Title: 'Traces in the Snow' - Part Three
Author: Daenar
Disclaimer: See Part One
From part two:
"An angel," she whispered in awe. Then she went off a few yards and lay down herself. Repeating the same movements that Harm had just shown her, she drew another little angel in the snow. Getting up, she took a few steps in the direction of the house and lay down again. Always nearing the house, Liliana drew ever more angels in the snow until she reached the porch. Harm followed close by.
On the porch they were greeted by Mac, who had come out to usher them inside but had stopped short and watched them instead. Liliana stepped up to her with a content smile. "Now you are safe," she simply stated and went inside.
"She called an army of angels to protect you, Mac," Harm explained in a somewhat shaky voice.
"I know," she replied, embracing him tightly. "But I feel I need no one else to look after me as long as you're close by."
Part Three:
Dec. 24th, 2002 1423 ZULU Rabb Farm Outside Beallsville, PA
Grandma Sarah got up from the breakfast table and picked up her and Liliana's plates. The girl hadn't eaten very much, but the adults could see that her appetite was growing, as were her spirits. Her bruises and burns were still visible but healing fast. Sarah Rabb was anxious to include her in the holiday routine as much as possible to make her forget about her physical pain. "Would you please help me with the dishes, Lily?" she asked with a kind smile.
As soon as Grandma Sarah had learned that Liliana's mother had been a cook, she had understood that the kitchen would be where the girl would probably feel most at home. So, starting with yesterday's delicious dinner, the foursome had taken up the routine of washing up together and had transferred their conversation and their meals to the kitchen as well. Mac found that the huge old-fashioned, oak furnished kitchen was the coziest place in the whole house anyway so she didn't mind.
Liliana complied with a smile and followed Grandma Sarah to the sink, carrying both their mugs. Harm stored the groceries in the refrigerator while Mac put away the remaining dishes and cleaned the table. Strangely, with Grandma Sarah in charge, joint ventures in housework didn't even need a battle plan. They just came up naturally.
"Do you want to know what we're gonna do today?" Grandma Sarah asked the girl as she handed her a kitchen towel. Lily nodded. "It's Christmas Eve, so we'll clean the house all over this morning," Harm's grandmother announced with a smile. Low groans were heard from the two officers.
"I thought you got us up here to relax, flyboy," Mac commented with upraised eyebrows.
"So did I..." Harm countered with a theatrical frown, peeping in Grandma Sarah's direction.
The old woman with a mock frown put her hands to her hips - obviously her favorite gesture, Mac noted. "Lily, look at those two," she began to scold, the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "They want to defend our country and are too weak to sweep the floor or dust the shelves. Pathetic, isn't it?"
Liliana openly grinned at Harm and Mac and nodded. "Yes. And lazy," she added.
"Hey," Mac protested, laughing, "Where's your loyalty, Liliana? You remember? I explained that to you in the hospital, when I gave you the medal. Loyal people always help their friends."
The girl's smile broadened. "I remember loyalty. And valor. I have that, too. That's what the medal says. So I help Gram."
Harm couldn't stifle his chuckles. Taking up his hands in defense he walked up to Liliana. "All right, you win, Lily. So, as to our punishment, it's up to you to decide what part of the housework Mac and I have to do. Okay?" He motioned for Mac to come over and together they knelt before the girl like prisoners ready to hear their verdict, eyes fixed on the floor, frantically biting their lips to refrain from laughing.
Liliana exchanged a smile with Grandma Sarah who winked at her and put her finger to her lips. Then she tiptoed over to the door and waved for the girl to follow her. Harm and Mac were so desperately trying to keep their countenance that they didn't hear when the girl, catlike, snuck out of the room, too.
"Hey, Lily, so what did you decide for your prisoners' fates?" Harm finally asked as the silence began to stretch. A faint clicking from the direction of the door was his answer. He and Mac looked up in confusion and found themselves alone in the big room.
"What the..." Harm quickly got up on his feet and with a few quick strides reached the door and tried the handle. "Uhm, Mac..." he drawled, a little dumbfounded.
"What's up, sailor? You look as if you'd just been stood up by your girlfriend." She grinned, curious.
"They locked us in."
Mac's eyes became round. "You're kidding."
"Nope."
"Then pick the lock."
"Uhm, this is really embarrassing, but... I can't. I'm sorry." Harm was actually blushing.
Mac crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Care to explain?"
He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Uh, you know, Mac... I... used to lock myself in the kitchen when I was little... at night, you know, to... well..."
A grin slowly spread over Mac's features. "To look for sweets. I see."
"Well, not exactly..."
"What then?"
Harm sighed, his embarrassment still rising. "Gram used to hide my Christmas presents in the kitchen closet," he confessed with a half-grin. "One day she found out that I went looking for them and she had a locksmith come and close the lock from the kitchen's side so no one could shut her out anymore. See?" He indicated the point in question.
"Uh huh..." Mac's grin widened even more as she saw Harm squirm under her scrutiny.
"So Gram just locked the kitchen door from outside and now we're stuck in here. The windows only open a few inches, to prevent any farm cats from entering." Harm didn't know where to look.
Mac glanced outside, only to find Grandma Sarah and Liliana grinning at her, both in their anoraks, shopping baskets in their hands.
"We won't be away for long. Get the kitchen done and enjoy yourselves," Grandma Sarah called, winking. Then she took Liliana's hand and the pair walked off.
Sighing, Mac went over to the closet and took out two aprons, tossing one to Harm. "Well, at least they finished the dishes. So I guess we'd better get started. Get the scrubbing brush and the bucket, will you?"
"Why me?" he asked with an overly hurt look on his face.
"You wouldn't really want me to pull rank, squid," she threatened, grinning.
"Sue me for DDO, jarhead," he challenged her, turning around to get himself a coke from the fridge. Right then something wet hit him on the back of his neck.
"Ugh!" He jumped and grabbed for the object, a sponge thoroughly soaked with dishwashing water. Weighing it in his hand, he slowly turned around and cast his partner a threatening smile. "Okay, we're at war then. Duck!" he called and in the same moment threw the sponge back in her direction. Mac dove for shelter and it hit one of the cupboards.
"Ha!" Harm exclaimed with a triumphant grin, pointing his finger at her. "I said 'duck' and you did! So much for jarheads never ducking..."
He didn't get any further as said sponge hit him full force on the cheek, splashing the soapy water all over his mouth and nose. He glared at her as he wiped his face with his sleeve. 'Just you wait, Marine...' he silently swore.
Hearing Mac laugh merrily at his expense, Harm grabbed the sponge and was at her side in no time. She let out a very un-Marine-like squeal and quickly rounded the kitchen table. Harm followed her, laughing, and unexpectedly reversed his running direction. Mac almost instantly became aware of the change but the table wasn't big enough to give her time to react. She bumped into him, and he immediately caught her and held her tight with one arm while with the other hand he thoroughly wiped her face with the sponge. Mac yelped and tried to wriggle out of his grip, laughing, but he was determined not to let her off the hook.
"Do you admit that you started it?" he asked her with raised eyebrows, still trying to keep her in check, gasping a little because she was stronger than he would have liked to admit.
"You... mmmphff.... wouldn't listen... mpfffmmm," she managed to get out, fighting his sponge attack, unable to contain her chuckles.
"Why don't you just shut up and admit that you started it?" he challenged, continuing to wipe her face with the sponge.
"Shut up? Try... mmpmmmmf... and make me!" she shot back, her eyes sparkling.
"Okay!" Without thinking he tossed away the sponge and tightly wrapped both arms around her, pressing his lips to hers in a long, passionate kiss.
As soon as they parted for air, realization set in about what had just happened. Panting, Harm rested his forehead on hers, eyes closed, still holding her tight. They stayed immobile for a few moments, both trying to come to terms with the wave of conflicting emotions that threatened to sweep them away. Harm eventually opened his eyes and found Mac looking at him. He tried half a flyboy-grin and got an equally embarrassed smile in return. "Let's clean the kitchen," he whispered.
"Yeah," she acknowledged, glad to have something earthly to concentrate on.
Dec. 24th, 2002 2123 ZULU Rabb Farm Outside Beallsville, PA
"Wait... wait... not yet, I have to secure the screws first," Harm panted as he was applying all his strength to the particularly reluctant tree stand.
"Harm, this tree's too big, I can't hold it up any longer," Mac choked out through gritted teeth.
"Hang on, Marine, I'm almost..." he groaned, giving the third screw one last fierce turn, "Done. Phew. Okay," he stepped over to her, "Let's get this thing up."
Three minutes later a beautiful pine tree, seven feet high, stood in the living-room, just far enough from the fireplace not to be endangered by flying sparks. Together, Harm and Mac admired their work. While Gram and Liliana had cleaned the rest of the house, they had gone off into the woods and had procured them a beautiful specimen, slender and even in growth, an ideal Christmas tree.
"Okay, Gram, Lily, your turn," Mac called.
The old woman and the girl entered the room, both carrying cardboard boxes full of decoration items. Liliana stepped up to Mac. "You must go," she said decidedly.
Mac smiled at her. "Yeah, I know. Harm and I will retreat to the porch and enjoy the last sunrays, so you can do your work and we won't see a thing."
"Wonderful." Liliana beamed at her.
"Let's go, sailor," Mac called her friend, "We're surplus to requirements here."
Chuckling slightly, Harm zipped up his anorak and put his hand on the small of her back, leading her outside.
"So, what do we start with?" Grandma Sarah asked the girl.
Liliana searched through the boxes and decided on a long red garland. "This and candles."
"You're right, we need to attach the lights first." Grandma Sarah showed the girl how to clip them on the branches and each busied herself with one string of lights, Sarah on the ladder, Liliana down on the floor. After a few moments of silence the girl spoke up.
"I like Harm."
Grandma Sarah smiled. "I'm glad you do, Lily. What makes you like him?"
"Mac likes him."
Suppressing a chuckle, Grandma Sarah went on. "Do you think so?"
Liliana grinned. "I see it."
"What?"
"She looks funny when she looks at him."
Grandma Sarah bit her lip. "And that makes you think she likes him?"
"Yes," Liliana said earnestly. "She never looks at other people like she looks at Harm."
"You're a keen observer, Lily," Grandma Sarah told her. "Do you know what love is?"
"Yes," the girl answered eagerly. "It's when you say to someone that he must never go away. And then you have a family."
Again, Sarah Rabb found it hard not to laugh. "In a way..." she conceded. "But there's more. People who love each other do each other good, you know," she explained. "But it also means that they can be hurt more easily because they open up to one another and tell each other what they feel, deep inside."
"Wonderful," the girl said in a dreamy voice.
"Yes, that's a wonderful thing," Grandma Sarah admitted, "But some people are so scared of getting hurt that they will never tell each other that they're in love. Like Harm and Mac."
Liliana looked at her, surprised. "They are afraid?"
"Yes, Lily, very much - both of them. They have been hurt by others and don't want to get hurt again."
"But they must be together." From the mouth of a child it sounded so easy.
Grandma Sarah sighed as she began to place the red garland on the tree's branches. "I think so, too. But they have to tell each other how they feel. And they haven't really done that over six years that they've been working together."
"So long?"
"Yes, my dear. So long."
"I could tell them. So they won't need to be afraid."
Sarah chuckled. "That's very kind of you. But love doesn't work that way. They have to do it by themselves. But you can pray that they do."
Liliana picked up a box of red wooden apples and handed it to Grandma Sarah. "I will draw angels for them tonight. Out in the snow. So they are safe and can tell each other."
Smiling, Sarah Rabb accepted the box. "Do that, Lily. They may need your help with this."
Same time Front Porch Rabb Farm Outside Beallsville, PA
Mac and Harm had settled down on the front porch swing, cuddled up close to each other - to share body heat, of course - and silently watched yet another pastel colored winter sunset. Neither one dared to touch the topic of what had happened in the kitchen earlier that day, fearing that once the issue came up it might threaten their renewed close friendship. But deep in their hearts both knew that it would only be a matter of time until they would have to deal with what lay beneath the surface.
"You know, Mac," Harm softly spoke up, "You should think about what you'll tell family services and the INS."
She sighed, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I can always tell them that I wanted Liliana to recover from her injuries first. And that she was released to my custody for the time being." Mac carefully avoided the other half of what Harm's question had implied.
But he wouldn't let her back away now. "You know that's not what I meant."
"Yeah, I know."
"Have you ever thought about what you'll do about her?" he ventured cautiously.
Again she sighed. "Not really." She lifted her head and looked directly into Harm's blue-green eyes. "I didn't want to think about sending her back to Indonesia," she admitted softly.
"I guessed as much," came his guarded reply. Taking a deep breath, he decided to ask her what had been troubling him from the start. "So you want to keep her?"
The shadow of a far-away smile crossed Mac's features. "Yeah, I guess I do. She's such a treasure."
"That she is," he softly agreed with a smile. "But," he added, sobering, "Does she have any living relatives in Indonesia?"
"I don't know," Mac answered, her voice just a little sad. "It's likely that she has, though. Harm, first of all we need to know what happened to her. Without her story I have no case to argue in my favor."
"Do you think she would like to stay with you?" he asked.
"Do you think she would travel all around the world on her own just to find me if she wouldn't?" she countered with a wry smile.
She felt his chest move as he chuckled softly. "I see your point, counselor. So I understand that your mind's already pretty much made up about this," he stated, his voice neutral.
"I think so, yeah," she admitted with an embarrassed laugh.
Swallowing hard, Harm took a deep breath, making Mac again look up at him, slightly puzzled. Her confusion grew as he averted his eyes and instead took her hand in his, studying the smooth skin on its back. "Would you let me in on this, Mac?" he asked in a low voice, not daring to face her.
Mac felt her stomach tighten. "What do you mean?" she whispered.
Harm cleared his throat and willed himself to look up. He felt Mac start to tremble ever so slightly, subconsciously tightening the grip of her hand. "I would love to be a part of your little family, Mac," he confessed. "May I?"
Mac searched his expression and in his eyes found the answer to her yet unspoken question. All of a sudden, a warm dizziness spread throughout her body and she felt her tears rise. Yet, she had to make sure that his question really was what she had taken it for. There was too much at stake. And she was scared. So scared.
"Harm," she spoke up, her voice uneven, "Do you ask because of Liliana or because of me? Of... you and me?" she forced herself to add.
'Oh, please, Hammer, don't screw it up this time,' Harm implored himself. He looked down to where his thumb was still caressing the back of Mac's hand. "I..."
He didn't get to answer. Down at the village someone obviously tested the firecrackers he had bought for New Year. A series of clearly audible explosions could be heard, even up on the hill at the Rabbs' farm.
It was then that an earth-shattering scream came from inside the farmhouse, immediately followed by violent sobbing.
"Lily." They had said it together. In the fraction of a second they were on their feet and stormed inside, only to find their little girl curled up in a fetal position on the floor, crying her eyes out in the arms of an utterly helpless Grandma Sarah.
To be continued... (Feedback always appreciated!)
From part two:
"An angel," she whispered in awe. Then she went off a few yards and lay down herself. Repeating the same movements that Harm had just shown her, she drew another little angel in the snow. Getting up, she took a few steps in the direction of the house and lay down again. Always nearing the house, Liliana drew ever more angels in the snow until she reached the porch. Harm followed close by.
On the porch they were greeted by Mac, who had come out to usher them inside but had stopped short and watched them instead. Liliana stepped up to her with a content smile. "Now you are safe," she simply stated and went inside.
"She called an army of angels to protect you, Mac," Harm explained in a somewhat shaky voice.
"I know," she replied, embracing him tightly. "But I feel I need no one else to look after me as long as you're close by."
Part Three:
Dec. 24th, 2002 1423 ZULU Rabb Farm Outside Beallsville, PA
Grandma Sarah got up from the breakfast table and picked up her and Liliana's plates. The girl hadn't eaten very much, but the adults could see that her appetite was growing, as were her spirits. Her bruises and burns were still visible but healing fast. Sarah Rabb was anxious to include her in the holiday routine as much as possible to make her forget about her physical pain. "Would you please help me with the dishes, Lily?" she asked with a kind smile.
As soon as Grandma Sarah had learned that Liliana's mother had been a cook, she had understood that the kitchen would be where the girl would probably feel most at home. So, starting with yesterday's delicious dinner, the foursome had taken up the routine of washing up together and had transferred their conversation and their meals to the kitchen as well. Mac found that the huge old-fashioned, oak furnished kitchen was the coziest place in the whole house anyway so she didn't mind.
Liliana complied with a smile and followed Grandma Sarah to the sink, carrying both their mugs. Harm stored the groceries in the refrigerator while Mac put away the remaining dishes and cleaned the table. Strangely, with Grandma Sarah in charge, joint ventures in housework didn't even need a battle plan. They just came up naturally.
"Do you want to know what we're gonna do today?" Grandma Sarah asked the girl as she handed her a kitchen towel. Lily nodded. "It's Christmas Eve, so we'll clean the house all over this morning," Harm's grandmother announced with a smile. Low groans were heard from the two officers.
"I thought you got us up here to relax, flyboy," Mac commented with upraised eyebrows.
"So did I..." Harm countered with a theatrical frown, peeping in Grandma Sarah's direction.
The old woman with a mock frown put her hands to her hips - obviously her favorite gesture, Mac noted. "Lily, look at those two," she began to scold, the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "They want to defend our country and are too weak to sweep the floor or dust the shelves. Pathetic, isn't it?"
Liliana openly grinned at Harm and Mac and nodded. "Yes. And lazy," she added.
"Hey," Mac protested, laughing, "Where's your loyalty, Liliana? You remember? I explained that to you in the hospital, when I gave you the medal. Loyal people always help their friends."
The girl's smile broadened. "I remember loyalty. And valor. I have that, too. That's what the medal says. So I help Gram."
Harm couldn't stifle his chuckles. Taking up his hands in defense he walked up to Liliana. "All right, you win, Lily. So, as to our punishment, it's up to you to decide what part of the housework Mac and I have to do. Okay?" He motioned for Mac to come over and together they knelt before the girl like prisoners ready to hear their verdict, eyes fixed on the floor, frantically biting their lips to refrain from laughing.
Liliana exchanged a smile with Grandma Sarah who winked at her and put her finger to her lips. Then she tiptoed over to the door and waved for the girl to follow her. Harm and Mac were so desperately trying to keep their countenance that they didn't hear when the girl, catlike, snuck out of the room, too.
"Hey, Lily, so what did you decide for your prisoners' fates?" Harm finally asked as the silence began to stretch. A faint clicking from the direction of the door was his answer. He and Mac looked up in confusion and found themselves alone in the big room.
"What the..." Harm quickly got up on his feet and with a few quick strides reached the door and tried the handle. "Uhm, Mac..." he drawled, a little dumbfounded.
"What's up, sailor? You look as if you'd just been stood up by your girlfriend." She grinned, curious.
"They locked us in."
Mac's eyes became round. "You're kidding."
"Nope."
"Then pick the lock."
"Uhm, this is really embarrassing, but... I can't. I'm sorry." Harm was actually blushing.
Mac crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Care to explain?"
He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Uh, you know, Mac... I... used to lock myself in the kitchen when I was little... at night, you know, to... well..."
A grin slowly spread over Mac's features. "To look for sweets. I see."
"Well, not exactly..."
"What then?"
Harm sighed, his embarrassment still rising. "Gram used to hide my Christmas presents in the kitchen closet," he confessed with a half-grin. "One day she found out that I went looking for them and she had a locksmith come and close the lock from the kitchen's side so no one could shut her out anymore. See?" He indicated the point in question.
"Uh huh..." Mac's grin widened even more as she saw Harm squirm under her scrutiny.
"So Gram just locked the kitchen door from outside and now we're stuck in here. The windows only open a few inches, to prevent any farm cats from entering." Harm didn't know where to look.
Mac glanced outside, only to find Grandma Sarah and Liliana grinning at her, both in their anoraks, shopping baskets in their hands.
"We won't be away for long. Get the kitchen done and enjoy yourselves," Grandma Sarah called, winking. Then she took Liliana's hand and the pair walked off.
Sighing, Mac went over to the closet and took out two aprons, tossing one to Harm. "Well, at least they finished the dishes. So I guess we'd better get started. Get the scrubbing brush and the bucket, will you?"
"Why me?" he asked with an overly hurt look on his face.
"You wouldn't really want me to pull rank, squid," she threatened, grinning.
"Sue me for DDO, jarhead," he challenged her, turning around to get himself a coke from the fridge. Right then something wet hit him on the back of his neck.
"Ugh!" He jumped and grabbed for the object, a sponge thoroughly soaked with dishwashing water. Weighing it in his hand, he slowly turned around and cast his partner a threatening smile. "Okay, we're at war then. Duck!" he called and in the same moment threw the sponge back in her direction. Mac dove for shelter and it hit one of the cupboards.
"Ha!" Harm exclaimed with a triumphant grin, pointing his finger at her. "I said 'duck' and you did! So much for jarheads never ducking..."
He didn't get any further as said sponge hit him full force on the cheek, splashing the soapy water all over his mouth and nose. He glared at her as he wiped his face with his sleeve. 'Just you wait, Marine...' he silently swore.
Hearing Mac laugh merrily at his expense, Harm grabbed the sponge and was at her side in no time. She let out a very un-Marine-like squeal and quickly rounded the kitchen table. Harm followed her, laughing, and unexpectedly reversed his running direction. Mac almost instantly became aware of the change but the table wasn't big enough to give her time to react. She bumped into him, and he immediately caught her and held her tight with one arm while with the other hand he thoroughly wiped her face with the sponge. Mac yelped and tried to wriggle out of his grip, laughing, but he was determined not to let her off the hook.
"Do you admit that you started it?" he asked her with raised eyebrows, still trying to keep her in check, gasping a little because she was stronger than he would have liked to admit.
"You... mmmphff.... wouldn't listen... mpfffmmm," she managed to get out, fighting his sponge attack, unable to contain her chuckles.
"Why don't you just shut up and admit that you started it?" he challenged, continuing to wipe her face with the sponge.
"Shut up? Try... mmpmmmmf... and make me!" she shot back, her eyes sparkling.
"Okay!" Without thinking he tossed away the sponge and tightly wrapped both arms around her, pressing his lips to hers in a long, passionate kiss.
As soon as they parted for air, realization set in about what had just happened. Panting, Harm rested his forehead on hers, eyes closed, still holding her tight. They stayed immobile for a few moments, both trying to come to terms with the wave of conflicting emotions that threatened to sweep them away. Harm eventually opened his eyes and found Mac looking at him. He tried half a flyboy-grin and got an equally embarrassed smile in return. "Let's clean the kitchen," he whispered.
"Yeah," she acknowledged, glad to have something earthly to concentrate on.
Dec. 24th, 2002 2123 ZULU Rabb Farm Outside Beallsville, PA
"Wait... wait... not yet, I have to secure the screws first," Harm panted as he was applying all his strength to the particularly reluctant tree stand.
"Harm, this tree's too big, I can't hold it up any longer," Mac choked out through gritted teeth.
"Hang on, Marine, I'm almost..." he groaned, giving the third screw one last fierce turn, "Done. Phew. Okay," he stepped over to her, "Let's get this thing up."
Three minutes later a beautiful pine tree, seven feet high, stood in the living-room, just far enough from the fireplace not to be endangered by flying sparks. Together, Harm and Mac admired their work. While Gram and Liliana had cleaned the rest of the house, they had gone off into the woods and had procured them a beautiful specimen, slender and even in growth, an ideal Christmas tree.
"Okay, Gram, Lily, your turn," Mac called.
The old woman and the girl entered the room, both carrying cardboard boxes full of decoration items. Liliana stepped up to Mac. "You must go," she said decidedly.
Mac smiled at her. "Yeah, I know. Harm and I will retreat to the porch and enjoy the last sunrays, so you can do your work and we won't see a thing."
"Wonderful." Liliana beamed at her.
"Let's go, sailor," Mac called her friend, "We're surplus to requirements here."
Chuckling slightly, Harm zipped up his anorak and put his hand on the small of her back, leading her outside.
"So, what do we start with?" Grandma Sarah asked the girl.
Liliana searched through the boxes and decided on a long red garland. "This and candles."
"You're right, we need to attach the lights first." Grandma Sarah showed the girl how to clip them on the branches and each busied herself with one string of lights, Sarah on the ladder, Liliana down on the floor. After a few moments of silence the girl spoke up.
"I like Harm."
Grandma Sarah smiled. "I'm glad you do, Lily. What makes you like him?"
"Mac likes him."
Suppressing a chuckle, Grandma Sarah went on. "Do you think so?"
Liliana grinned. "I see it."
"What?"
"She looks funny when she looks at him."
Grandma Sarah bit her lip. "And that makes you think she likes him?"
"Yes," Liliana said earnestly. "She never looks at other people like she looks at Harm."
"You're a keen observer, Lily," Grandma Sarah told her. "Do you know what love is?"
"Yes," the girl answered eagerly. "It's when you say to someone that he must never go away. And then you have a family."
Again, Sarah Rabb found it hard not to laugh. "In a way..." she conceded. "But there's more. People who love each other do each other good, you know," she explained. "But it also means that they can be hurt more easily because they open up to one another and tell each other what they feel, deep inside."
"Wonderful," the girl said in a dreamy voice.
"Yes, that's a wonderful thing," Grandma Sarah admitted, "But some people are so scared of getting hurt that they will never tell each other that they're in love. Like Harm and Mac."
Liliana looked at her, surprised. "They are afraid?"
"Yes, Lily, very much - both of them. They have been hurt by others and don't want to get hurt again."
"But they must be together." From the mouth of a child it sounded so easy.
Grandma Sarah sighed as she began to place the red garland on the tree's branches. "I think so, too. But they have to tell each other how they feel. And they haven't really done that over six years that they've been working together."
"So long?"
"Yes, my dear. So long."
"I could tell them. So they won't need to be afraid."
Sarah chuckled. "That's very kind of you. But love doesn't work that way. They have to do it by themselves. But you can pray that they do."
Liliana picked up a box of red wooden apples and handed it to Grandma Sarah. "I will draw angels for them tonight. Out in the snow. So they are safe and can tell each other."
Smiling, Sarah Rabb accepted the box. "Do that, Lily. They may need your help with this."
Same time Front Porch Rabb Farm Outside Beallsville, PA
Mac and Harm had settled down on the front porch swing, cuddled up close to each other - to share body heat, of course - and silently watched yet another pastel colored winter sunset. Neither one dared to touch the topic of what had happened in the kitchen earlier that day, fearing that once the issue came up it might threaten their renewed close friendship. But deep in their hearts both knew that it would only be a matter of time until they would have to deal with what lay beneath the surface.
"You know, Mac," Harm softly spoke up, "You should think about what you'll tell family services and the INS."
She sighed, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I can always tell them that I wanted Liliana to recover from her injuries first. And that she was released to my custody for the time being." Mac carefully avoided the other half of what Harm's question had implied.
But he wouldn't let her back away now. "You know that's not what I meant."
"Yeah, I know."
"Have you ever thought about what you'll do about her?" he ventured cautiously.
Again she sighed. "Not really." She lifted her head and looked directly into Harm's blue-green eyes. "I didn't want to think about sending her back to Indonesia," she admitted softly.
"I guessed as much," came his guarded reply. Taking a deep breath, he decided to ask her what had been troubling him from the start. "So you want to keep her?"
The shadow of a far-away smile crossed Mac's features. "Yeah, I guess I do. She's such a treasure."
"That she is," he softly agreed with a smile. "But," he added, sobering, "Does she have any living relatives in Indonesia?"
"I don't know," Mac answered, her voice just a little sad. "It's likely that she has, though. Harm, first of all we need to know what happened to her. Without her story I have no case to argue in my favor."
"Do you think she would like to stay with you?" he asked.
"Do you think she would travel all around the world on her own just to find me if she wouldn't?" she countered with a wry smile.
She felt his chest move as he chuckled softly. "I see your point, counselor. So I understand that your mind's already pretty much made up about this," he stated, his voice neutral.
"I think so, yeah," she admitted with an embarrassed laugh.
Swallowing hard, Harm took a deep breath, making Mac again look up at him, slightly puzzled. Her confusion grew as he averted his eyes and instead took her hand in his, studying the smooth skin on its back. "Would you let me in on this, Mac?" he asked in a low voice, not daring to face her.
Mac felt her stomach tighten. "What do you mean?" she whispered.
Harm cleared his throat and willed himself to look up. He felt Mac start to tremble ever so slightly, subconsciously tightening the grip of her hand. "I would love to be a part of your little family, Mac," he confessed. "May I?"
Mac searched his expression and in his eyes found the answer to her yet unspoken question. All of a sudden, a warm dizziness spread throughout her body and she felt her tears rise. Yet, she had to make sure that his question really was what she had taken it for. There was too much at stake. And she was scared. So scared.
"Harm," she spoke up, her voice uneven, "Do you ask because of Liliana or because of me? Of... you and me?" she forced herself to add.
'Oh, please, Hammer, don't screw it up this time,' Harm implored himself. He looked down to where his thumb was still caressing the back of Mac's hand. "I..."
He didn't get to answer. Down at the village someone obviously tested the firecrackers he had bought for New Year. A series of clearly audible explosions could be heard, even up on the hill at the Rabbs' farm.
It was then that an earth-shattering scream came from inside the farmhouse, immediately followed by violent sobbing.
"Lily." They had said it together. In the fraction of a second they were on their feet and stormed inside, only to find their little girl curled up in a fetal position on the floor, crying her eyes out in the arms of an utterly helpless Grandma Sarah.
To be continued... (Feedback always appreciated!)