Title: Fun on the Slopes

Author: Ninjagurl354

PG-13

Romance/Drama

Summary: The JAG staff needs a break…they go to have some fun on the slopes, or is fun not all it's cracked up to be…

Disclaimers: I don't own JAG or the characters they belong to DPB!

Spoilers: Measure of Men, Lifeline, Boomerang Part 2, Silent Service, Gypsy Eyes, Shakedown, The Stalker,

Black Bear Lodge

Laconia, New Hampshire

ZULU 2230

     Mac looked into Harm's eyes, "You're finally ready to let go, and now I'm the one who's not ready." Harm's face fell slightly. "There are so many things left unsaid. I can't Harm, not yet." Harm nods. She gets up from the couch and puts her sneakers on. "Mac, where are you going?" "For a walk. I need to think." And with that she grabbed her jacket and the room key and walked out of the room.

     Harm dropped his head back onto the couch. There goes yet another chance, with the woman of your dreams. The last time he was ready to let go, she hadn't even waited for his response. She had just turned and walked out of her stateroom.

     "What are you willing to give up to have me? Would you give up your girlfriend?"

     "Yes, yes I would."

     And the time before that, well that was just beautiful. Telling her I loved her at her engagement party:

     "He had to say that, he was defending his client."

     "He was right."

     "About me being guilty?"

     "No. About some people being in love with you."

     "Mac you have someone who'll always love you."

     "And you have somebody that loves you."

      Harm groaned. This ski trip was not going as planned. He thought that they would ski, and skate, and spend the nights by a warm fire, he would get his head out of his six and tell her how he felt, and they would finally have each other.

     Mac walked around the hotel again and again, her mind was a whirlwind of conversations.

     "You know they wrote eternity on this bridge in lights, on New Year's Eve."

     "Is that how long we're going to wait."

     "Mac…"

     "We're not in Washington, we're not even on the same continent."

     "Location doesn't change who we are."

     "Most men would disagree with you."

     "I know I disagree with me sometime too."

     "You're just this way with me, aren't you?"

     "Yes. Only with you."

     "I suppose I should be flattered."

     "You should, Sarah."

     I laid my heart out on the line that night. And he ran, just like Rabb.

     "That's your M.O. running away."

     "I wasn't running away. I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship, did you?"

     "Back there in Sydney Harbor, I would've said, yea let's risk it."

     "Well, you wouldn't be having your engagement right now then."

     "Maybe I would."

     I've been spending far too much time with him. No, it's not that. It's that I've been there every time he wants to run. Dammit. And now when he's finally ready to let go, the moment I've been waiting for. I freeze, and I run just like he has done in the past. Two silent tears made their way down Sarah MacKenzie's cheeks.

Back in the Room

ZULU 2401

     Harm sat on the sofa staring at the crackling flames in the fireplace. He had sat there for the past hour and a half, reminiscing over the past seven years. The time they were on the U.S.S. Watertown:

     "You obviously resent me."

     "And you have no faith in me."

     "How did we get to this point anyway?"

     "I guess we were due. We have been on honeymoon of late."

     "Are you saying this was inevitable?"

     "I don't know. But I think that maybe we should talk about it. You know, there might be deeper issues."

     "Oh, no. I am not going there with you. This is not a marriage. Ok?"

     "So, that's it, end of conversation."

     "Yea, let's get through it. We have an investigation to conduct."

     "Yea."

     He remembered when she followed him all the way to Russia:

      "You're being driven by emotions and those emotions are going to get us killed."

     "You can quit, I can't, my father is out there somewhere and I'm going to find him."

     "Or die trying."

     "Or die trying, but you shouldn't. You've come with me farther than anyone I know, I'll never forget that Mac."

     He loved when they teased each other and fooled around:

     "Nothing personal, but that last meat loaf you made was nasty."

     "Are you dogging Harm's special meatless meatloaf?"

     "Let's put it this way. If you made the Harmon special in this ship, they would have to unload it with all the toxic waist."

     "Wow, that's a little harsh, don't you think? I mean if you didn't like it, you could have said, 'I don't like your meatloaf Harm'. You don't have to be insulting." And he threw a waded up napkin at her.

     He looked down at his watch, 2415. Stood up and got ready for bed. He slipped between the sheets and lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling for a while.

Lobby

ZULU 2415

     Mac was sitting in a plush chair in front of the fire in the lobby of the lodge. She was thinking about him and how he had always been there for her. Seeing her at her best and her worst.

     "You have always been a good friend."

     "Friend?"

     "Well, what would you call it?"

     "I don't know. You've seen at my best, my worst. You've always been there for me too."

     "Well, not always."

Flashback

     "What are you doing?"

     "I'm calling you a cab."

     "Harmon Rabb Jr, so righteous, so pure, you've never had a weak moment in your life, did you?"

     "I'm going to wait outside."

     "Oh, wait a minute, I forgot, yeah, you have had weak moments, of course, your long lost father, neurotic Annie."

     "You know you're not just a drunk, you're a mean drunk."

     Even though she had been horrible to him, he came and saved her from Coster. Even when she was being charged for killing her ex-husband he stood by her:

     "Thanks… for believing in me."

     "I've got to admit, you had me going for a little while."

     "Yeah, but you stayed with me."

     She smiled as she remembered when Harm had broken her arm, and they had played hooky. It was fun flying in the yellow-stearman; Sarah. Fun until she got shot:

     "Come on, let's go."

     "I can't, I'm sorry, I can't."

     "What do you mean, you can't? You're a Marine. Come on Mac. What happened to that gung ho, semper fi, kick ass jarhead I used to know? Don't let me down now, Mac. We've made it this far. Dammit. This is exactly why we shouldn't allow women in combat 'cause when it comes to the clinch you know they're going to fall apart. If you are a real Marine…"

     "All right, all ready. Shut up. You've made your point."

      Mac sat there for a long time staring into the flames, thinking. Her internal clock then clicked in and she realized it was 0100. She got up and made her way back up to the room. Quietly she inserted the key and opened the door.

      Harm had heard the key in the slot and rolled over onto his back, pretending to be asleep. Mac shut the door, and quietly began getting ready for bed. She slipped between the sheets and rolled over onto her side, so that her back was facing Harm's back. Both lay there quietly pretending to be asleep.

Black Bear Lodge

Laconia, New Hampshire

ZULU 1300

     They had woken up the next morning, showered, dressed, and met everyone for breakfast. Neither mentioned the previous night, both were thinking about it. They were friendly to each other as if nothing had happened, even though something indeed had.

     After lunch that day, Harm got Mac set up on her skis again, and went over to the bunny slope to give her some more practice. She was doing really well, and Harm told her so. "So can we try a different slope?" Mac asked. Harm looked slightly apprehensive, "I guess we could try a slightly harder slope but nothing like the intermediate slopes, or the ones for pros." Mac grinned and followed Harm to another slope.

     The Admiral, Sturgis, Tiner, Bud, Harriet, and Loren were all waiting at the slope. Harm, Sturgis, the Admiral, and Bud, stayed at the top and watched as Loren, Tiner, Harriet, and Mac, sped off down the hill.

     Mac was having a blast; she couldn't believe that she was skiing. Loren maneuvered slightly and was skiing in front of Mac, but quickly moved so she was no longer in front of her. Mac noticed that there were a lot of kids on this slope that were fooling around on skis but they seemed to stay to one side. Mac watched as Loren maneuvered her skis, and then watched as she maneuvered back, but what she didn't see was the kid that came speeding in their direction. Loren made a quick left so that the kid completely missed her. Mac on the other hand saw the kid to late. The kid's ski, hit Mac's. The kid didn't seem to notice and sped off, but Mac did. She was thrown off balance, and couldn't control the skis.

     Harm turned his head to find Mac on the slope and saw the kid ski past Mac. He thought it was okay until he noticed that Mac was wobbling. She was losing control of her skis, and not being an experienced skier, she couldn't get a handle on it. Harm eyes widened in horror as Mac gained speed, and her ski caught in the snow, sending Mac flying into the air. She landed hard in the snow and continued sliding down the hill.

     "Maaaaaaaaccccccccccccc…"

     That's it people!!! I'll try and bring the next chapter out very soon, so you won't have to wait long to find out what happens!! Until then, why not review and tell me what you think!!! Pretty please, with Harm in dress whites on top!!!