Author's Note: *Throws head back and cackles evilly*
* * *
Wednesday, 0700 hours
Mac awoke slowly, trying to ward off the sunshine that invaded her room. "Too early," she groaned. Raising herself into a sitting position, she checked her bedside clock. "Okay, maybe not really that early."
She stood up, stretching her arms skywards and rolling her neck back to ease out cramps. Her husband, she noticed, had already left. A note on the dining table revealed his whereabouts. He always left notes for her when he left early. She thought he might have worked out by now that she knew where he was going, but every time, without fail, he would leave a note. She was much more flippant, usually the thought of leaving a note never crossed her mind. They complimented each other, and she loved that about them.
Making her way to the fridge, she poured herself an orange juice and popped two pieces of bread in the toaster. She looked towards her right and noticed the phone. Smiling to herself, she picked up the receiver and dialed a well-used number.
"Hello?" asked a familiar voice on the other end of the line.
"Harriet?"
"Mac!" she heard an excited shriek. The Marine smiled.
"Hey!"
"It's been ages!" Harriet smiled.
"I know. Things have been so hectic here, what with work and all. Huge caseload."
"It's just so great to here from you!"
"I'm lucky you answered, I kind of thought you might be at JAG headquarters already but... obviously not."
"Oh, AJ has a cold, poor thing. I had a couple of days leave owing so I took them to take care of him."
Mac leant her hip up against the bench and smiled. "I bet he's all grown up now."
"I wish you could see him. He's growing up into quite the handsome boy."
Mac sighed. "I bet he is. I loved the last set of photos by the way." She paused. "Five years. Has it really been five years?"
"Yeah it has. We all miss you... especially..."
"Harriet, I don't want to talk about that. Please."
"That's okay, really. So how is Daniel? How long have you two been married now? Nearly two years."
"Yeah, two years." Mac idly fiddled with her wedding ring. "Two years..." she repeated softly.
"Is it working out with you two?"
"Yeah, everything... everything is fine."
"You paused. What does the pause mean?"
"I did not pause."
"You did!"
"I didn't!"
"Are you sure?"
"I did not pause!" Mac gave an agitated sigh and lowered her voice. "I didn't pause. So how is everyone at the office?"
"Harm's... he never took you leaving JAG well, you know."
"Harriet, it's been five years. Tell me he's gone on a date or... something."
"Oh, there's been a string of girls... but he doesn't really care about any of them, really. Not like he cared about..."
"Harriet," Mac warned, voice flat.
"He's been with the latest one for longer than any of the others. I think its because she looks sort of like you. But her hair's longer. And she's a bit shorter. And..." gossiped the younger woman.
"Harriet, please." Mac sighed. She checked her wristwatch. "Hey I have to go. I still have to work, even though I'm not in Washington anymore. Have a great day. Hope AJ gets better. My love to Bud!"
"And Harm?"
"Bye, Harriet." Mac placed the receiver down and shook her head. It was time to go to work.
* * *
Harm drove along idly in the traffic, paying just enough attention so he didn't hit another car, but not enough that he really observed his surroundings.
His indolent thoughts were suddenly broken by the steady ringing of his cell phone.
"Rabb," he said dully.
"Harm?" asked a female voice.
"Katie. Hi."
"You left this morning," she said, making her low, husky voice whine ever so slightly.
"Yeah, well, you know work and all."
"I had a great time last night," she purred.
"Yeah," Harm said, voice bored, "So did I."
"Is everything alright?"
"No," he thought to himself. "Yes," he answered into the receiver.
"So I'll see you tonight?" "Ah, no. Lot's of work," Harm lied. Physically, she was very similar to a certain Marine, like every other woman he had seen since she had left but... none of them were her. That was his problem.
"Am I sensing that you don't want to see me?" He could almost see her rouge darkened lips forming into a pout.
"Yes," his mind screamed. "No," he answered.
"Hey look, if you are just going to keep dicking around and doing this whole non-committal thing, then don't expect to here from me again. Nice knowing you."
Click.
Harm placed his phone down. He guessed she was right. He probably should have paid her more attention but... he didn't see the point. Hadn't seen the point in anything, really, since Mac had left.
Five years.
An eternity to him.
"... if you're just going to keep dicking around and doing this whole non- committal thing, then don't expect to here from me again..." Katie's words came back to hit him like a punch to the gut.
How true those words were. "Don't expect to here from me again..."
Well, Mac hadn't actually said that. The first few years she had written almost once a month. He had replied to about seven of them. Then there had been an invite to a wedding, two years ago. Her wedding. He knew the Admiral, Sturgis, Harriet and Bud had flown out to see her and had returned with photos and stories of what had been a wedding to die for. Harm had seen a photo of the 'happy couple' on Harriet's desk. Mac, looking more beautiful than he had ever seen her, with a handsome man with his arms around her waist. Both of them looked completely happy, laughing and totally at ease with each other.
What was his name... Derek? David? Heck, he couldn't even remember her husband's name. The fact that he didn't particularly want to remember it probably didn't help, but what kind of best friend did that make him?
Ex-best friend.
Of a woman he hadn't seen in five years.
Of a woman he hadn't stopped thinking about for five years.
Of the woman he was still in love with after five years.
Harm changed lanes.
Her leaving had been messy, bad as hell.
In hindsight, he realised, he had pretty much told her to go. Hadn't tried to stop her, hadn't realised, until it was too late. He guessed she had finally had enough of him.
Harm sighed. "... Non-committal thing..." That's what it came down to really. He hadn't been willing to commit to her and it had cost him his best friend, partner and the only woman he had ever really loved.
The only woman...
"Damn..."
* * *
Author's Note: *Dodges flying chairs from people who think she has been really evil. Glares at the person who had the nerve to throw an elephant* Oh come on! Like I was going to write a happy, nice, lovey-dovey fic. Please. This is me. But you know you want more... more twists ahead... watch out!
* * *
Wednesday, 0700 hours
Mac awoke slowly, trying to ward off the sunshine that invaded her room. "Too early," she groaned. Raising herself into a sitting position, she checked her bedside clock. "Okay, maybe not really that early."
She stood up, stretching her arms skywards and rolling her neck back to ease out cramps. Her husband, she noticed, had already left. A note on the dining table revealed his whereabouts. He always left notes for her when he left early. She thought he might have worked out by now that she knew where he was going, but every time, without fail, he would leave a note. She was much more flippant, usually the thought of leaving a note never crossed her mind. They complimented each other, and she loved that about them.
Making her way to the fridge, she poured herself an orange juice and popped two pieces of bread in the toaster. She looked towards her right and noticed the phone. Smiling to herself, she picked up the receiver and dialed a well-used number.
"Hello?" asked a familiar voice on the other end of the line.
"Harriet?"
"Mac!" she heard an excited shriek. The Marine smiled.
"Hey!"
"It's been ages!" Harriet smiled.
"I know. Things have been so hectic here, what with work and all. Huge caseload."
"It's just so great to here from you!"
"I'm lucky you answered, I kind of thought you might be at JAG headquarters already but... obviously not."
"Oh, AJ has a cold, poor thing. I had a couple of days leave owing so I took them to take care of him."
Mac leant her hip up against the bench and smiled. "I bet he's all grown up now."
"I wish you could see him. He's growing up into quite the handsome boy."
Mac sighed. "I bet he is. I loved the last set of photos by the way." She paused. "Five years. Has it really been five years?"
"Yeah it has. We all miss you... especially..."
"Harriet, I don't want to talk about that. Please."
"That's okay, really. So how is Daniel? How long have you two been married now? Nearly two years."
"Yeah, two years." Mac idly fiddled with her wedding ring. "Two years..." she repeated softly.
"Is it working out with you two?"
"Yeah, everything... everything is fine."
"You paused. What does the pause mean?"
"I did not pause."
"You did!"
"I didn't!"
"Are you sure?"
"I did not pause!" Mac gave an agitated sigh and lowered her voice. "I didn't pause. So how is everyone at the office?"
"Harm's... he never took you leaving JAG well, you know."
"Harriet, it's been five years. Tell me he's gone on a date or... something."
"Oh, there's been a string of girls... but he doesn't really care about any of them, really. Not like he cared about..."
"Harriet," Mac warned, voice flat.
"He's been with the latest one for longer than any of the others. I think its because she looks sort of like you. But her hair's longer. And she's a bit shorter. And..." gossiped the younger woman.
"Harriet, please." Mac sighed. She checked her wristwatch. "Hey I have to go. I still have to work, even though I'm not in Washington anymore. Have a great day. Hope AJ gets better. My love to Bud!"
"And Harm?"
"Bye, Harriet." Mac placed the receiver down and shook her head. It was time to go to work.
* * *
Harm drove along idly in the traffic, paying just enough attention so he didn't hit another car, but not enough that he really observed his surroundings.
His indolent thoughts were suddenly broken by the steady ringing of his cell phone.
"Rabb," he said dully.
"Harm?" asked a female voice.
"Katie. Hi."
"You left this morning," she said, making her low, husky voice whine ever so slightly.
"Yeah, well, you know work and all."
"I had a great time last night," she purred.
"Yeah," Harm said, voice bored, "So did I."
"Is everything alright?"
"No," he thought to himself. "Yes," he answered into the receiver.
"So I'll see you tonight?" "Ah, no. Lot's of work," Harm lied. Physically, she was very similar to a certain Marine, like every other woman he had seen since she had left but... none of them were her. That was his problem.
"Am I sensing that you don't want to see me?" He could almost see her rouge darkened lips forming into a pout.
"Yes," his mind screamed. "No," he answered.
"Hey look, if you are just going to keep dicking around and doing this whole non-committal thing, then don't expect to here from me again. Nice knowing you."
Click.
Harm placed his phone down. He guessed she was right. He probably should have paid her more attention but... he didn't see the point. Hadn't seen the point in anything, really, since Mac had left.
Five years.
An eternity to him.
"... if you're just going to keep dicking around and doing this whole non- committal thing, then don't expect to here from me again..." Katie's words came back to hit him like a punch to the gut.
How true those words were. "Don't expect to here from me again..."
Well, Mac hadn't actually said that. The first few years she had written almost once a month. He had replied to about seven of them. Then there had been an invite to a wedding, two years ago. Her wedding. He knew the Admiral, Sturgis, Harriet and Bud had flown out to see her and had returned with photos and stories of what had been a wedding to die for. Harm had seen a photo of the 'happy couple' on Harriet's desk. Mac, looking more beautiful than he had ever seen her, with a handsome man with his arms around her waist. Both of them looked completely happy, laughing and totally at ease with each other.
What was his name... Derek? David? Heck, he couldn't even remember her husband's name. The fact that he didn't particularly want to remember it probably didn't help, but what kind of best friend did that make him?
Ex-best friend.
Of a woman he hadn't seen in five years.
Of a woman he hadn't stopped thinking about for five years.
Of the woman he was still in love with after five years.
Harm changed lanes.
Her leaving had been messy, bad as hell.
In hindsight, he realised, he had pretty much told her to go. Hadn't tried to stop her, hadn't realised, until it was too late. He guessed she had finally had enough of him.
Harm sighed. "... Non-committal thing..." That's what it came down to really. He hadn't been willing to commit to her and it had cost him his best friend, partner and the only woman he had ever really loved.
The only woman...
"Damn..."
* * *
Author's Note: *Dodges flying chairs from people who think she has been really evil. Glares at the person who had the nerve to throw an elephant* Oh come on! Like I was going to write a happy, nice, lovey-dovey fic. Please. This is me. But you know you want more... more twists ahead... watch out!