Monday, January 31, 2005
23:15
North of Union Station
Harm wearily shoved his hands into his hair. "I'm finally done!" he announced, closing the notebook triumphantly then standing to stretch the muscles that had too long been hunched over the table. "Whew! That was hard work. I hope she appreciates it," he said with a yawn.
Day One
"Afternoon, ma'am," Harriet called out as Mac breezed back in the office from lunch.
"Hello Harriet. were there any messages for me while I was out?"
"No ma'am, but Tiner finished making that copy you wanted for this afternoon's trial. I have it right here," she replied, handing the aforementioned file to Mac as she made her way to the elevator.
"Great. Thank him for me, will you? I have trial in ten minutes," she called over her shoulder.
Two minutes later Mac was seated in the court room next to her client, pulling her notes out of her briefcase. She was about to close it when a metallic shimmer caught her eye. Frowning, she pulled the item out and then chuckled to herself. "Not many men would leave chocolate in my briefcase," she murmured to herself. However, there was not time to thank him or enjoy his gift-the trial was beginning. Setting it and the briefcase aside, she focused her attentions on keeping her client in the Navy.
Five hours later
Talk about a tough day at the office! Mac thought as she tossed her briefcase on the floor and sank into her chair. My client doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning this case.
"Hey Mac, tough day?" Harm asked from her doorway.
Startled, she looked up at him with a rueful grin. "How could you tell?"
"Well, it might have been the dejected look on your face. Would you like some help going over your case? We were going to have dinner tonight anyway, you could bring it over," he offered.
"That'd be great," she replied gratefully. "I'll be at your place by 19:00."
"See ya then," he said as he left.
With a sigh, Mac surveyed her desk. "Well, I won't be getting anything more done today here," she decided and reached for her briefcase. "I guess I'll just take this and go home. Man, I could use a piece of chocolate after a day like today. Wait a minute. I have that piece Harm tucked in my briefcase."
Setting the case down, she opened it up and rummaged through her papers until she found the treasure. She hurriedly unwrapped the Ghiradelli chocolate bar and took a huge bite. "Ohhhh that feels good. Hey, what's this?" Her fingers picked up a small piece of plain white paper that had been slid underneath the wrapper. "What does a man need in life if not love?" she read outloud. "Now he's asking rhetorical questions? Will I ever understand that man?"
Day 2 13:05 JAG HQ
"Harm, what are you doing in my office?" Mac asked curiously.
"Huh? Oh, I was just. ah, I was just returning the file on the Menendez case to you," he replied quickly.
"Did you find the information you needed?"
"Sure did. We're going to nail him."
"Good. now if you don't mind, I need to get to work."
With a start, Harm realized he was still around on her side of the desk. "Oh right. I'll see you later Mac," he said and made a quick exit.
Some days I wonder at him, Mac thought wryly as she sat down. Now if I can just get this desk cleared off enough to work. Wait a minute, what's this? "Returning the Menendez case indeed," she muttered as she opened the chocolate bar. This time, she knew what to look for. Sure enough, slipped under the wrapper was a thin piece of white typing paper with a single line written on it. It answers our questions, fulfills all our whims.
"Answers what questions, fulfills what whims? Come to think of it, what's it anyway?" she asked herself. "I can see I'm going to need help with this," she said and walked to the door. "Lt. Sims, could you come here for a minute?"
"What did you need, ma'am?" Harriet asked.
"Come in and shut the door, Harriet. I have a mystery that's right up your alley," Mac said and handed her the two pieces of paper.
What does a man need in life if not love? It answers our questions, fulfills all our whims.
"Are these from the Commander, ma'am?"
"I would certainly hope so Harriet. And as long as you're evaluating the mysterious chocolate greetings my boyfriend is sending me, you might as well call me Mac," she replied.
"Chocolate greetings, Mac?" Harriet asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, chocolate greetings. A few weeks ago I mentioned that in my perfect world, there would be a piece of chocolate on my desk every day when I got back from lunch. Yesterday he snuck it into my briefcase and I found it in the courtroom. Today I caught him trying to sneak out of here after delivering the second message."
"Pardon the pun Mac, but that's so sweet." Mac rolled her eyes at the bad joke, but that didn't deter Harriet. "I mean, it wasn't so long ago that he would have denied having feelings for you at all. Now he's sneaking little romantic sayings to you in with your daily chocolate? Sounds like he has your number."
Mac had to grin at that. "That he does, Harriet. What better way to send sweet nothings than in chocolate?"
"But excuse me for saying so. if you know the Commander is sending them, what's the mystery?"
Shrugging, Mac said, "I guess there's no real mystery. I'll have to ask Harm what's going on. I'm sure there's some grand plan behind this. Go on back to work, Harriet, I'll go ask him."
"Okay, ma'am. Have fun," she replied with a cheeky grin.
Harm was so absorbed in his research that he didn't realize Mac was in the office, even after she shut the door and sat down right in front of him. "Ahem."
He started at the sound and looked in the direction it had come from. "Oh, hi Mac. Did you need something?" he asked, striving for a nonchalant tone of voice.
"Oh no, I just thought you ought to know that someone's been sneaking little romantic phrases into my chocolate for the last few days. I thought that might interest you, you know what with you being my boyfriend and all," she replied, her detached tone matching and surpassing his.
"Really? That's interesting," he said and bent his head back over his work.
Mac stared at him in shock for a few minutes before she found her voice. "You don't have anything to say about this?" she finally got out.
He looked up at her, almost as if he was surprised she was still there. "Why should I Mac?" he asked and got a thrill out of the speechless look his Marine gave him. "Now I don't know about you, but I have work to do." Mac barely managed a nod as she rose from her seat and left the office, shutting the door behind her.
I did it! he exulted. I managed to completely surprise, befuddle, and confuse her all at once! Now I just hope she doesn't kill me before I can tell her what this is all about.
Meanwhile, Mac was leaning against her office door, too shocked to move any further. So is he not the one behind this after all? she questioned, for a moment fearing she'd collected another stalker. No, he didn't bother to disguise his handwriting, it has to be him. Why is he playing this so close to the vest? I don't get it, Harm is never so secretive. unless he has a plan. Ok, there's something going on here, but if this is the way he wants to play it, I can give as good as I get. I won't mention the chocolate greetings until he does. If nothing else, I'll get some good chocolate out of him, and maybe I'll rattle him enough that he'll give me a hint.
11:45 Saturday, February 5 Day 5 Georgetown
"Mmm." Mac sighed as she took another sip of coffee. "That's just what I needed. Now if I'm right, I have 14 minutes before today's chocolate appears on my doorstep. Let's see if I can figure this out."
What does a man need in life if not love? It answers our questions, fulfills all our whims, Lasts through the ages and comes from above. Love is the light which time cannot dim.
"Not bad Harm," she murmured to herself as she stared at the scraps of paper on her kitchen table. "What does it mean though? Maybe if I put this one first." She played with the lines for a moment and then tried again. "Love is the light which time cannot dim. No, it only makes sense in order. Is there a hidden message, some sort of code I should be seeing?"
Mac was about to run the few crypto patterns she knew when the doorbell rang. "Right on time," she muttered as she walked to the door. "Harm." Her voice trailed off when she caught sight of the gangly, freckled high school boy standing in her hallway. "You're not Harm," she said, confused.
"No ma'am," he replied with a cheeky grin, "I'm just the delivery boy."
Then she noticed that he was indeed holding something out for her-a box of chocolates. "Thank you," she said and took the box. The boy turned to leave but Mac had a sudden brainstorm. "Hey! Wait a minute!" she called after him. Turning slightly, he gave her a quizzical look. "Can you tell me anything about the man who sent these?"
"Oh, he was tall, dark hair blue eyes. I don't know, what did you want to know?"
"Well, did he mention anything about why he was doing this?"
His eyes lit up at that. "Yes he did! He said that if you asked, I should tell you that. now what did he say? Oh right. "Patience is a virtue Marine," he quoted and walked off.
Mac stared after him for a moment, then shut the door to her apartment none too gently. "Of all the. "Patience is a virtue, Marine," she mimicked. "But patience for what?? What is the message waiting at the end of this infernal waiting? Well, let's open the chocolate and see what today's message is, shall we?"
Yet even when proof stared me straight in the eyes
"Ok, I'm not going to go through all the questions, proof of what, etc. I'm just going to eat the chocolate and ignore your ramblings for now," she announced and bit into a mint filled truffle.
Day 6
"Another day, another dollar. or in this case another piece of chocolate. I wonder how it will appear today," Mac grumbled as she opened her door to pick up the Sunday paper. "Air lift? Singing telegram? I hear you used to be able to get Godiva to deliver chocolates with a singing telegram dressed in a nude bodysuit, that would certainly make my day interesting. But I still have three hours before noon, so I'm just going to read the funnies." She plopped down on the sofa and unrolled the paper with a flourish.
"Oh brother," she said, staring at the foil wrapped morsel that was now sitting in her lap. "Somebody got up way too early today, or maybe the entire staff of the Washington Post is in on this too," she remarked with sarcasm. "Well, let's see what you have to say today."
Of the love that we share, fear held my tongue.
"Ok Harm, that's not even a complete sentence. You might not be an English wizard, but I know you're better than that. Let's pull out all the pieces and see if this puzzle makes any sense yet.
What does a man need in life if not love? It answers our questions, fulfills all our whims, Lasts through the ages and comes from above. Love is the light which time cannot dim.
Yet even when proof stared me straight in the eyes Of the love that we share, fear held my tongue.
"Not bad, it even rhymes in places. Rhymes? I can't believe I was so dense. it's a poem! Every little line is one part of the same poem. sometimes I try to hard to complicate things. So he's sending me a love poem, that's sweet. But what's all the secrecy for? Oh well, every poem has a last line, the answer must still be coming."
Day 7 JAG HQ 13:30
"Hello Ma'am, are you ready for today's chocolate?" Harriet said with a hint of excitement. Even though, or perhaps because, she'd been married for eight years, she was still a hopeless romantic.
"Now that I've figured out some of the meaning behind the messages I am," Mac replied with a grin.
"Really? Tell me please!" Harriet begged.
Mac laughed at her friend and beckoned her into her office. "Have a seat, Harriet," she said as she opened the day's chocolate. She read the line to herself and willed the tears not to overflow.
"Ma'am?" Harriet questioned. Mac silently handed her the piece of paper and took a moment to regain her composure. "Unwilling to speak I near lost the prize," Harriet read aloud. "Is he talking about Mic?"
"I would imagine so," Mac replied quietly.
There was an uncomfortable silence until Harriet remembered why she was in here in the first place. "You said you'd figured out some of the meaning behind all this ma'am," she reminded Mac.
"That's right, I did," Mac said, brightening at the thought. "It's a poem, Harriet. He's sending me one line a day."
"So how does it go so far?"
What does a man need in life if not love? It answers our questions, fulfills all our whims, Lasts through the ages and comes from above. Love is the light which time cannot dim.
Yet even when proof stared me straight in the eyes Of the love that we share, fear held my tongue. Unwilling to speak, I near lost the prize~
"Hm, I used to be pretty good at poetry when I was in highschool. there's something familiar about this. I guess you've pretty much got it memorized?"
Mac snorted at the understatement. "Backwards, forwards, upways and downways. I could practically tell you how many letters there are in each line!"
"Wait a minute, that's what struck me!" Harriet exclaimed. "Let's see. ten there, though the rhythm is off a bit. Eleven in the next line, but the emphasis is right. Ten, nine, eleven, ten, ten. That's it! He's struggling a bit with the meter, but who wouldn't on their first attempt?"
"Harriet, what are you talking about?" Mac asked, bewildered by her friend's counting game.
"It's a sonnet ma'am," Harriet replied.
"A sonnet? How can you tell?"
"Well, he's trying to write in iambic pentameter. Each line basically has ten syllables, and the meter is mostly iambic."
"Iambic means the emphasis is on the every second syllable, right?" Mac asked. At Harriet's nod, she dug in her brain for memories of Lit I her sophomore year of college. "Wait!! Sonnets are supposed to have 14 lines, aren't they Harriet?"
"Traditionally they do, though some people have even written 21 line sonnets."
"Well, supposing he's traditional, that means I can figure out when this ends. when he'll finally tell me what this is all about."
"When did you start getting the chocolates?" Harriet asked.
"Let's see. I have seven lines of the poem and today is the 7th, so the first day was last Tuesday, the 1st. So the last line will come on the 14th."
"Valentine's Day!! Oh how romantic!" Harriet squealed in a decidedly non- Naval fashion.
"Valentine's Day?" Mac asked, startled. "I guess it is. I was thinking so hard about dates that I forgot what month we're in. Well, I guess Harm has something up his sleeve for Valentine's Day then. Oh, I don't want to wait until next Monday to find out what it is though," she whined.
"Just think about it this way, ma'am. you know that this Valentine's Day will be something to remember. After all, you've already been thinking about it for a whole week! And you'll still be getting the chocolates and the lines of poetry. Maybe one of them will give you a hint about what's going on."
"Maybe. Thanks Harriet, I would never have figured this out without your help. English was never my best subject," Mac said ruefully.
"No problem. Just make sure to tell me first thing on Tuesday morning what this was all about!!"
"Will do Harriet, thanks again."
bValentine's Day 20:45/b
Mac toyed with the stem of her wine glass, staring down at her empty plate. Dinner was almost over, and she still didn't know what he was up to. i"He didn't leave me a chocolate today either,/i" she mused as she took a sip of sparkling cider. i"This is driving me crazy, I've got to ask him!"/i
She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when she saw Harm gesture to someone across the room. "Are you ready for dessert, Mac?" he asked with a sly smile. She simply shook her head in mock frustration and waited for the dessert cart to approach.
When the waiter parked the cart next to her, she looked at it in confusion. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there usually more than one dish on the cart?" she asked, staring at the single covered dish.
"This is a special dessert, Ma'am," the waiter replied smoothly. "Commander Rabb assured me it would be to your tastes."
"Did he? Well the Commander has been quite accurate about my sweet tooth for the last few weeks, I guess I can trust him one last time." With a nod, the waiter lifted the silver lid off the platter to reveal a heart shaped box of chocolates. "Harm! Are you finally going to tell me what this is all about?" she asked in exasperation.
"Why don't you eat your dessert first?" he suggested.
Mac was about to protest when she realized the last line of the poem must be hiding inside. She slowly slipped the lid off the box and peered inside, only to see. nothing. "Harm?" she asked, confused. Without a word, he took the lid from her and held it up so she could read what was written inside. iEverything I am comes from your love/i "That's beautiful Harm, but what does it mean? This is the last line, I have 13 pieces of paper in my purse to go with it. It's a lovely poem." her words trailed off as Harm began to recite it to her.
"What does a man need in life if not love? It answers our questions, fulfills all our whims, Lasts through the ages and comes from above. Love is the light which time cannot dim.
Yet even when proof stared me straight in the eyes Of the love that we share, fear held my tongue. Unwilling to speak, I near lost the prize~ My heart almost lost to a danger unknown.
Amazing enough fate blessed me with this: a Rare second chance to share life with you. Reason nor rhyme could not shake my bliss; Yesterday's pain lost in the joy that is you.
My life is your own, it's written above- Everything I am comes from your love."
"Harm." Mac looked at him, smiling yet still confused.
With a small smile he pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. "Why don't you read it once more and see if that helps."
Doubtful, she took the piece of paper from him. i"How is reading it one more time going to help me?"/i she wondered. But the minute she glanced down at it, all questions flew out the window. Well, all but one, for what she held was indeed a copy of the poem, but he had done a little editing. The first letter of every line had been highlighted in red, and if you read the message, it said "Will you marry me?"
Teary-eyed, Mac looked up only to find she needed to look down. Harm had gotten up while she was reading the poem and was now kneeling beside her, holding a small velvet box. The question had already been asked, now there was only the answer yet to come. Wordlessly, he opened the box and held her gaze, waiting for the one word his world hinged on.
Despite her best intents, Mac gasped when she saw the ring. She stretched out her arm and touched the platinum with a trembling hand. It was cool to her touch, but the diamond itself seemed burn with an inner fire. She ran her finger around the four edges of the princess cut and then slowly lifted the ring out of its seat. Even more slowly, she slid it onto the ring finger of her left hand, taking a moment to examine it there.
Throughout her entire inspection, Mac had not looked at Harm once, and finally he couldn't take it a second longer. "Sarah?" he asked softly.
She raised her eyes to meet his nervous gaze. Slowly, softly, she let a smile creep across her face. "Yes," she said simply.
Harm wearily shoved his hands into his hair. "I'm finally done!" he announced, closing the notebook triumphantly then standing to stretch the muscles that had too long been hunched over the table. "Whew! That was hard work. I hope she appreciates it," he said with a yawn.
Day One
"Afternoon, ma'am," Harriet called out as Mac breezed back in the office from lunch.
"Hello Harriet. were there any messages for me while I was out?"
"No ma'am, but Tiner finished making that copy you wanted for this afternoon's trial. I have it right here," she replied, handing the aforementioned file to Mac as she made her way to the elevator.
"Great. Thank him for me, will you? I have trial in ten minutes," she called over her shoulder.
Two minutes later Mac was seated in the court room next to her client, pulling her notes out of her briefcase. She was about to close it when a metallic shimmer caught her eye. Frowning, she pulled the item out and then chuckled to herself. "Not many men would leave chocolate in my briefcase," she murmured to herself. However, there was not time to thank him or enjoy his gift-the trial was beginning. Setting it and the briefcase aside, she focused her attentions on keeping her client in the Navy.
Five hours later
Talk about a tough day at the office! Mac thought as she tossed her briefcase on the floor and sank into her chair. My client doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning this case.
"Hey Mac, tough day?" Harm asked from her doorway.
Startled, she looked up at him with a rueful grin. "How could you tell?"
"Well, it might have been the dejected look on your face. Would you like some help going over your case? We were going to have dinner tonight anyway, you could bring it over," he offered.
"That'd be great," she replied gratefully. "I'll be at your place by 19:00."
"See ya then," he said as he left.
With a sigh, Mac surveyed her desk. "Well, I won't be getting anything more done today here," she decided and reached for her briefcase. "I guess I'll just take this and go home. Man, I could use a piece of chocolate after a day like today. Wait a minute. I have that piece Harm tucked in my briefcase."
Setting the case down, she opened it up and rummaged through her papers until she found the treasure. She hurriedly unwrapped the Ghiradelli chocolate bar and took a huge bite. "Ohhhh that feels good. Hey, what's this?" Her fingers picked up a small piece of plain white paper that had been slid underneath the wrapper. "What does a man need in life if not love?" she read outloud. "Now he's asking rhetorical questions? Will I ever understand that man?"
Day 2 13:05 JAG HQ
"Harm, what are you doing in my office?" Mac asked curiously.
"Huh? Oh, I was just. ah, I was just returning the file on the Menendez case to you," he replied quickly.
"Did you find the information you needed?"
"Sure did. We're going to nail him."
"Good. now if you don't mind, I need to get to work."
With a start, Harm realized he was still around on her side of the desk. "Oh right. I'll see you later Mac," he said and made a quick exit.
Some days I wonder at him, Mac thought wryly as she sat down. Now if I can just get this desk cleared off enough to work. Wait a minute, what's this? "Returning the Menendez case indeed," she muttered as she opened the chocolate bar. This time, she knew what to look for. Sure enough, slipped under the wrapper was a thin piece of white typing paper with a single line written on it. It answers our questions, fulfills all our whims.
"Answers what questions, fulfills what whims? Come to think of it, what's it anyway?" she asked herself. "I can see I'm going to need help with this," she said and walked to the door. "Lt. Sims, could you come here for a minute?"
"What did you need, ma'am?" Harriet asked.
"Come in and shut the door, Harriet. I have a mystery that's right up your alley," Mac said and handed her the two pieces of paper.
What does a man need in life if not love? It answers our questions, fulfills all our whims.
"Are these from the Commander, ma'am?"
"I would certainly hope so Harriet. And as long as you're evaluating the mysterious chocolate greetings my boyfriend is sending me, you might as well call me Mac," she replied.
"Chocolate greetings, Mac?" Harriet asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, chocolate greetings. A few weeks ago I mentioned that in my perfect world, there would be a piece of chocolate on my desk every day when I got back from lunch. Yesterday he snuck it into my briefcase and I found it in the courtroom. Today I caught him trying to sneak out of here after delivering the second message."
"Pardon the pun Mac, but that's so sweet." Mac rolled her eyes at the bad joke, but that didn't deter Harriet. "I mean, it wasn't so long ago that he would have denied having feelings for you at all. Now he's sneaking little romantic sayings to you in with your daily chocolate? Sounds like he has your number."
Mac had to grin at that. "That he does, Harriet. What better way to send sweet nothings than in chocolate?"
"But excuse me for saying so. if you know the Commander is sending them, what's the mystery?"
Shrugging, Mac said, "I guess there's no real mystery. I'll have to ask Harm what's going on. I'm sure there's some grand plan behind this. Go on back to work, Harriet, I'll go ask him."
"Okay, ma'am. Have fun," she replied with a cheeky grin.
Harm was so absorbed in his research that he didn't realize Mac was in the office, even after she shut the door and sat down right in front of him. "Ahem."
He started at the sound and looked in the direction it had come from. "Oh, hi Mac. Did you need something?" he asked, striving for a nonchalant tone of voice.
"Oh no, I just thought you ought to know that someone's been sneaking little romantic phrases into my chocolate for the last few days. I thought that might interest you, you know what with you being my boyfriend and all," she replied, her detached tone matching and surpassing his.
"Really? That's interesting," he said and bent his head back over his work.
Mac stared at him in shock for a few minutes before she found her voice. "You don't have anything to say about this?" she finally got out.
He looked up at her, almost as if he was surprised she was still there. "Why should I Mac?" he asked and got a thrill out of the speechless look his Marine gave him. "Now I don't know about you, but I have work to do." Mac barely managed a nod as she rose from her seat and left the office, shutting the door behind her.
I did it! he exulted. I managed to completely surprise, befuddle, and confuse her all at once! Now I just hope she doesn't kill me before I can tell her what this is all about.
Meanwhile, Mac was leaning against her office door, too shocked to move any further. So is he not the one behind this after all? she questioned, for a moment fearing she'd collected another stalker. No, he didn't bother to disguise his handwriting, it has to be him. Why is he playing this so close to the vest? I don't get it, Harm is never so secretive. unless he has a plan. Ok, there's something going on here, but if this is the way he wants to play it, I can give as good as I get. I won't mention the chocolate greetings until he does. If nothing else, I'll get some good chocolate out of him, and maybe I'll rattle him enough that he'll give me a hint.
11:45 Saturday, February 5 Day 5 Georgetown
"Mmm." Mac sighed as she took another sip of coffee. "That's just what I needed. Now if I'm right, I have 14 minutes before today's chocolate appears on my doorstep. Let's see if I can figure this out."
What does a man need in life if not love? It answers our questions, fulfills all our whims, Lasts through the ages and comes from above. Love is the light which time cannot dim.
"Not bad Harm," she murmured to herself as she stared at the scraps of paper on her kitchen table. "What does it mean though? Maybe if I put this one first." She played with the lines for a moment and then tried again. "Love is the light which time cannot dim. No, it only makes sense in order. Is there a hidden message, some sort of code I should be seeing?"
Mac was about to run the few crypto patterns she knew when the doorbell rang. "Right on time," she muttered as she walked to the door. "Harm." Her voice trailed off when she caught sight of the gangly, freckled high school boy standing in her hallway. "You're not Harm," she said, confused.
"No ma'am," he replied with a cheeky grin, "I'm just the delivery boy."
Then she noticed that he was indeed holding something out for her-a box of chocolates. "Thank you," she said and took the box. The boy turned to leave but Mac had a sudden brainstorm. "Hey! Wait a minute!" she called after him. Turning slightly, he gave her a quizzical look. "Can you tell me anything about the man who sent these?"
"Oh, he was tall, dark hair blue eyes. I don't know, what did you want to know?"
"Well, did he mention anything about why he was doing this?"
His eyes lit up at that. "Yes he did! He said that if you asked, I should tell you that. now what did he say? Oh right. "Patience is a virtue Marine," he quoted and walked off.
Mac stared after him for a moment, then shut the door to her apartment none too gently. "Of all the. "Patience is a virtue, Marine," she mimicked. "But patience for what?? What is the message waiting at the end of this infernal waiting? Well, let's open the chocolate and see what today's message is, shall we?"
Yet even when proof stared me straight in the eyes
"Ok, I'm not going to go through all the questions, proof of what, etc. I'm just going to eat the chocolate and ignore your ramblings for now," she announced and bit into a mint filled truffle.
Day 6
"Another day, another dollar. or in this case another piece of chocolate. I wonder how it will appear today," Mac grumbled as she opened her door to pick up the Sunday paper. "Air lift? Singing telegram? I hear you used to be able to get Godiva to deliver chocolates with a singing telegram dressed in a nude bodysuit, that would certainly make my day interesting. But I still have three hours before noon, so I'm just going to read the funnies." She plopped down on the sofa and unrolled the paper with a flourish.
"Oh brother," she said, staring at the foil wrapped morsel that was now sitting in her lap. "Somebody got up way too early today, or maybe the entire staff of the Washington Post is in on this too," she remarked with sarcasm. "Well, let's see what you have to say today."
Of the love that we share, fear held my tongue.
"Ok Harm, that's not even a complete sentence. You might not be an English wizard, but I know you're better than that. Let's pull out all the pieces and see if this puzzle makes any sense yet.
What does a man need in life if not love? It answers our questions, fulfills all our whims, Lasts through the ages and comes from above. Love is the light which time cannot dim.
Yet even when proof stared me straight in the eyes Of the love that we share, fear held my tongue.
"Not bad, it even rhymes in places. Rhymes? I can't believe I was so dense. it's a poem! Every little line is one part of the same poem. sometimes I try to hard to complicate things. So he's sending me a love poem, that's sweet. But what's all the secrecy for? Oh well, every poem has a last line, the answer must still be coming."
Day 7 JAG HQ 13:30
"Hello Ma'am, are you ready for today's chocolate?" Harriet said with a hint of excitement. Even though, or perhaps because, she'd been married for eight years, she was still a hopeless romantic.
"Now that I've figured out some of the meaning behind the messages I am," Mac replied with a grin.
"Really? Tell me please!" Harriet begged.
Mac laughed at her friend and beckoned her into her office. "Have a seat, Harriet," she said as she opened the day's chocolate. She read the line to herself and willed the tears not to overflow.
"Ma'am?" Harriet questioned. Mac silently handed her the piece of paper and took a moment to regain her composure. "Unwilling to speak I near lost the prize," Harriet read aloud. "Is he talking about Mic?"
"I would imagine so," Mac replied quietly.
There was an uncomfortable silence until Harriet remembered why she was in here in the first place. "You said you'd figured out some of the meaning behind all this ma'am," she reminded Mac.
"That's right, I did," Mac said, brightening at the thought. "It's a poem, Harriet. He's sending me one line a day."
"So how does it go so far?"
What does a man need in life if not love? It answers our questions, fulfills all our whims, Lasts through the ages and comes from above. Love is the light which time cannot dim.
Yet even when proof stared me straight in the eyes Of the love that we share, fear held my tongue. Unwilling to speak, I near lost the prize~
"Hm, I used to be pretty good at poetry when I was in highschool. there's something familiar about this. I guess you've pretty much got it memorized?"
Mac snorted at the understatement. "Backwards, forwards, upways and downways. I could practically tell you how many letters there are in each line!"
"Wait a minute, that's what struck me!" Harriet exclaimed. "Let's see. ten there, though the rhythm is off a bit. Eleven in the next line, but the emphasis is right. Ten, nine, eleven, ten, ten. That's it! He's struggling a bit with the meter, but who wouldn't on their first attempt?"
"Harriet, what are you talking about?" Mac asked, bewildered by her friend's counting game.
"It's a sonnet ma'am," Harriet replied.
"A sonnet? How can you tell?"
"Well, he's trying to write in iambic pentameter. Each line basically has ten syllables, and the meter is mostly iambic."
"Iambic means the emphasis is on the every second syllable, right?" Mac asked. At Harriet's nod, she dug in her brain for memories of Lit I her sophomore year of college. "Wait!! Sonnets are supposed to have 14 lines, aren't they Harriet?"
"Traditionally they do, though some people have even written 21 line sonnets."
"Well, supposing he's traditional, that means I can figure out when this ends. when he'll finally tell me what this is all about."
"When did you start getting the chocolates?" Harriet asked.
"Let's see. I have seven lines of the poem and today is the 7th, so the first day was last Tuesday, the 1st. So the last line will come on the 14th."
"Valentine's Day!! Oh how romantic!" Harriet squealed in a decidedly non- Naval fashion.
"Valentine's Day?" Mac asked, startled. "I guess it is. I was thinking so hard about dates that I forgot what month we're in. Well, I guess Harm has something up his sleeve for Valentine's Day then. Oh, I don't want to wait until next Monday to find out what it is though," she whined.
"Just think about it this way, ma'am. you know that this Valentine's Day will be something to remember. After all, you've already been thinking about it for a whole week! And you'll still be getting the chocolates and the lines of poetry. Maybe one of them will give you a hint about what's going on."
"Maybe. Thanks Harriet, I would never have figured this out without your help. English was never my best subject," Mac said ruefully.
"No problem. Just make sure to tell me first thing on Tuesday morning what this was all about!!"
"Will do Harriet, thanks again."
bValentine's Day 20:45/b
Mac toyed with the stem of her wine glass, staring down at her empty plate. Dinner was almost over, and she still didn't know what he was up to. i"He didn't leave me a chocolate today either,/i" she mused as she took a sip of sparkling cider. i"This is driving me crazy, I've got to ask him!"/i
She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when she saw Harm gesture to someone across the room. "Are you ready for dessert, Mac?" he asked with a sly smile. She simply shook her head in mock frustration and waited for the dessert cart to approach.
When the waiter parked the cart next to her, she looked at it in confusion. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there usually more than one dish on the cart?" she asked, staring at the single covered dish.
"This is a special dessert, Ma'am," the waiter replied smoothly. "Commander Rabb assured me it would be to your tastes."
"Did he? Well the Commander has been quite accurate about my sweet tooth for the last few weeks, I guess I can trust him one last time." With a nod, the waiter lifted the silver lid off the platter to reveal a heart shaped box of chocolates. "Harm! Are you finally going to tell me what this is all about?" she asked in exasperation.
"Why don't you eat your dessert first?" he suggested.
Mac was about to protest when she realized the last line of the poem must be hiding inside. She slowly slipped the lid off the box and peered inside, only to see. nothing. "Harm?" she asked, confused. Without a word, he took the lid from her and held it up so she could read what was written inside. iEverything I am comes from your love/i "That's beautiful Harm, but what does it mean? This is the last line, I have 13 pieces of paper in my purse to go with it. It's a lovely poem." her words trailed off as Harm began to recite it to her.
"What does a man need in life if not love? It answers our questions, fulfills all our whims, Lasts through the ages and comes from above. Love is the light which time cannot dim.
Yet even when proof stared me straight in the eyes Of the love that we share, fear held my tongue. Unwilling to speak, I near lost the prize~ My heart almost lost to a danger unknown.
Amazing enough fate blessed me with this: a Rare second chance to share life with you. Reason nor rhyme could not shake my bliss; Yesterday's pain lost in the joy that is you.
My life is your own, it's written above- Everything I am comes from your love."
"Harm." Mac looked at him, smiling yet still confused.
With a small smile he pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. "Why don't you read it once more and see if that helps."
Doubtful, she took the piece of paper from him. i"How is reading it one more time going to help me?"/i she wondered. But the minute she glanced down at it, all questions flew out the window. Well, all but one, for what she held was indeed a copy of the poem, but he had done a little editing. The first letter of every line had been highlighted in red, and if you read the message, it said "Will you marry me?"
Teary-eyed, Mac looked up only to find she needed to look down. Harm had gotten up while she was reading the poem and was now kneeling beside her, holding a small velvet box. The question had already been asked, now there was only the answer yet to come. Wordlessly, he opened the box and held her gaze, waiting for the one word his world hinged on.
Despite her best intents, Mac gasped when she saw the ring. She stretched out her arm and touched the platinum with a trembling hand. It was cool to her touch, but the diamond itself seemed burn with an inner fire. She ran her finger around the four edges of the princess cut and then slowly lifted the ring out of its seat. Even more slowly, she slid it onto the ring finger of her left hand, taking a moment to examine it there.
Throughout her entire inspection, Mac had not looked at Harm once, and finally he couldn't take it a second longer. "Sarah?" he asked softly.
She raised her eyes to meet his nervous gaze. Slowly, softly, she let a smile creep across her face. "Yes," she said simply.