Christmas Nigh; Adeste Fi!

Part 9

Harm had taken one of the candles and went into Mac's living room to start the fire. He was trying to emotionally collect himself. He didn't know what to do about Mac. That last kiss had been more than amazing. It had floored him, almost literally.

Yet, what did it mean for him and Mac? After those kisses they just shared in the kitchen, he couldn't deny that he loved her. Actually, he wouldn't have been able to deny that he was in love with her before those kisses. However, he now really wanted to do something about it!

But he wasn't sure about Mac. What she had said about wanting him more than just a best friend should; … did that mean that she was interested in a relationship with him? … Or was she just referring to wanting to kiss him?

Those kisses. Those astounding, glorious kisses. He'd never experienced anything close to that last kiss before. It felt like Sarah was … truly loving him, but maybe he was just projecting his own wishful thinking. Maybe Mac just got caught up in the heat of the moment and now wanted to forget it. Maybe she just hadn't been kissed in awhile and was using that moment to indulge herself.

… While he did not want that last possibility to be the case as to her motive, he did find himself hoping that she had not been kissed by anyone else recently.

He had gotten the fire started and was busy making some adjustments to keep it going stronger when Mac walked in carrying two mugs of cocoa.

"Mmm," Mac responded to the new warmth and atmosphere. "Nothing like a good fire when it's snowing."

Harm turned to her, forgetting what he had been doing and, instead, found himself analyzing her features in the flickering glow of light.

"Don't stop," Mac chastised Harm with a smile, reminding him that he needed to finish up with the fire.

"Right," he turned back to his task.

Mac scanned the room. "Where do you want to sit? … So I know where to put the cocoa."

"We should probably be as close to the fire as possible. You mind sitting on the floor?"

"No. … I don't," she answered, "but doesn't your six hurt?"

Harm wanted to say that her kiss had cured any ailments he had, could have had, or might have in the near future, … except perhaps the ever aching of his heart that longed for more. "I'll be fine."

"Okay. … We could move the coffee table over," she said.

"I got it," said Harm, jumping up, since Mac had her hands full.

"Maybe put it on the side?" she recommended.

Harm moved it over. "There?"

"Yeah." Mac set the drinks down once Harm had moved the table. "Oh, that feels good," she said, referring to the fire again. "The rest of this place is going to get very cold, very quickly."

"Hey, why don't you help me move the couch closer?" Harm suggested.

"Floor not comfy enough for you after all?"

"The floor is fine," said Harm. "I just thought if we pulled the couch up, we could lean against it."

"Okay." When they finished moving the furniture, Mac asked, "You mind if I change clothes real quick?" She was still in the dress she'd been wearing all evening.

"Go ahead," said Harm. "Get comfy. … Change into your nice, warm pajamas," he said with a smile.

"I think I will." Mac took the flashlight that she had gotten from the kitchen and went into the bedroom.

Harm was left alone, feeling oddly nervous. He shouldn't be; … this was Mac, … good ol' Mac, his best friend, the woman he loved … Oh, that didn't help. He moved the presents from under the tree to by the fireplace. Mac had put his gifts under the tree as well, so he brought those over too. He found himself shaking one of the boxes, curious about what was inside.

"You know that might be breakable."

Harm looked up to see Mac playfully glaring at him. He was relieved for a moment to see her wardrobe choice, because he had half expected her to be wearing some tempting nightgown, the sight of which would torture him all evening. But she did come out in pajamas. On second thought, he wasn't sure this would be much better.

Not that the PJs, by themselves, would be considered sexy by any means. They were flannel, – dark green with a pattern of little teddy bears wearing Santa hats. The material looked warm, and soft, and touchable, … especially on her.

Harm had always enjoyed seeing Mac in her night clothes. Something about it made her seem more … vulnerable, … but not in a bad way. It was just like he was seeing more of her person, … not the Marine, or the lawyer, or even the woman who needed to be cautious and confident to operate in this world. This was just … Mac.

Of course, the knowledge that she was not wearing a bra on in his presence was, um, … a pleasant thought for him as well. One he now tried to ignore as this was no oversized set of PJs. They fit her snuggly, good for keeping her warm, but bad for Harm to keep his mind off of some of Mac's physical qualities.

Harm gave Mac a guilty grin, ostensibly for shaking the package, but probably more for what was running through his … mind at the moment. He quickly diverted his eyes.

Mac smiled. She'd seen him look her over, … and she liked it. If she could get that kind of response in teddy bear PJs, imagine what his response would be to her in a teddy, minus the bears and pajamas.

She rebuked herself for thinking such things. Harm was a man; his looking her over was a natural response. It didn't mean anything. The kisses earlier didn't necessarily mean anything either. Again, Harm was a man. Men liked kissing women. He had probably just let things get out of hand. Every once in awhile he was bound to lose just a little of his iron control.

Still, she was going to savor the experiences this evening. And … it did give her some hope. It made her feel good that Harm did sometimes see her as a woman. He may not be in love with her, he may only care about her as a good, platonic friend, even deep down, … but it was good to know that he wasn't entirely indifferent to the fact that she was a member of the opposite sex.

In Mac's left hand, she was holding a blanket. Harm finally noticed that when he looked back at her. "Fire not warm enough for you?" he asked.

"You know I get cold easily. And I'm gonna need the blanket for sleeping on the couch tonight anyway. Of course, if the power doesn't come back on, I'll need to dig out my extra warm fuzzy blanket as well."

Harm looked confused. "Why would you be sleeping out here? … If you're seeking the heat, you know you really shouldn't go to sleep with the fire going, right?"

"I know, but I expect you'll be more comfortable in the bed," she explained. At Harm's now surprised expression, Mac realized he hadn't considered it. "You are staying here, right?" she asked with concern. "I mean the weather's gotten worse."

"Mac, I've got an SUV."

"Which doesn't matter on ice. … And some of the roads, much like sidewalks, are icy." Making up her mind to draw a hard line on this, she stated, "I'm not letting you out again in this weather."

"You're not letting me?"

"No, I'm not."

"Mac, I'm sure the roads are –"

"… a mess," she finished. "… What's wrong, Harm?" Mac teased, "You afraid Santa won't find you if you aren't at home tonight?"

"I'm not really expecting a visit from Santa this year, but –"

"… You're expecting someone else," Mac finished. She finally sat down – but only on the couch near Harm, not next to him on the floor. "I'm sorry, Harm. If I'd known you were having company for tomorrow, I would have just asked you to drop me off earlier. We could have exchanged gifts later."

"No," Harm corrected her. "I'm not expecting anyone. I was just going to say that you shouldn't have to sleep on the couch …"

"I don't mind," said Mac, relieved for some reason that Harm wasn't expecting company. "You won't fit on this," she referred to the sofa, "and you need to sleep here somewhere."

"We'll see," said Harm, not quite conceding to spend the night. "Now, would you get down here already?"

Sliding down next to Harm, Mac insisted, "I'm serious, Harm. Have you looked outside? Visibility is practically non-existent." Though it was dark with the power out nearby, a strained look would reveal only a thick, white blur, obstructing most everything else. "You're staying put 'til morning," she declared.

Harm made a face of displeasure.

"What?" she asked, "You have a problem with my bed cooties?" Mac had remembered the earlier 'cootie' comments at his apartment. She assured him, "I'll give you a fresh pillow case; fresh sheets if you want, though I'm really not that dirty …"

"It's not that," Harm told her.

"Then what?"

"… I don't have any pajamas with me," he teased, using her earlier excuse.

At that, Mac smiled and, without thinking, asked, "You sleep in pajamas?" Realizing that didn't sound like an appropriate question, she tried to explain the context, " … I mean … I just … You've been in just boxers before …"

He saved her. "When it's really cold, … yes, I use PJs, … or at least sweat pants and a shirt. Actually, if I'm staying, I should probably go get my bag from the car. I think I've got some sweats in there. … Though, I'm not looking forward to trekking out to the car and back in this weather."

"You don't have to," said Mac.

"I guess I could just sleep in my clothes," Harm started to say, assuming that was what Mac meant.

"That won't be comfortable," Mac pointed out.

"Yeah, but …" Harm debated with himself, knowing how bad it was outside. "… I should go … I can weather the storm. After all, I don't want you to start calling me a -"

Mac suddenly reached over and touched Harm's arm, causing him to pause before finishing his sentence.

"… baby."

"It's cold outside."

Harm laughed at Mac's statement of the obvious. "I know," he said. "And you are cold in here, so bundle up all nice and cozy by the fire, … and I'll go get my bag."

"You'll freeze out there," she warned.

"Nah, I'll be alright," Harm insisted, even though he did dread going out.

"Harm, I'll make sure you've got something to wear. You don't have to go outside."

"Mac, I doubt I'm going to fit in any of your sweats, … or PJ bottoms. I'm a little tall."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Mac teased. Then she continued, still joking, "And I was going to let you borrow the cowboy jammies, since you like them so much."

"Ha," laughed Harm. "… They won't fit."

"I know," Mac said seriously. "But you'll have something that fits you, I promise."

Harm didn't know how that could be unless she had something left over from Bugme or some other guy. And he definitely did not want to wear anything from some man who had been in Mac's … life.

"Maybe we should just exchange gifts, and then I'll go home," he suggested. "That way I only have to walk one way in this stuff."

"You really don't want to stay here, do you?" Mac realized. She was actually hurt by that. Did something about her place offend him? Did she make him that uncomfortable? Was she not a good hostess?

"Yes, I do," he said.

"Then what's the sense in hurting my pride?"

"Your pride?" Harm questioned. "You're the one who doesn't have faith in my ability to drive."

"Don't question my faith in you," she insisted.

"Then, am I allowed to go home tonight?"

"The answer is no."

"See."

"Harm, the weather is bad. Why chance it, when accidents happen? … Like slipping on the sidewalk," she reminded him of his earlier fall. "No matter what you think, you're not invincible, Harm. … And I'm still not sure you didn't hurt your head."

"My head's fine," he countered. "And okay, I'll stay," he relented. "But I should get my bag." He stood up as he said the last part.

"You really want to go out there?"

"No. … It's cold outside."

"Then stay. Your hot chocolate isn't going to be even warm much longer. Finish your drink."

"Say, … what's in this drink, anyway?" He'd had a few sips already and found that it had an odd flavor.

"Irish cream," answered Mac. At Harm's look, obviously questioning her possession of alcohol, Mac explained, "It's just flavoring. And I'm not having that kind anyhow." She had given him his choice of the flavors in her gift pack and reminded him of that. "You picked it."

"Oh," said Harm. He now remembered that she had asked which kind he wanted. He hadn't really read the package, since at the time, all he wanted to do was kiss her under the mistletoe.

"Harm," Mac ordered, "sit."

He obeyed, but whined to himself about having to stay without a toothbrush.

"I've got a spare," Mac told him.

"Lend me a comb?"

"Sure."

"Okay."

"So, you're not going to go out anymore?"

"I would," Harm insisted, "… but it's cold outside."

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TBC …

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A/N: I tried posting this part earlier, but the site wasn't cooperating this morning.

Bonus points if you picked up on the past HBX challenge lines in this part.

I appreciate the feedback (and the well wishes regarding my trip to the ER. I am much better – thank you). If you're kind and review today, I'll consider it a birthday present. :0)

-- Teacup