voice. "It… it was a bomb, Grams."
Gram's gasped as soon as she heard Mac's words. She remained quiet as Mac continued. "To make a long story short, Lieutenant Hoyle told us that Mic deceived his working partner. He had squandered a lot of money and couldn't pay it back and in turn tried to blackmail him with some delicate information. In retaliation, Mic's partner attempted to get rid of him by putting a home-made bomb in my apartment. Apparently it was the first time he had made one, so being a novice at it… well, it did more damage and killed more people than it was supposed to."
"Oh, my God," Grams breathed out, placing her hand over her mouth. She looked at Harm who nodded in the affirmative at all Mac had just said. She turned her gaze back to Mac. "That's horrible. What the heck kind of trouble did your ex get himself into?"
"I…," Mac started to answer and turned her gaze to Harm. "… I don't really know what happened or why he got himself in so much trouble, Grams." Mac was just beginning to realize that she never even bothered to ask Harm for more information about Mic's problems or his motives. Mainly because up until now, she really didn't care why he'd betrayed her.
Harm looked into her beautiful brown eyes and he saw the sadness reflected there. He knew that the reality of what had happened had finally hit her and it was hitting her hard. Innocent people died because of her ex-fiancé. Harm reached across the table, grabbing Mac's unhurt hand to give it a gentle squeeze. "Mac, Mic told me that his law firm was a bust. He couldn't let you think he was a failure so he pretended that everything was going great. He had no income, so he used the little he had left and tried to multiply it by gambling and instead lost everything… including himself."
To say she was shocked at what she just heard was the understatement of the year. "I… I had no idea. I never even suspected that anything was wrong," Mac said sadly as she interrupted Harm's explanation. "Why didn't he tell me? I could have helped."
Harm was still holding her hand supportively. "He didn't want to bother you, nor did he want to worry you. He couldn't bear to have you supporting him. When he lost what he had gambling, the owner of the casino offered him a line of credit, which he immediately exceeded. That's when he ended up working for the owner; however, his partner wanted his money back and began threatening him. Mic then took your money, which wasn't nearly enough to pay back even a part of his debt. When his partner continued to push, Mic attempted to resolve the issue by blackmailing his partner." The fact that a famous mafia family was involved was something that Harm didn't think his grandmother needed to know. She was already worried enough.
"Okay, okay. Did I get this right?" Grams looked directly at Mac, and the worry in her eyes broke Mac's heart. "Your ex took your money?"
Mac nodded her head.
"He cleaned you out? Without your knowledge?"
"Yeah, he did," Mac replied, nodding her head again. "When we got engaged, we decided to open up a joint checking account as well as a joint credit card. That is why he had no problems getting at the money. You remember last night when I told you about the house I found near Rock Creek Park and that I wanted to get a few things to spruce it up a bit? Well, that's when I found out that he'd cleaned me out."
"If you don't mind me asking, about how much money are we talking here?"
"All in all… I would say close to ten thousand plus the overdraft fees I have to pay on the credit card and the account until I can square it away - which could take me a while," Mac added with a sarcastic chuckle.
"Do you think there's a chance to fix it?" Grams asked, still unable to believe that a man could do something like this to the woman that he supposedly was in love with.
"I really doubt it," Mac answered in defeat. "I'm going to my bank tomorrow, but Mic was authorized to use the account, so the bank isn't in any way responsible for the outcome. And with my luck, playing the lottery is out of the question," Mac threw in with a chuckle.
"I'm really having a hard time believing all this," was all Grams could say, wishing that there was something she could do. "What are you going to do?"
Mac shrugged, giving Harm's grandmother a sweet, little smile. "There really isn't much I can do. I have to make the best of it. After all, it's only money." Suddenly Mac became sad and her voice cracked as she continued to speak. "I'm one of the lucky ones. Some of my neighbors weren't so lucky. They lost their lives because of the mess Mic got himself into. Thankfully, I still have my savings account. It's not much and I will have to tighten my belt somewhat and start again little by little. I am going to look at it as an adventure. I am a Marine after all."
"Everything will work out, dear, and most importantly, you're not alone in this," Grams told her with a smile and then looked at her grandson. "Right, Harmon?"
"Couldn't have said it better myself, Grams," Harm answered, grinning from ear to ear as Mac got up from her chair and walked towards Harm's grandmother.
"Thank you. I love you, Grams," she said, giving her a loving hug.
"I love you, too, dear."
Harm watched his two favorite girls and couldn't suppress the boyish grin that came over his lips. "Hey! What about me?"
Grams laughed. "Oh, you! We love you, too, dear." She then looked at Mac. "Right?"
Mac chuckled and looked at Harm with a mischievous grin. "What can I say? It's hard to not love a Rabb."
"Yeeaahh… aaaaannnnd?" Harm waved his hands, indicating that there should be more.
Mac looked at him bewildered. "And what?"
Harm opened his arms widely. "The hug! You forgot the hug, Marine. That's not acceptable."
Mac sighed, looking down at Grams who pointed towards her grandson with her head, motioning her to go on. Mac sighed again, walking over to him with a sweet smile splayed across her face. "Come here, you big goof," she said as she let herself fall into his waiting arms.
Harm laughed, immediately intensifying his hold on her, enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms. "Now that's much better." He looked over Mac's shoulder and right into his grandmother's eyes. She was smiling at them, pleased at what she was witnessing. Harm winked in response and received the thumbs-up from Grams.
They reluctantly broke their embrace and sat back down to enjoy the rest of the wonderful breakfast Grams had prepared for them. Gram's was curious and wanted to know more about the new house. She loved the sound of it and when Mac mentioned that she'd planned to head over to the new house today and to do some painting and cleaning, Grams was all for it. She knew she probably wouldn't be able to swing a paintbrush, but she knew how to clean so she happily offered her services.
They came up with a plan of action. The first stop would be the hardware store for supplies they would need for the painting. Next stop would be at a computer shop for a new laptop, and last but not least, a trip to a department store to pick up the several essentials they had discussed.
As soon as they were done with their breakfast, Harm and his grandmother took care of the dishes while Mac made two phone calls. The first one Harm knew was to arrange for a time to meet with Mrs. Curtis at the house, but the second call was a mystery to him. The only words he was able to understand were 'deal', 'agree', and 'meet at two o'clock'. Harm couldn't help but wonder what Mac had just agreed to. Harm promised himself to ask her about it later.
As they were about to leave, Jingo trotted out from the bedroom and looked at Mac with sad eyes that were saying 'can I come, too?' Mac recognized the look immediately and walked over to her steadfast friend, bending down to gently rub him behind his ears. "What's up, boy? Do you want to come, too?"
Jingo barked eagerly in answer to her question.
Mac laughed about his enthusiasm. "Okay, if Harm doesn't mind you coming along then it's okay with me. Come on, let's go ask him."
Harm had heard Mac talking to Jingo, so before she even opened her mouth to ask, he nodded his agreement. "Come, Jingo," he called, holding up the leash so that Jingo could see it.
Mac smiled sweetly at Harm as Jingo ran to him and he attached the leash to Jingo's collar. Harm patted Jingo's back brusquely. "Good boy."
Jingo answered with a happy bark and followed his new friend out of the apartment.
With a long sigh, Mac took her bag from the floor and after a last look around Harm's apartment, she followed Harm, closing the door behind her.
*
Mac knew exactly what colors she wanted to paint the living room and the bedroom. They had decided to work on those two rooms right away and leave the others to do a little later on. For the living room, she had decided on a soft beige and a dark wine-red for one of the walls while a pale apricot for the bedroom. Their stay at the hardware store was short and they emerged with paint, brushes and rollers, paint pots, and drop cloths.
Then it was off to the computer shop and Mac didn't need long to find the perfect notebook for her. Last but not least it was off to the department store, which took a little longer. Grams walked around the store with them for a little while, picking out a few cleaning essentials and then opted to wait for them in the car with Jingo. Harm and Mac picked out the other items on her list, checked out and proceeded to the new house. Even though she already got her new laptop, Mac decided to wait a little bit longer before getting a new desk, chair, and lamp. For now, the breakfast bar and her bed would have to do serve as her workspace.
*
The drive to the house was quiet, each absorbed in their own silent thoughts. What they didn't know was that they were all pretty much thinking the exact same thing.
Mac was picking at her fingernail, thinking that last night was probably her last night at Harm's… in his bed… his arms wrapped securely around her. Tonight she would be sleeping on a mattress… alone.
Harm was tapping on the steering wheel to the rhythm of the song on the radio, thinking about how Mac would no longer be sharing his bed… he would not have her body to wrap his arms around… he would be alone.
And Grams? Grams was looking out the side window, thinking about the two people in the front seat. She knew what they meant to each other, even if they weren't ready to admit it yet. It made her sad to think that they would no longer be sharing living space because they belonged together like Fred and Ginger, Bogart and Bacall, or Tracy and Hepburn.
As much as they all regretted the move, it was for the best and they knew it. So in Mac's no nonsense tone, it was time for all of them to 'suck it up' in their own ways.
They all left their thoughts behind as they approached the house and Harm parked in the driveway. Mrs. Curtis was already waiting in the front yard, giving them a loving smile and a wave. They exited the car with all the bundles and Jingo in tow. Even though the yard wasn't completely fenced, Mac was sure they could let Jingo run around the ample yard without fearing he would disappear.
After they greeted Mrs. Curtis, Mac gave Harm the key to unlock the door while she took care of Jingo and talked some more with Mrs. Curtis. Harm unlocked the door and put the bundles down on the counter before returning to the still open door to see what was keeping Grams.
Grams stood outside near Mac and Mrs. Curtis with her hands clasped in front of her. "Oh my," she boasted. "This house is absolutely breathtaking, Sarah. I can see why you love it so much."
Mac smiled at Grams. "Wait 'till you see the inside," she cooed and turned back to Mrs. Curtis, finally signing her name on the rent & sell contract. Thankfully, her handwriting was getting better with each passing day.
Finally, it was done. The house was hers.
Since Mrs. Curtis was in a hurry, they quickly said their goodbyes before Mac took Grams by her hand, ushering her into the door that Harm was still holding open for them.
"I can see what you mean, dear. This is lovely. Just perfect," Grams told Mac as she wandered around the entire downstairs. "I know I said I would help you clean, but this place is spotless. Not much to do at all. I guess it's a good thing we brought some groceries with us. I can at least prepare us some lunch. Go, go you two," she shooed them away. "Go do the things you came here to do. I will just keep myself busy here putting the kitchen things away. I will call you when lunch is ready."
Mac turned on the radio she confiscated from Harm's without his knowledge. The minute he heard the music, he looked at her, shaking his finger in her face. "You little thief."
"Am not," she pouted. "I'm just borrowing it so that it won't be so quiet in here. You know until I can get my own CD player or a TV or something that makes noise besides Jingo," she added laughing.
Harm looked at her admiringly and couldn't help but smile at seeing her face all lit up with excitement.
"It's okay, Marine. It's yours. Consider it a house-warming present."
"Thanks, Harm. This is so much better than a toaster. You can be so sweet when you want to be."
"Hey, what do you mean… I'm always sweet."
"Yeah, yeah. You just keep telling yourself that. The paint is over there and the walls are over here. Get cracking, Squid."
"Are you ordering me around?" he bantered back.
"Damn straight. I out rank you, remember?" she concluded with a flirty smile before ascending the stairs with the can of pale apricot paint and roller brush in hand, whistling 'Anchors Away'.
Harm laughed out loud as he spread the drop cloth and proceeded to administer the soft beige paint to the walls while his thoughts were warmly wrapped around the woman upstairs.
Grams had been puttering around the kitchen, listening to every word of banter between the Marine and the sailor, smiling from ear to ear. 'Isn't love grand,' she mused.
*
Grams had finished putting things away and took a walk out into the back yard and right into the rose garden, marveling at the beautiful scenery in front of her. She stayed there a few minutes, admiring her surroundings until she felt a cold nose nudge the back of her hand. "Jingo," she beckoned. "How are you doing, boy? You are going to love it here," she told him, walking over to the stonewall and leaned against it to rest. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of the late morning air, while Jingo sat contentedly by her feet.
*
Inside, Harm had finished putting one coat of paint on the living room walls and decided to call up to Mac to see how she was doing. "Mac, how is it going up there?" He waited at the foot of the stairs for her to respond, but she didn't. "MAC!" he shouted a little louder this time. Still nothing.
Becoming concerned at her unresponsiveness, he climbed the stairs and peeked into the bedroom just in time to see Mac seductively swaying to the music on the radio as she rolled the paint on to the wall with her left hand. Harm just stood there with the paintbrush, still in his hand, completely captivated by the alluring scene in front of him.
He slowly made his way over to where she was before speaking again. "Mac," he whispered directly into her ear. She jumped, nearly spilling the can of paint at the feel of his warm breath on her skin. "Harm!" she screeched, turning around quickly. "You nearly scared me to death. What the heck are you do…."
Before she had a chance to finish what she was saying, her nose was swatted with a dab of dark wine-red paint. Harm laughed at how cute she looked as her eyes crossed when she looked down at her now dark red nose.
"Think that's funny, do ya?" Mac squealed. "Well, take this, Flyboy," she bellowed, running the paint roller over his entire chest. "You're right… this is funny," she concluded laughing hysterically. "I think pale apricot is your color, Harm."
"Oh you do, do ya?" he bantered back, grabbing her around the waist, tickling her sides viciously.
Mac started swatting at him with her good hand, trying to get him off her. "Stop it… ssssttttoooppppp…," she screeched, laughing uncontrollably while trying to catch her breath.
"Say uncle, Marine," Harm demanded.
"Never!" Mac answered adamantly.
"Well then, I guess I'm not going to stop anytime soon," Harm said, continuing the onslaught of tickling.
Although Mac had enough, she refused to give in and say 'uncle' so she had to find a diversionary Marine tactic of her own. She managed to get her leg around his, kicking his out from under him and sending them both crashing to the floor in a heap. Harm took the brunt of the fall and Mac landed on top of him, straddling his torso. After the initial shock wore off, they looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"Are you all right?" they questioned simultaneously. Another round of raucous laughter ensued until they both laid there totally exhausted and completely out of breath.
Mac became aware of the suggestive position they were in and slowly started to climb off of Harm. However, he had other ideas and quickly put his arms around her, preventing her from moving.
She looked deep into his darkening eyes and saw all that was in her heart reflecting back at her. She slowly leant in as he moved his hand to the back of her neck and they met in a kiss that immediately turned passionate. It was not the type of kiss that Mac would give her best friend, nor the kind of kiss Harm would give his partner. It was a lover's kiss.
Harm ran his tongue across her bottom lip and she immediately opened her mouth, granting him entrance. Their tongues dueled hungrily, and their hands roamed freely as they rolled around the bedroom floor mindless of her healing injuries. His hands had drifted under her jersey and were running up and down her back, flirting with the snaps of her bra. Mac's hand had not sat idle. She managed to undo several buttons of his shirt and reveled in the way his bare skin felt against her fingertips. They were totally lost in each other and in the moment.
*
Meanwhile, Grams got chilly and went back inside to find that the casserole she had stuck in the oven was just about ready. She put three of the new dishes on the breakfast bar along with the new silverware. "Lunch is ready," she announced loudly.
She waited several minutes before calling out again. "Hey, you two, lunch is ready and if you don't get down here this instant, I will be forced to come up after you."
*
Harm and Mac broke their kiss at the sound of her commanding voice, but continued to gaze into each other's eyes. They quickly attempted to get themselves back under control.
"We better get down there," Mac said a little embarrassed about how far they almost went with Grams downstairs.
"Yeah," Harm said huskily. He got up moaning, holding his back and reached down to help Mac get back on her feet.
"Hey, you okay?" she asked concerned that he may have hurt his back.
"I guess I'm a little too old for this rolling around on the floor thing."
Mac gave him a sweet smile. "You're not too old, Harm, but maybe we should keep away from the floor."
Harm smiled back and they turned towards the door. Before they left the bedroom, Harm grabbed Mac's hand and made her look at him. "We need to talk, Mac."
She knew he was right. "We will, Harm, we will."
*
They quickly ran down the stairs to find Grams waiting for them with her hands on her hips. "Well, it is so nice of you two to finally join me," she barked.
Harm and Mac looked at each other grinning before looking back to Grams. That's when she caught the 'cat that swallowed the canary'-look on their faces and the fact that they were standing there with a slight blush on their cheeks that had nothing to do with the dark wine-red and pale apricot paint that was now covering the both of them in some very strategic places.
As Harm and Mac went off to wash up for lunch Grams smiled broadly at their retreating backs thinking, 'it's about damn time.'
