Author - Elisabeth Cook
E-Mail address - allegretto@gmx.net
Rating - PG
Classification - Harm/Mac
Spoilers - none
Summary - The sequel to "Tell Him". It picks up right where that story left off... or maybe a couple of seconds later, who knows.
First Posted - August 1999
Disclaimer - Guilty as charged... I'm just playing with somebody else's toys. I'll return them when I'm done... promise!
Author's Notes - I needed to take a little break from writing "From The Past". Thinking about that is making me all depressed... which is not a good thing. So here's another piece of pure fluff. I know this ain't reality, no way, but I can't help being a hopeless romantic as soon as I take a break from real life ;)
Still dazed by the feelings washing over them, Mac and Harm finally broke their kiss, both of them gasping for air. Not wanting to break the magic of the moment, still not able to believe that this wasn't just a dream, Mac looked up to meet his gaze again. How many times had he turned away during the past few weeks, refusing to look into her eyes? How many times had she done the same? It didn't matter any more. This time he didn't look away. She sought the feeling of complete understanding she had seen in his eyes before, and he was doing the same.
Pulling her closer, he gently wiped away a stray tear running down her cheek. Mac smiled. It wasn't frustration or anger that was making her cry this time. It wasn't sorrow or desperation. To be honest, she didn't really know why she was crying this time, but it felt good. It was as if she was overflowing with all the unfulfilled love inside of her, which had finally found a way out.
Taking both of his hands into his, she couldn't help the grin spreading across her face. The events of the past few minutes had been a complete surprise to her, to both of them probably, but everything simply felt so right. Then, slowly, she became aware of their surroundings again and she chuckled nervously. She had no idea how long they had been standing here like this, or how long ago the music had stopped playing.
The feeling of magic was beginning to be replaced by one of awkwardness as she realized that she was standing in the center of the makeshift dance floor right in front of the JAG Headquarters, holding hands with her partner after just breaking a kiss that had lasted longer than she had ever believed a kiss could last. And everyone was staring at them.
They were standing right among their superiors, colleagues and subordinates and nobody was dancing - well, who would dance without music anyway? And everybody was staring at them. She felt a little hot and definitely blushed and she watched Harm swallow hard, but she still didn't let go of his hands. Not that he was trying to pull away or anything. She watched the corners of his mouth twitch and then pull into a wide grin. This was ridiculous, this was embarrassing, but it felt so good. Then all over sudden the music started playing again, finally breaking the silence.
Does he love me
I wanna know
How can I tell if he loves me so?
She had barely listened to the first few measures when her mouth pulled into a grin as well. Whoever had chosen these songs, it hadn't been a coincidence. It simply couldn't be. She needed to have a word with Bud later... but not now.
(Is it in his eyes?) Oh no,
You'll be deceived
(Is it in his eyes?) Oh no,
He'll make believe
If you wanna know
If he loves you so
It's in his kiss.
Not spending another thought on it, she wrapped her arms around Harm's neck and pulled him down towards her so their lips could meet again. Whoever had given them this opportunity, it didn't matter right now. Why? They could think about that later. Right now they would enjoy it as much as they could. She had already found out what she wanted to know, but gathering some more evidence couldn't hurt.
Of course the song wasn't completely right. She had seen it in his eyes before, he couldn't completely hide his true feelings, but in a way she had still been deceived. Only that she had been the one deceiving herself. She hadn't wanted to acknowledge what she had seen in there, as long as she hadn't felt it, hadn't experienced it first hand, she had been able to deny what she had seen. But not any more. She wouldn't make herself believe anymore that what she had seen in there wasn't true.
(Or is it in his face?) Oh no,
It's just his charm
(In his warm embrace?) Oh no,
That's just his arms
Yes, his charm was what she had fallen in love with at first. But it wasn't the only thing she had fallen in love with, she had quickly realized. His embrace wasn't just his arms. How she had savored the few times he had held her close, the feeling of having someone to lean on. The concern and care he showed for her, carefully restraining the other feelings he had for her so he wouldn't hurt his best friend.
If you wanna know
If he loves you so
It's in his kiss.
Kiss him and squeeze him tight
And find out what you wanna know
If it's love if it really is
It's there in his kiss.
But nothing was going to keep her from kissing him now. To squeeze him as tightly as she could, never wanting to let go again. She felt his strong arms wrap around her, holding her close, pressing her against him, almost lifting her off the ground, even the last trace of hesitation long gone. How long had she dreamed of doing this? Not in front of this many people of course, but then, this hadn't really been their doing, had it?
(What about the way he acts?) Oh no,
That's not the way
And you're not listening to what I say
If you wanna know
If he loves you so
It's in his kiss.
They had been pushed into this situation. It wasn't their fault they had found themselves in each other's arms. In fact, they had tried to avoid it as best as they could. And yes, she wasn't really listening to the song anymore. She was way too busy kissing him. Although the way he acted had told her a lot about his feelings for her. He had been there for her when she needed him. He had come to her when he had felt the need for support. And this kiss proved everything she had already known for so long.
Kiss him and squeeze him tight
And find out what you wanna know
If it's love if it really is
It's there in his kiss.
Both of them finally came up for air, a little flushed and looking a bit disoriented for a couple of moments. Breaking eye contact with him, Mac realized that everyone around them suddenly tried to find something else to look at. She chuckled. Apparently they hadn't been the only two people who had been surprised by the outcome of this.
(What about the way he acts?) Oh no,
That's not the way
And you're not listening to what I say
If you wanna know
If she loves you so
It's in her kiss.
Realizing that neither of them would probably make it through another song, she took him by his hand and quickly led him off the dance floor. Apparently he had found what he had been looking for in her kiss as well. Some people stepped down onto the grass as well while most of the other couples resumed dancing. Mac let out a short sigh of relief. She was quite used to being the center of everyone's attention in court, but this was different, very different.
Sitting down in the shade a little further away from everyone, but not completely out of sight, Harm wrapped his arm around her shoulders. As much as they wanted to be alone right now, it probably wasn't a very wise idea to completely disappear.
"I could get used to this," Mac commented as she snuggled against him. "I was going to make them pay for this, but on second thought, let's not."
She had just decided that there was nothing that could surprise them any more than what had happened this afternoon when something she saw made her do a double take. For a couple of seconds, she watched the admiral walk past them, then she turned to look at Harm. "Chegwidden didn't actually wink at us, didn't he?" she inquired.
Harm simply shrugged and gave her his best flyboy grin before pulling her closer. "At least we know we won't have to worry about what he's going to say when he finds out."
~ finis ~
So there! Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it...