The door slammed shut behind her, leaving Harm and Mac looking at each
other in bewilderment and at Clay in a heap on the floor. Mac was quickly
getting the feeling that being around Mercedes Rabb was somewhat akin to
trailing behind a hurricane. In other words, not too different from being
around Harm, she thought with a grin.
The human hurricane in question spoke up. "Well, I suppose we should do
something," he said in a low voice, "but I'd rather you stayed here."
Mac glanced over at Clay, who appeared to be slowly recovering. "What
about Webb?"
"A little humility never hurt anyone."
"Like you would know," she shot back.
"Hey, I'm not that bad..."
Mac sighed. "Look, I'll stay here with Webb and make sure he's okay after
Mercedes's little stunt. You go track down your cousin."
Harm paused for a moment, and Mac could tell he was trying to find a way
out of her suggestion. "Mac, I'm sure she'll be fine..."
Her temper flared. "No, Harm. You know you've barely talked to her. And
she needs to talk to you." He opened his mouth to protest again, but she cut him
off. "Dammit, he may have been your father, but he was also her uncle. And
she's gone through this whole mess by herself. And may I remind you that until
those DNA results came up in the lab that day, she still thought he was missing?
I'm assuming you never told her about what we found..."
Harm visibly deflated. "You're right," he admitted reluctantly, before
looking at her with pleading eyes. "Mac... What do I say to her?"
Mac softened. "I don't know, Harm," she admitted quietly. "But you need
to say something," she added, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Now go."
They were still for a moment, before Harm reached up to gently caress the
side of her face. "I'll be right back," he said, shrugging into his jacket,
then stopped, staring down at her. "Take care, Marine," he whispered, then
leaned down to briefly brush his lips against hers. Then he was gone, the door
banging behind him.
****
Harm found Mercedes a good distance from the house, sitting against a tree
and staring up at star-filled sky. "Mind if I join you?" he asked quietly.
She gestured to a nearby spot, waiting for him to take a seat before
speaking. "So, are you here to chew me out for that little stunt with Clay, or
because Mac sent you out here to look after me?"
He smiled a bit. "Mac."
She returned the smile. "Figures. She's a helluva lady."
"That she is," he replied, a wide, warm smile creeping across his features.
Silence fell between the cousins, but not an uncomfortable one. For all
that they'd been out of touch and at each other's throats in the past, those
issues were simply light chop on the surface of an otherwise calm, deep sea of
trust and understanding. Being who they were, sometimes the cousins Rabb
communicated best without saying a word. To Mercedes, Harm's presence and lack
of pressure was his way of apologizing; he wouldn't say anything until she did,
giving control of the situation over to her. For Harm, Mercedes's silence let
him know that while much was on her mind, his immediate presence was welcome.
She had always been outspoken, and if Mercedes Rabb didn't want to be around
someone, Harm knew she either point-blank told them so, or simply got up and
left.
It was some time later when Mercedes sighed deeply. "I know you're dying
to ask, so you might as well go ahead," she said flatly.
Harm swallowed. "Mercedes, I know it's really none of my business--"
"You do?" she said in pure disbelief.
He grinned sheepishly. "Mac reminded me."
"Ah. Before or after you decked him?"
"After. You're not mad at me about that, are you?"
She laughed weakly. "It would be a bit silly to be mad at you for doing
the same thing I had done a few minutes earlier."
Harm paused, digesting this. "True. I hadn't thought of it that way."
He paused again, trying for a completely neutral tone. "Can I ask why?"
She dropped her head into her hands, massaging her temples. "Certainly.
Problem is, I don't have an answer for that one, short of the standard joke."
Harm looked at her questioningly. "You're asking me what I was thinking when
Webb and I ... you know. But the truth is, a better question is not what was I
thinking, but was I thinking at all-- and I'm pretty sure the answer is no," she
finished with a weak laugh. "Kinda like when I lied to your boss," she added
ruefully.
Harm looked at her for a moment. "You know, I'd ask how the hell you keep
getting yourself into situations like this, except--"
"--you do exactly the same thing," she finished with a grin.
Harm laughed softly himself. "Exactly. I swear, CD, sometimes---"
He stopped short as something caught his eye, alert tension filling him
instantly.
"Harm?" CD asked uncertainly. She could tell simply by the change in his
body language that something was up... and likely wrong. "What is it?" Even as
she spoke, her voice dropped in volume and she reflexively reached for the bag
next to her.
"I thought I saw something," he answered, his voice just above a whisper.
"Something moving over there." He was already getting to his feet, but staying
close against the tree.
Mercedes followed suit, swinging the bag on to her shoulder. "Where?"
"Over there, maybe 100 yards away, ten o'clock."
Looking where he had indicated, she saw nothing. But chilled fingers of
suspicion were creeping up her spine. "I don't see anything, but I'm getting a
bad feeling about this. You?" He nodded. "I think we---"
CD stopped short as she heard a rustling sound off to her far right.
Someone was there.
Harm had heard it too. "Shit. CD--"
"I know. We've got company." Then her eyes went wide as she and Harm came
to the same realization simultaneously.
"Oh no. Clay and Mac--"
Harm silenced her with a hand over her mouth. "Follow me, and keep your
eyes open," he ordered.
She nodded, and slowly, silently, they worked they way back toward the
farmhouse, intent on warning the others.
They never got the chance.
TBC.......
other in bewilderment and at Clay in a heap on the floor. Mac was quickly
getting the feeling that being around Mercedes Rabb was somewhat akin to
trailing behind a hurricane. In other words, not too different from being
around Harm, she thought with a grin.
The human hurricane in question spoke up. "Well, I suppose we should do
something," he said in a low voice, "but I'd rather you stayed here."
Mac glanced over at Clay, who appeared to be slowly recovering. "What
about Webb?"
"A little humility never hurt anyone."
"Like you would know," she shot back.
"Hey, I'm not that bad..."
Mac sighed. "Look, I'll stay here with Webb and make sure he's okay after
Mercedes's little stunt. You go track down your cousin."
Harm paused for a moment, and Mac could tell he was trying to find a way
out of her suggestion. "Mac, I'm sure she'll be fine..."
Her temper flared. "No, Harm. You know you've barely talked to her. And
she needs to talk to you." He opened his mouth to protest again, but she cut him
off. "Dammit, he may have been your father, but he was also her uncle. And
she's gone through this whole mess by herself. And may I remind you that until
those DNA results came up in the lab that day, she still thought he was missing?
I'm assuming you never told her about what we found..."
Harm visibly deflated. "You're right," he admitted reluctantly, before
looking at her with pleading eyes. "Mac... What do I say to her?"
Mac softened. "I don't know, Harm," she admitted quietly. "But you need
to say something," she added, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Now go."
They were still for a moment, before Harm reached up to gently caress the
side of her face. "I'll be right back," he said, shrugging into his jacket,
then stopped, staring down at her. "Take care, Marine," he whispered, then
leaned down to briefly brush his lips against hers. Then he was gone, the door
banging behind him.
****
Harm found Mercedes a good distance from the house, sitting against a tree
and staring up at star-filled sky. "Mind if I join you?" he asked quietly.
She gestured to a nearby spot, waiting for him to take a seat before
speaking. "So, are you here to chew me out for that little stunt with Clay, or
because Mac sent you out here to look after me?"
He smiled a bit. "Mac."
She returned the smile. "Figures. She's a helluva lady."
"That she is," he replied, a wide, warm smile creeping across his features.
Silence fell between the cousins, but not an uncomfortable one. For all
that they'd been out of touch and at each other's throats in the past, those
issues were simply light chop on the surface of an otherwise calm, deep sea of
trust and understanding. Being who they were, sometimes the cousins Rabb
communicated best without saying a word. To Mercedes, Harm's presence and lack
of pressure was his way of apologizing; he wouldn't say anything until she did,
giving control of the situation over to her. For Harm, Mercedes's silence let
him know that while much was on her mind, his immediate presence was welcome.
She had always been outspoken, and if Mercedes Rabb didn't want to be around
someone, Harm knew she either point-blank told them so, or simply got up and
left.
It was some time later when Mercedes sighed deeply. "I know you're dying
to ask, so you might as well go ahead," she said flatly.
Harm swallowed. "Mercedes, I know it's really none of my business--"
"You do?" she said in pure disbelief.
He grinned sheepishly. "Mac reminded me."
"Ah. Before or after you decked him?"
"After. You're not mad at me about that, are you?"
She laughed weakly. "It would be a bit silly to be mad at you for doing
the same thing I had done a few minutes earlier."
Harm paused, digesting this. "True. I hadn't thought of it that way."
He paused again, trying for a completely neutral tone. "Can I ask why?"
She dropped her head into her hands, massaging her temples. "Certainly.
Problem is, I don't have an answer for that one, short of the standard joke."
Harm looked at her questioningly. "You're asking me what I was thinking when
Webb and I ... you know. But the truth is, a better question is not what was I
thinking, but was I thinking at all-- and I'm pretty sure the answer is no," she
finished with a weak laugh. "Kinda like when I lied to your boss," she added
ruefully.
Harm looked at her for a moment. "You know, I'd ask how the hell you keep
getting yourself into situations like this, except--"
"--you do exactly the same thing," she finished with a grin.
Harm laughed softly himself. "Exactly. I swear, CD, sometimes---"
He stopped short as something caught his eye, alert tension filling him
instantly.
"Harm?" CD asked uncertainly. She could tell simply by the change in his
body language that something was up... and likely wrong. "What is it?" Even as
she spoke, her voice dropped in volume and she reflexively reached for the bag
next to her.
"I thought I saw something," he answered, his voice just above a whisper.
"Something moving over there." He was already getting to his feet, but staying
close against the tree.
Mercedes followed suit, swinging the bag on to her shoulder. "Where?"
"Over there, maybe 100 yards away, ten o'clock."
Looking where he had indicated, she saw nothing. But chilled fingers of
suspicion were creeping up her spine. "I don't see anything, but I'm getting a
bad feeling about this. You?" He nodded. "I think we---"
CD stopped short as she heard a rustling sound off to her far right.
Someone was there.
Harm had heard it too. "Shit. CD--"
"I know. We've got company." Then her eyes went wide as she and Harm came
to the same realization simultaneously.
"Oh no. Clay and Mac--"
Harm silenced her with a hand over her mouth. "Follow me, and keep your
eyes open," he ordered.
She nodded, and slowly, silently, they worked they way back toward the
farmhouse, intent on warning the others.
They never got the chance.
TBC.......