Title: Hunted (3/6)
Rating: PG-13 (slight language, violence, and an adult situation)
Spoilers: "The Stalker" and late season 6/early season 7
Part 3
*
Mac rolled over and rubbed her eyes. It was exactly six o'clock, as always.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept that long or that well. Glancing at the other side of the bed, it looked like it always did - smooth and not slept in.
But she could've sworn...
Maybe I just dreamed Harm was here with me, Mac thought, giving her head a shake. He must've at least carried me here since I certainly don't remember getting here myself.
She looked down.
Not to mention I'm still in my clothes. Obviously, Harm's proximity is starting to get to me, she tried to rationalize.
"Harm?" she called.
He popped his head in the door. "Yes?"
"Oh, I was just wondering if you were up."
"Yeah, have been for about half an hour."
"Okay."
"Breakfast is ready when you are," he said.
"All right." She looked down at her rumpled clothes again. "I think I'll take a shower and change first."
"Okay," Harm said, leaving.
How was he going to explain last night if she knew?
He'd just have to tell her outright that he didn't want to wait anymore, and be prepared to face what she faced in Sydney - rejection.
If he didn't know Mac better, he'd think this was revenge. But it wasn't. A lot had happened in the last six months, and he knew she wanted to put some time and distance between those events and their possible future.
And the waiting was killing him.
He thought it was odd how your situation and another person's could switch so completely. His current situation was a cruel irony indeed.
He wouldn't breathe a word about last night if she didn't know. It would have to be his little secret for the moment, the only thing that got him through last night.
If somebody didn't find Coster, and fast, he didn't know what they were going to do. Straight to work and back, cooped up in this apartment like caged animals, there was only so much to do.
It was far too dangerous for Mac to go anywhere alone. Coster could snatch her up at any time, and there wouldn't be a tracking device to lead him to her this time.
Mac broke his thoughts as she came into the kitchen and sat down at the table, her hair still wet.
"So, what's the plan for today?" she asked.
Harm looked at her sympathetically. "The same, I'm afraid. Except we need to go to my place after work, so I can pick up a few more things."
"Okay," she sighed. "Anybody from the police department call?"
"Nope, sorry."
"Yeah, me, too."
"He's playing very hard to get, Mac. The phone call's all we've got, and we don't even know where he made that from."
"Probably a pay phone down the street," Mac muttered. "I'm sorry," she shrugged. "I just think I'm losing my mind."
"Me, too," he said, and he meant it in more ways than one. "I'm gonna take a shower now, if that's okay."
"Sure," Mac said.
It was going to be another long day for them both.
*
"I'll just be a couple of minutes, but you'd better come up, too," Harm said, as they pulled into his lot.
"It's not a problem," Mac said.
They took the rickety elevator up to Harm's apartment in silence. Harm exited the elevator first, and he was immediately glad he'd brought his gun with him. He'd stopped in the middle of the hall, and Mac almost ran into him.
"Harm..." she started, but then she saw what he saw. "Oh, God."
The door to Harm's apartment was wide open, and the scene inside was one of disaster.
Harm kept Mac behind him as he held his gun at the ready, and walked through the door. He doubted anyone was still inside, but he was almost certain who *had* been.
All of the furniture was turned over, far from its original location, and there were papers all over the living room from the desk. The kitchen was worse. Broken glasses and other dishes littered the tile floor.
They inspected the bedroom next, and found all the drawers hanging open and empty. The only thing left untouched in the entire apartment was Harm's bed.
In the middle of the perfectly made up bed was a single sheet of plain, white paper.
Harm picked it up and read the two words printed in bold, red letters: SHE'S MINE.
He looked at Mac. She looked as if she was about to be sick.
"How could...? Why?" she asked no one in particular, about to cry. It was the first time she'd shown any sign of total breakdown since the whole thing started. "Your stuff..."
"Is just stuff," Harm sighed. Broken glass could be replaced, the rest could be picked up, but what about Mac? This guy had gone far beyond losing it.
Harm pulled out his cell phone and gestured for Mac to take a seat on the bed.
"By the time this is over, we are apparently going to be very well acquainted with the DCPD," he said, dialing the already familiar number.
"Great," Mac said flatly. She hoped she found Coster first. If she did, she was going to rip him apart with her bare hands. It was plenty to come after her, but the man she loved, too...
She couldn't fight that anymore, she sure of that now. It just wasn't something she could deal with at the moment, she had to make that sicko pay first.
"They'll be here in a few minutes, for all the good it's going to do," Harm said, clicking his phone shut.
Mac's eyes filled with tears, but she wasn't about to let them spill over. "This is my fault, Harm. You shouldn't be involved in this, it'll only get you..." She put her hand over her mouth to stifle a sob. Taking a deep breath and swallowing, she finished, "It'll only get you killed."
"Mac, I already told you it wouldn't. This is not your fault," Harm said, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hands.
"But, Harm, you don't know what could happen. Nobody knows."
"No, we don't. But I'm going to keep *us* as safe as possible. And again, this is not your fault. It's Coster's and you had nothing to do with it."
Mac wiped her eyes and looked away from him. "I know. I didn't mean it like that, that came out wrong. I meant it's my problem."
"It's our problem," Harm said firmly.
There was a knock on the door before Mac could reply.
Harm stood up to answer the door with a regretful look.
They finally came face to face with Lieutenant Cane. He was about Mac's height with sandy hair and dark eyes. He was younger than Harm, but rather average looking. He wouldn't have been easy to spot out on the street.
"Commander Rabb?" he asked.
Harm shook his hand. "Yes, and this is Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie," he said, indicating Mac.
"I'd say 'nice to meet you', but under the circumstances..."
Mac smiled slightly. "It's okay."
Cane took a look around. "Well, needless to say he didn't tiptoe through here, Commander. You do something to especially piss this guy off?"
"Yeah. I helped send him to jail," Harm replied.
Cane turned around. "Martin, scour the place for prints." He turned back to Harm and Mac. "Anything in particular you think we should check for prints?" he asked them.
"He left a note in the bedroom," Harm said, pointing to his room.
Cane nodded at Martin, and as soon as the photographer was done, he brought back the note.
"She's mine," Cane read out loud. "Does he have any reason to think you're anybody's, Colonel MacKenzie?"
She glanced uncomfortably at Harm. "Uh, no, my last relationship ended about six months ago."
"But I'm assuming he's referring to the Commander here, since he broke into his apartment to leave this note. Wouldn't you say that's what's going on here?"
"Yes, but we're just friends."
"Apparently our suspect doesn't think so," Cane said, regarding Harm and Mac suspiciously. "You're staying with her?" he directed at Harm.
"Yeah," he answered. "We've been through this before, so we figured it would be safer if she wasn't alone. No matter how many guards are outside."
"I can understand your concern," Cane assured them. "I don't think there's a whole lot you can do here. We'll have to cordon it off, because for now it's a crime scene."
"Great," Harm said.
"You might want to think of another place to stay besides the Colonel's apartment, too. If he knows where that is, you might not be safe no matter what."
"We'll take that under consideration," Mac said.
A couple of minutes later, Harm thanked the officers and escorted Mac out of the apartment.
"This is just fantastic," Mac said when they were back in the car. "Why can't someone catch him?"
"I don't know, Mac, but we might need to rethink where we're staying."
"And where are we going to go?"
Harm sighed. "That's the part I haven't figured out yet."
Mac leaned her head back against the seat.
"I might have an idea," Harm said suddenly.
*
"Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but really, under the circumstances..." Harm trailed off.
"No, Harm," A.J. said with a thoughtful frown. "It's not a bother. I'm actually glad you came to me.
"I have a small cabin in the mountains. It's nice though, livable, well-equipped. I could give you about a week off, you could go up there, lay low, see if Coster makes a move again. I could send a couple of military guards up there with you, just in case."
"I really appreciate all of this, sir. I hate to cause this much trouble," Mac said.
"I already said it's no trouble, Mac. I want you two in one piece, and this nutjob caught, and if that means giving you a few days off, then so be it. Do you want to head up there tonight?"
"We might as well, sir," Harm said. "I just don't know what Coster will do when we disappear. If he does nothing, we're wasting our time."
"They might catch him where he's staying, maybe he'll slip up in a public place," the Admiral shrugged. "You never know."
"That's true, sir," Mac agreed.
"I'll get you the key, make a call for the guards, and you can be on your way."
Mac smiled, and the Admiral headed for the kitchen.
She wanted to tell Harm 'we can't do this', but as of right now, they didn't have much of a choice.
Small cabin, close quarters, Harm in pursuit, her defenses breaking down...
She might be in even bigger trouble in hiding.
The Admiral came back with two keys, breaking into her inappropriate thoughts. She tried to keep from blushing as she looked up again.
"Sir, I can't think you enough," she said.
"Don't thank me," he replied. "Just stay safe, Mac."
"Yes, sir."
As they got up to leave, Harm and A.J. shared a look that said everything. Don't let anything happen to her; guard her with your life.
Rating: PG-13 (slight language, violence, and an adult situation)
Spoilers: "The Stalker" and late season 6/early season 7
Part 3
*
Mac rolled over and rubbed her eyes. It was exactly six o'clock, as always.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept that long or that well. Glancing at the other side of the bed, it looked like it always did - smooth and not slept in.
But she could've sworn...
Maybe I just dreamed Harm was here with me, Mac thought, giving her head a shake. He must've at least carried me here since I certainly don't remember getting here myself.
She looked down.
Not to mention I'm still in my clothes. Obviously, Harm's proximity is starting to get to me, she tried to rationalize.
"Harm?" she called.
He popped his head in the door. "Yes?"
"Oh, I was just wondering if you were up."
"Yeah, have been for about half an hour."
"Okay."
"Breakfast is ready when you are," he said.
"All right." She looked down at her rumpled clothes again. "I think I'll take a shower and change first."
"Okay," Harm said, leaving.
How was he going to explain last night if she knew?
He'd just have to tell her outright that he didn't want to wait anymore, and be prepared to face what she faced in Sydney - rejection.
If he didn't know Mac better, he'd think this was revenge. But it wasn't. A lot had happened in the last six months, and he knew she wanted to put some time and distance between those events and their possible future.
And the waiting was killing him.
He thought it was odd how your situation and another person's could switch so completely. His current situation was a cruel irony indeed.
He wouldn't breathe a word about last night if she didn't know. It would have to be his little secret for the moment, the only thing that got him through last night.
If somebody didn't find Coster, and fast, he didn't know what they were going to do. Straight to work and back, cooped up in this apartment like caged animals, there was only so much to do.
It was far too dangerous for Mac to go anywhere alone. Coster could snatch her up at any time, and there wouldn't be a tracking device to lead him to her this time.
Mac broke his thoughts as she came into the kitchen and sat down at the table, her hair still wet.
"So, what's the plan for today?" she asked.
Harm looked at her sympathetically. "The same, I'm afraid. Except we need to go to my place after work, so I can pick up a few more things."
"Okay," she sighed. "Anybody from the police department call?"
"Nope, sorry."
"Yeah, me, too."
"He's playing very hard to get, Mac. The phone call's all we've got, and we don't even know where he made that from."
"Probably a pay phone down the street," Mac muttered. "I'm sorry," she shrugged. "I just think I'm losing my mind."
"Me, too," he said, and he meant it in more ways than one. "I'm gonna take a shower now, if that's okay."
"Sure," Mac said.
It was going to be another long day for them both.
*
"I'll just be a couple of minutes, but you'd better come up, too," Harm said, as they pulled into his lot.
"It's not a problem," Mac said.
They took the rickety elevator up to Harm's apartment in silence. Harm exited the elevator first, and he was immediately glad he'd brought his gun with him. He'd stopped in the middle of the hall, and Mac almost ran into him.
"Harm..." she started, but then she saw what he saw. "Oh, God."
The door to Harm's apartment was wide open, and the scene inside was one of disaster.
Harm kept Mac behind him as he held his gun at the ready, and walked through the door. He doubted anyone was still inside, but he was almost certain who *had* been.
All of the furniture was turned over, far from its original location, and there were papers all over the living room from the desk. The kitchen was worse. Broken glasses and other dishes littered the tile floor.
They inspected the bedroom next, and found all the drawers hanging open and empty. The only thing left untouched in the entire apartment was Harm's bed.
In the middle of the perfectly made up bed was a single sheet of plain, white paper.
Harm picked it up and read the two words printed in bold, red letters: SHE'S MINE.
He looked at Mac. She looked as if she was about to be sick.
"How could...? Why?" she asked no one in particular, about to cry. It was the first time she'd shown any sign of total breakdown since the whole thing started. "Your stuff..."
"Is just stuff," Harm sighed. Broken glass could be replaced, the rest could be picked up, but what about Mac? This guy had gone far beyond losing it.
Harm pulled out his cell phone and gestured for Mac to take a seat on the bed.
"By the time this is over, we are apparently going to be very well acquainted with the DCPD," he said, dialing the already familiar number.
"Great," Mac said flatly. She hoped she found Coster first. If she did, she was going to rip him apart with her bare hands. It was plenty to come after her, but the man she loved, too...
She couldn't fight that anymore, she sure of that now. It just wasn't something she could deal with at the moment, she had to make that sicko pay first.
"They'll be here in a few minutes, for all the good it's going to do," Harm said, clicking his phone shut.
Mac's eyes filled with tears, but she wasn't about to let them spill over. "This is my fault, Harm. You shouldn't be involved in this, it'll only get you..." She put her hand over her mouth to stifle a sob. Taking a deep breath and swallowing, she finished, "It'll only get you killed."
"Mac, I already told you it wouldn't. This is not your fault," Harm said, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hands.
"But, Harm, you don't know what could happen. Nobody knows."
"No, we don't. But I'm going to keep *us* as safe as possible. And again, this is not your fault. It's Coster's and you had nothing to do with it."
Mac wiped her eyes and looked away from him. "I know. I didn't mean it like that, that came out wrong. I meant it's my problem."
"It's our problem," Harm said firmly.
There was a knock on the door before Mac could reply.
Harm stood up to answer the door with a regretful look.
They finally came face to face with Lieutenant Cane. He was about Mac's height with sandy hair and dark eyes. He was younger than Harm, but rather average looking. He wouldn't have been easy to spot out on the street.
"Commander Rabb?" he asked.
Harm shook his hand. "Yes, and this is Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie," he said, indicating Mac.
"I'd say 'nice to meet you', but under the circumstances..."
Mac smiled slightly. "It's okay."
Cane took a look around. "Well, needless to say he didn't tiptoe through here, Commander. You do something to especially piss this guy off?"
"Yeah. I helped send him to jail," Harm replied.
Cane turned around. "Martin, scour the place for prints." He turned back to Harm and Mac. "Anything in particular you think we should check for prints?" he asked them.
"He left a note in the bedroom," Harm said, pointing to his room.
Cane nodded at Martin, and as soon as the photographer was done, he brought back the note.
"She's mine," Cane read out loud. "Does he have any reason to think you're anybody's, Colonel MacKenzie?"
She glanced uncomfortably at Harm. "Uh, no, my last relationship ended about six months ago."
"But I'm assuming he's referring to the Commander here, since he broke into his apartment to leave this note. Wouldn't you say that's what's going on here?"
"Yes, but we're just friends."
"Apparently our suspect doesn't think so," Cane said, regarding Harm and Mac suspiciously. "You're staying with her?" he directed at Harm.
"Yeah," he answered. "We've been through this before, so we figured it would be safer if she wasn't alone. No matter how many guards are outside."
"I can understand your concern," Cane assured them. "I don't think there's a whole lot you can do here. We'll have to cordon it off, because for now it's a crime scene."
"Great," Harm said.
"You might want to think of another place to stay besides the Colonel's apartment, too. If he knows where that is, you might not be safe no matter what."
"We'll take that under consideration," Mac said.
A couple of minutes later, Harm thanked the officers and escorted Mac out of the apartment.
"This is just fantastic," Mac said when they were back in the car. "Why can't someone catch him?"
"I don't know, Mac, but we might need to rethink where we're staying."
"And where are we going to go?"
Harm sighed. "That's the part I haven't figured out yet."
Mac leaned her head back against the seat.
"I might have an idea," Harm said suddenly.
*
"Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but really, under the circumstances..." Harm trailed off.
"No, Harm," A.J. said with a thoughtful frown. "It's not a bother. I'm actually glad you came to me.
"I have a small cabin in the mountains. It's nice though, livable, well-equipped. I could give you about a week off, you could go up there, lay low, see if Coster makes a move again. I could send a couple of military guards up there with you, just in case."
"I really appreciate all of this, sir. I hate to cause this much trouble," Mac said.
"I already said it's no trouble, Mac. I want you two in one piece, and this nutjob caught, and if that means giving you a few days off, then so be it. Do you want to head up there tonight?"
"We might as well, sir," Harm said. "I just don't know what Coster will do when we disappear. If he does nothing, we're wasting our time."
"They might catch him where he's staying, maybe he'll slip up in a public place," the Admiral shrugged. "You never know."
"That's true, sir," Mac agreed.
"I'll get you the key, make a call for the guards, and you can be on your way."
Mac smiled, and the Admiral headed for the kitchen.
She wanted to tell Harm 'we can't do this', but as of right now, they didn't have much of a choice.
Small cabin, close quarters, Harm in pursuit, her defenses breaking down...
She might be in even bigger trouble in hiding.
The Admiral came back with two keys, breaking into her inappropriate thoughts. She tried to keep from blushing as she looked up again.
"Sir, I can't think you enough," she said.
"Don't thank me," he replied. "Just stay safe, Mac."
"Yes, sir."
As they got up to leave, Harm and A.J. shared a look that said everything. Don't let anything happen to her; guard her with your life.
