Woohoo! I was 15 as of 10:15am this morning, the 27th of February! Yay! And
this is the birthday edition of this story. Ha, ha.
A big thank you to all the darlings who review. Thank you very much. (By the way, ~*~*~*~*~*~* lines are indicative of the start and finish of a flashback scene... ooh, a flashback scene! I've always wanted to write one of them, hehehehe.)
* * *
Mac turned and left the Admiral's office, vaguely wondering why Harm had been recalled.
As she had stood in the office she had tried so hard not to acknowledge his presence and had prayed that no one else had noticed the bucket loads of tension stretched between them.
Yeah, right.
As if they wouldn't notice when the air between them was so constricting it was unbreathable.
She sighed as she entered her office, closed the door and sat down at her desk. She idly began thumbing through her files. As the Admiral had said, they were fairly easy cases. She could knock them all over in a couple of weeks. Most wouldn't even have to go to trial. As she sluggishly and almost uncomprehendingly read through them, she reflected on why she and Harm were so tense.
When she had left, sure, it had been kind of sudden and they hadn't had a lot of time to say goodbye. But he was her best friend. She had expected him to understand.
Then she had gotten married. That had hit him harder than anything else had. She supposed that had their positions been reversed, she would have been a bit upset. But what was he assuming? That she couldn't love anyone? That she wasn't allowed to love anyone?
Dropping the file in her hands, she leant back in the chair, chewing the end of her pen thoughtfully. She closed her eyes and began replaying their last conversation before her departure in her head.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They were at the Admiral's house.
Drinks, to wish her good luck and bon voyage.
At about nine o'clock, she had quietly left the living room and snuck out into the Admiral's back yard. She thought no one had noticed her, but one person had.
She had been standing in the middle of the yard, head tilted backwards to stare at the full moon that had graced the sky that night, its shadowy silver orb blocking out the full brilliance of the stars. A soft, warm summer breeze was blowing softly on her face. The grass was slightly damp from a shower that afternoon and she could feel the cold remnants of the water on the grass tickle her bare feet. She had kicked off her strap sandals and left them at the back door. The light from the house reached to just behind her heels and a soft jazz tune was emanating from the stereo.
"Why are you leaving?"
She didn't even jump at the sound of the soft voice behind her. She didn't need to turn around, or even hear him to know who it was. She had felt his presence as soon as he had entered the back yard.
She fought to keep the shake out of her voice.
"Its time for a change. I've got a great opportunity and I'm going to take it."
She judged him to be about three metres behind her when he spoke again.
"Why are you really leaving?"
She was momentarily confused by his response, and was glad she had her back to him in the darkness.
"I just told you," she said weakly, though she knew exactly what he was talking about and knew that she was lying through her teeth if she thought that the pathetic excuse she had just given him was the reason for her departure.
"No you didn't," his voice was low and quiet.
This time she jumped. Without realising it, he had crept up right behind her. When he spoke, his breath warmed the back of her neck and caused goosebumps to shoot up her arms.
"I..."
"Be honest, Mac. If for nothing but the fact that we have been friends for six years, be honest." His voice was louder now, harsher.
She stammered something incomprehensible and took a step forward, away from him.
He reached out and snagged her arm, pulling her hard around to face him. She winced slightly as he twisted her arm.
His face only inches from hers, he asked again, a slight note of demand entering his voice, "Give me a reason, a real one this time."
She stubbornly raised her chin to fix him with a glare. Her eyes met his and she saw something she had never seen in his eyes before as he stared steady back at her, that she couldn't quite place. She dropped her gaze.
"I don't have to justify my ever action to you, Harm," she snapped, pulling away angrily and moving towards the house. She heard him sigh behind her and for the slightest moment she paused, waiting to hear if he had anything to say. Silence. She started moving again, and that was when he spoke.
"No, you don't. But I'd like to know why, Sarah," he said, so quietly she almost didn't catch the words. Her eyes widened and she felt her resolve tremble slightly. She could count on one hand the number of times he had used her name.
He moved up behind her again and laid a gentle hand on her back.
"Sarah?"
This time she managed to look him in the eyes, him gazing steadily back at her. Before she knew what was happening, he had quickly lowered his head and softly brushed his lips against hers. Almost as abruptly, he pulled away.
"I shouldn't have done that," he murmured, more to himself than to her.
She was shaking slightly. "I have to go now," she had mumbled, and walked back into the bright lights of the party, leaving him standing alone in the wet grass.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In her office, Mac snapped out of her daydream. The clock on the wall read five o'clock. Without realising it, her whole day at JAG had basically been and gone.
She began methodically packing up her things and closing down for the night. It was then that she remembered that she had to find something to do till eleven o'clock. The stubborn part of her was no way in hell going to admit to Daniel that she'd lied about the office taking her out for drinks. She decided to cruise by the JAG crew's favourite bar and order a coke, like she'd said.
Mac shut the windows and walked into the bullpen, leaving her traumatic first day and Harm behind.
* * *
I'll try to have the next chapter up by the weekend, Sunday at the very latest. Oh and by the way, I'm having a complete mental blank, what is the name of the bar that all the JAG crew goes to a lot? I know it somewhere in the back of my brain and it will probably come to me when I least expect, like in the history exam but... any help on this would be appreciated! Thanks!
A big thank you to all the darlings who review. Thank you very much. (By the way, ~*~*~*~*~*~* lines are indicative of the start and finish of a flashback scene... ooh, a flashback scene! I've always wanted to write one of them, hehehehe.)
* * *
Mac turned and left the Admiral's office, vaguely wondering why Harm had been recalled.
As she had stood in the office she had tried so hard not to acknowledge his presence and had prayed that no one else had noticed the bucket loads of tension stretched between them.
Yeah, right.
As if they wouldn't notice when the air between them was so constricting it was unbreathable.
She sighed as she entered her office, closed the door and sat down at her desk. She idly began thumbing through her files. As the Admiral had said, they were fairly easy cases. She could knock them all over in a couple of weeks. Most wouldn't even have to go to trial. As she sluggishly and almost uncomprehendingly read through them, she reflected on why she and Harm were so tense.
When she had left, sure, it had been kind of sudden and they hadn't had a lot of time to say goodbye. But he was her best friend. She had expected him to understand.
Then she had gotten married. That had hit him harder than anything else had. She supposed that had their positions been reversed, she would have been a bit upset. But what was he assuming? That she couldn't love anyone? That she wasn't allowed to love anyone?
Dropping the file in her hands, she leant back in the chair, chewing the end of her pen thoughtfully. She closed her eyes and began replaying their last conversation before her departure in her head.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They were at the Admiral's house.
Drinks, to wish her good luck and bon voyage.
At about nine o'clock, she had quietly left the living room and snuck out into the Admiral's back yard. She thought no one had noticed her, but one person had.
She had been standing in the middle of the yard, head tilted backwards to stare at the full moon that had graced the sky that night, its shadowy silver orb blocking out the full brilliance of the stars. A soft, warm summer breeze was blowing softly on her face. The grass was slightly damp from a shower that afternoon and she could feel the cold remnants of the water on the grass tickle her bare feet. She had kicked off her strap sandals and left them at the back door. The light from the house reached to just behind her heels and a soft jazz tune was emanating from the stereo.
"Why are you leaving?"
She didn't even jump at the sound of the soft voice behind her. She didn't need to turn around, or even hear him to know who it was. She had felt his presence as soon as he had entered the back yard.
She fought to keep the shake out of her voice.
"Its time for a change. I've got a great opportunity and I'm going to take it."
She judged him to be about three metres behind her when he spoke again.
"Why are you really leaving?"
She was momentarily confused by his response, and was glad she had her back to him in the darkness.
"I just told you," she said weakly, though she knew exactly what he was talking about and knew that she was lying through her teeth if she thought that the pathetic excuse she had just given him was the reason for her departure.
"No you didn't," his voice was low and quiet.
This time she jumped. Without realising it, he had crept up right behind her. When he spoke, his breath warmed the back of her neck and caused goosebumps to shoot up her arms.
"I..."
"Be honest, Mac. If for nothing but the fact that we have been friends for six years, be honest." His voice was louder now, harsher.
She stammered something incomprehensible and took a step forward, away from him.
He reached out and snagged her arm, pulling her hard around to face him. She winced slightly as he twisted her arm.
His face only inches from hers, he asked again, a slight note of demand entering his voice, "Give me a reason, a real one this time."
She stubbornly raised her chin to fix him with a glare. Her eyes met his and she saw something she had never seen in his eyes before as he stared steady back at her, that she couldn't quite place. She dropped her gaze.
"I don't have to justify my ever action to you, Harm," she snapped, pulling away angrily and moving towards the house. She heard him sigh behind her and for the slightest moment she paused, waiting to hear if he had anything to say. Silence. She started moving again, and that was when he spoke.
"No, you don't. But I'd like to know why, Sarah," he said, so quietly she almost didn't catch the words. Her eyes widened and she felt her resolve tremble slightly. She could count on one hand the number of times he had used her name.
He moved up behind her again and laid a gentle hand on her back.
"Sarah?"
This time she managed to look him in the eyes, him gazing steadily back at her. Before she knew what was happening, he had quickly lowered his head and softly brushed his lips against hers. Almost as abruptly, he pulled away.
"I shouldn't have done that," he murmured, more to himself than to her.
She was shaking slightly. "I have to go now," she had mumbled, and walked back into the bright lights of the party, leaving him standing alone in the wet grass.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In her office, Mac snapped out of her daydream. The clock on the wall read five o'clock. Without realising it, her whole day at JAG had basically been and gone.
She began methodically packing up her things and closing down for the night. It was then that she remembered that she had to find something to do till eleven o'clock. The stubborn part of her was no way in hell going to admit to Daniel that she'd lied about the office taking her out for drinks. She decided to cruise by the JAG crew's favourite bar and order a coke, like she'd said.
Mac shut the windows and walked into the bullpen, leaving her traumatic first day and Harm behind.
* * *
I'll try to have the next chapter up by the weekend, Sunday at the very latest. Oh and by the way, I'm having a complete mental blank, what is the name of the bar that all the JAG crew goes to a lot? I know it somewhere in the back of my brain and it will probably come to me when I least expect, like in the history exam but... any help on this would be appreciated! Thanks!