A/N: Thanks to those who have reviewed.
For Every Action 3
Mac swept the back of her hand over her forehead and shook the beads of sweat and humidity from her short cap of chestnut hair. The run from the BOQ to the base bridge had been easy enough. The town was small and built on the ship building industry which was very clear at 7 am—all the traffic headed over the bridge toward the ship yard and NAVSTA Pascagoula. Mac had followed the traffic over the soon to close drawbridge to the long,low bridge leading onto to the base. As she approached she saw that three of the five ships home ported in Trent Lott's hometown were in port along with a Coast Guard cutter. Taking the pace brisk and steady, she checked her jogging shorts for her credentials. She paused as she approached the guard shack, and pulled the identification from her pocket. The guard gave her a once-over and waved her onto the base. Consulting her flawless internal clock, she knew she had an hour before their appointment with the base C.O. Jogging toward the squatty buildings at the south end of the base, she noticed very little activity on this section of the base. A small park graced on corner of a grassy hill. She'd known there was very little housing on base, but she was amazed by the actually sized the postage stamp size base. The gym facilities were probably the biggest buildings on base. Thinking of other bases, including Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mac wondered why additional housing had been built in the form of high rise buildings; she'd ask later. She grinned as she saw the pool and basketball courts. Adjusting the shoulder straps of her pack, she stopped at a wash wall and stretched her loose muscles. Feeling ten times more human than when she's woken up, Mac walked into the women's locker room and took a hot shower. Twenty five minutes later she was the picture of health and professionalism. She walked briskly from the gym to the base's main building and looked around for Harm. Shrugging, she headed into the building. And ran smack into Lt. Colonel Gregory.
"Good morning, Ma'am." he said with a smile.
"Good morning, Mister Gregory." she nodded and bent to pick up the legal pad she'd dropped. "Since you're here, maybe you can direct to the C.O.'s office?"
"Yes, Ma'am. I actually just took you partener up there." he said leading her toward the stairs.
"Harm's here already?" she asked slightly shocked.
"Yes, Ma'am. He called me from the gym here on base." He opened the door to the third floor. "I was under the impression you meeting here."
"We are." Mac turned and caught a glimpse of the view. She lingered over the blue water and the barely visible islands on the horizon. "Gregory?"
"Yes, Ma'am?" He answered coming to stand behind her at the window.
" I noticed there are no high rise quarters here. Why?"
"Hurricanes, Ma'am." He pointed to the islands on the horizon, "Those are barrier islands. The trees planted in specifically planned rows break the brunt of the wind, but having low buildings is safer this far south in the gulf."
She nodded and thought how sad it was that the view went to waste. Rolling her shoulders she turned to follow Gregory only to find Harm's eyes glaring at her.
Gregory felt the tension and shook his head. "Look who I ran into, Commander."
"I see." Harm nodded. "Good morning, Colonel."
"Commander." she responded in kind. Looking at the Marine, she thanked him and started to walk away.
"Colonel?"
"Yes?" she turned to face him. Gregory saw the look on the Commander's face and threw caution to t he wind.
"There's a concert on one of the ships tonight. Their band plays about once a month to raise funds for Homecoming parties." he stopped and took in the absolute rage in Harm's eyes. "I've got an extra pass. Wanna come with?"
Mac nodded. "Sounds like fun." She turned to face Harm. This however will not be fun. Sighing she made her way past Harm into Admiral Welting's office.
The Admiral's yeoman nodded at the Colonel and went back to typing swiftly on her computer. Harm sat down next to Mac and glared. "What?" she asked quietly.
"Nothing." Harm ground out between his teeth.
"On come on, Harm. I know you better than that." She sighed and rubbed at a temple. "What have I done now?"
"Not here. Not now."
"Fine." she whispered hoarsely as she caught the yeoman trying to suppress a grin. Then the Admiral buzzed for them. The next hour was spent going over evidence and asking questions. Unfortunately, the ship's C.O. Commander Self wouldn't be back from a family vacation until the next day. The Admiral dismissed the pair who were met downstairs by a golf cart. They took the two available seats wordlessly and rode across the tiny base in chilly silence.
~*2*~
Harm walked into his room and stripped off his blouse. He was more angry after spending the last three hours with her than he ever remembered being. Nothing. Obviously nothing I said or did penetrated that thick Marine skull of hers. He wanted to scream. Three hours in the Gates makeshift evidence lock up and they still had no solid leads on the three murders. But damn if I'm not that much closer to committing murder myself. He sighed and collapsed on to the bed. Seconds later he heard the water running in the bathroom his room shared with Mac's. Getting up from the bed, he knocked on the bathroom door. "Mac?"
"Yeah?"
"What're you doing?"
"Lt. Colonel Gregory is picking me up at 1700. I figured I get a bath, then read the notes I took. I might even take a nap." She let the sarcasm seep into her voice slowly.
"I just don't think going out with anyone involved in the investigation is a good idea." Harm called through the door. He was surprised seconds later when the door was ripped open and a gorgeous, towel clad, if furious Marine stood in front of him. If looks could kill, I'd have die a torturous death by now.
"Commander," Mac started putting every bit of her anger, frustration, and hurt into her voice. "That is a decision you have no right to comment on. Besides. Having a lengthy pointlessargumentwith you is not on my schedule right now."
"Since when?" Harm shot back at her. "Since when are we no longer friends? Since when do you no longer have time for me?"
"Since Friday night—or rather Saturday afternoon." she stated blandly but with significant force—and slammed the door in his face.
Harm was mad, livid in fact, so he ripped the bathroom door open set to begin a tirade the likes of which Mac would never forget. Instead he was stopped by the door between her room and the bathroom. Without thinking, Harm pulled the door open with enough force to rattle the hinges. "I cannot believe you're behaving like a --" The insult died in his throat, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. There was Mac, dangerously close to the image he'd seen that day he'd fallen out of the Admiral's chair. "Oh." He said then went completely mute.
"Harm!" Mac grumbled as he pulled the door open. Seeing his expression, she turned on him. "Get a grip, Sailor. You act like you've never seen a naked d Marine before." She tried to joke as she put one arm in her robe and struggled to reach the other arm. Suddenly Harm was no longer frozen in place. In two strides he had her wrapped in his arms, his mouth crushed to hers possessively, hungrily. Mac caught her breath. She wanted to moan with relief; she wanted to melt against him; she wanted to given in to all the emotions and sensations running riotously through her body. Instead she stiffened and put her hands firmly on his chest and pushed him away. "This is not happening, Harmon Rabb Jr." she got into her robe, picked up the low cut, high hemmed sun dress she'd chosen for the evening, and stalked past him into the bathroom—and locked the door. Harm paced silently around the room, and waited for her to open the door. When she did open the door an hour later, he lost the power of speech again. She stood there anger and frustration still bubbling just under the surface while soft green fabric covered and clung to every curve, a sliver flower pendant hung just above the dress' neckline at the curve of her breasts. Harm had nearly recovered when the knock sounded on the door. As she walked past him, she grabbed an handful of his t-shirt. "Being violently insulted or treated like a randy teenager does not count as foreplay in my book, Rabb." She let him go and picked up her new beaded purse. "You'll do well to remember that if you plan to leave Mississippi in tact." She said quietly, calmly, with a pointed look at his manhood. Harm swallowed with difficultly and watched at she left with Lt. Colonel Gregory.
Jackass. He berated himself as he shuffled back to his room.