Mac's Apartment
Georgetown
14 November 2003
20:30 Eastern
Harm and Mac had decided to start working on their reading after a dinner of lo mein and egg foo yung. Dishes in the dishwasher and table cleared, they pulled out their texts and began to read their respective parts to themselves in preparation for their dialogue.
"Harm," Mac said. "I should have asked Meredith the other night, but how do you suppose this line is supposed to be read?" She pointed to a line in her book, leaning toward Harm. He got up and moved around the corner of the table to stand behind her. He leaned over her shoulder to read what she was pointing to. It was little hard to focus with the heady combination of her perfume and the angle allowing him a glimpse down her sweater. He couldn't really see anything, but his breath quickened at the cleavage exposed to him.
Forcing himself to look at the page before he actually started to drool on her shoulder he asked, "What are you pointing at, Mac?"
"Right here," she said. "'manhood is melted into curtsies'. I think I'm calling you a girly-man, squid!" she laughed.
"Very funny," Harm smirked and sat back down, the spell broken. "I think I recover well, in the end."
"True, true," Mac returned, still laughing.
They got along so well now. Over the last year or so, they had settled into a comfortable routine that involved dinner a couple of times a week, weekends spent in his plane, running, picnics, and trips to the museums to 'look at bones' as Harm referred to Mac's love of paleontology. She wasn't sure if they were going anywhere with the relationship, but she didn't see any need to rock the boat either. They'd been through such a rough time in the past few years; she just wanted to enjoy their friendship again.
They read the scene together, still joking and laughing late into the evening. Agreeing to meet for a run and then breakfast, they decided they had done enough work on their scene for the time being, and said goodnight.
Mac's Apartment Georgetown 16 November 2003 18:30 Eastern
Mac spent her Sunday with Harm, having convinced him that getting in some early Christmas shopping would pay off in the long run. She couldn't believe he'd agreed. They met at the Pentagon Mall, had lunch in the food court, and picked up gifts for Bud, Harriet, and little AJ. Harm found a golf club that he knew his stepfather Frank had been looking for, and Mac bought a book on fossils to send to her Uncle Matt. They didn't finish all of their shopping, but they had accomplished quite a bit.
Harm helped Mac up to her apartment with her packages. At Mac's suggestion, he brought his gifts upstairs, too. She suggested that he come over one afternoon or evening in the coming weeks and they could wrap them all together.
"Mac," Harm said, after putting the bags in the closet. "I'm going to head home. I feel like I just spent a day in boot camp, for crying out loud. How can shopping be so tiring?"
"No guts, no glory, sailor," Mac smiled. She was tired, too, so she walked him to the door. "Thanks for helping me bring everything upstairs."
"Anytime, jarhead," Harm slipped his arms around her for a quick hug. That was a bit of a surprise for Mac, but nothing compared to her surprise when, as he pulled back from the hug, he leaned in to brush a kiss to her forehead. He flashed her a tired smile and then headed down the hall to the steps.
Mac held the door open for a minute to watch him walk away with a dazed smile on her face. At the end of the hall, he turned again to see her standing there. He stopped and faced her. "Go inside and lock the door," He ordered. "I'm not leaving until I hear that click."
Mac eyes started to well up at the tenderness of the gesture, and she lowered her head quickly and laughed to cover herself. She then offered him a crooked smile, a "Good night, Harm," and closed the door. She turned the deadbolt until it clicked. Outside Harm turned again, and continued down the steps.
Mac's POV:
How is it possible to love him more everyday? How is it possible for him to do yet another thing that will make me love him even more today than I did yesterday? He is so protective of me, even when I tell he doesn't have to, I'm a marine, I can handle it. And I can. But it's so nice to know that he's there for me whenever I need him, and even when I don't.
'I do love nothing in the world so well as you' Benedick says to Beatrice. It's not Harm saying it to Sarah. But sometimes . . . sometimes it seems as if I am precious to him. Just now, looking at me in the hallway, his look was almost possessive. But I'm probably seeing what I want to see, not what's right in front of me. If he felt that way, why wouldn't he just tell me? I've certainly tacked my heart onto my sleeve often enough. Heck if I'm going to be stepping out onto that limb anytime soon.
Even so, I think I'll be able to say my line 'I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest' more easily than I can sit there calmly while he reads Benedick's line that he loves me more than anything. Confessing the truth to him in the name of a fictional character will be a walk in the park compared to hearing the man I love so very much say the words I so very much want to hear, knowing that he's not really saying them, not to me.
Recognizing that she was starting to talk herself into a case of the blues, Mac shook herself out of the mood. 'Some people never have a friend at all, much less a friendship like ours. If that's all there is, so be it.' With a soft smile, she moved to the bathroom to treat herself to a bubble bath, to smooth out the rough edges of the day, and bubble away the blues.
Harm's POV
Walking away from her gets harder every time. I'm really tired tonight, and so was she, so it wasn't quite as difficult as it usually is. But if she'd offered, I'd have curled up right there on her floor, wrapped around her, in a heartbeat.
I'm beginning to question the wisdom of getting involved with this play reading business. It's almost torture, saying all of these things to Beatrice as Benedick, when I want to say them to Sarah as Harm. What would she do? Probably run away again. I've screwed up so many times with her I couldn't blame her.
Our friendship is at its best right now, and we are really enjoying each other. Best to leave well enough alone, and take what she's willing to give me.
*************** Following that one practice session during which nothing was really accomplished, work assignments conspired to keep Harm and Mac apart. It was not possible for them to practice their scene, except over the phone. They actually tried it once but each time they got started, one of them would start laughing. They gave up, content instead to catch up on one another's activities. They were supposed to meet with Meredith the week before the reading, but it had to be Mac alone, as Harm was on an investigation at Miramar. Meredith reviewed some of the logistics and asked if Mac had any questions, or knew if Harm did. Figuring that they both had done enough improvising in a court room, she assured Meredith that they would be fine. Before they knew it, it was Wednesday, 3 December, and their turn to read had arrived. And they hadn't even laid eyes on one another since that Sunday evening in mid-November . . .
To be continued.
Harm and Mac had decided to start working on their reading after a dinner of lo mein and egg foo yung. Dishes in the dishwasher and table cleared, they pulled out their texts and began to read their respective parts to themselves in preparation for their dialogue.
"Harm," Mac said. "I should have asked Meredith the other night, but how do you suppose this line is supposed to be read?" She pointed to a line in her book, leaning toward Harm. He got up and moved around the corner of the table to stand behind her. He leaned over her shoulder to read what she was pointing to. It was little hard to focus with the heady combination of her perfume and the angle allowing him a glimpse down her sweater. He couldn't really see anything, but his breath quickened at the cleavage exposed to him.
Forcing himself to look at the page before he actually started to drool on her shoulder he asked, "What are you pointing at, Mac?"
"Right here," she said. "'manhood is melted into curtsies'. I think I'm calling you a girly-man, squid!" she laughed.
"Very funny," Harm smirked and sat back down, the spell broken. "I think I recover well, in the end."
"True, true," Mac returned, still laughing.
They got along so well now. Over the last year or so, they had settled into a comfortable routine that involved dinner a couple of times a week, weekends spent in his plane, running, picnics, and trips to the museums to 'look at bones' as Harm referred to Mac's love of paleontology. She wasn't sure if they were going anywhere with the relationship, but she didn't see any need to rock the boat either. They'd been through such a rough time in the past few years; she just wanted to enjoy their friendship again.
They read the scene together, still joking and laughing late into the evening. Agreeing to meet for a run and then breakfast, they decided they had done enough work on their scene for the time being, and said goodnight.
Mac's Apartment Georgetown 16 November 2003 18:30 Eastern
Mac spent her Sunday with Harm, having convinced him that getting in some early Christmas shopping would pay off in the long run. She couldn't believe he'd agreed. They met at the Pentagon Mall, had lunch in the food court, and picked up gifts for Bud, Harriet, and little AJ. Harm found a golf club that he knew his stepfather Frank had been looking for, and Mac bought a book on fossils to send to her Uncle Matt. They didn't finish all of their shopping, but they had accomplished quite a bit.
Harm helped Mac up to her apartment with her packages. At Mac's suggestion, he brought his gifts upstairs, too. She suggested that he come over one afternoon or evening in the coming weeks and they could wrap them all together.
"Mac," Harm said, after putting the bags in the closet. "I'm going to head home. I feel like I just spent a day in boot camp, for crying out loud. How can shopping be so tiring?"
"No guts, no glory, sailor," Mac smiled. She was tired, too, so she walked him to the door. "Thanks for helping me bring everything upstairs."
"Anytime, jarhead," Harm slipped his arms around her for a quick hug. That was a bit of a surprise for Mac, but nothing compared to her surprise when, as he pulled back from the hug, he leaned in to brush a kiss to her forehead. He flashed her a tired smile and then headed down the hall to the steps.
Mac held the door open for a minute to watch him walk away with a dazed smile on her face. At the end of the hall, he turned again to see her standing there. He stopped and faced her. "Go inside and lock the door," He ordered. "I'm not leaving until I hear that click."
Mac eyes started to well up at the tenderness of the gesture, and she lowered her head quickly and laughed to cover herself. She then offered him a crooked smile, a "Good night, Harm," and closed the door. She turned the deadbolt until it clicked. Outside Harm turned again, and continued down the steps.
Mac's POV:
How is it possible to love him more everyday? How is it possible for him to do yet another thing that will make me love him even more today than I did yesterday? He is so protective of me, even when I tell he doesn't have to, I'm a marine, I can handle it. And I can. But it's so nice to know that he's there for me whenever I need him, and even when I don't.
'I do love nothing in the world so well as you' Benedick says to Beatrice. It's not Harm saying it to Sarah. But sometimes . . . sometimes it seems as if I am precious to him. Just now, looking at me in the hallway, his look was almost possessive. But I'm probably seeing what I want to see, not what's right in front of me. If he felt that way, why wouldn't he just tell me? I've certainly tacked my heart onto my sleeve often enough. Heck if I'm going to be stepping out onto that limb anytime soon.
Even so, I think I'll be able to say my line 'I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest' more easily than I can sit there calmly while he reads Benedick's line that he loves me more than anything. Confessing the truth to him in the name of a fictional character will be a walk in the park compared to hearing the man I love so very much say the words I so very much want to hear, knowing that he's not really saying them, not to me.
Recognizing that she was starting to talk herself into a case of the blues, Mac shook herself out of the mood. 'Some people never have a friend at all, much less a friendship like ours. If that's all there is, so be it.' With a soft smile, she moved to the bathroom to treat herself to a bubble bath, to smooth out the rough edges of the day, and bubble away the blues.
Harm's POV
Walking away from her gets harder every time. I'm really tired tonight, and so was she, so it wasn't quite as difficult as it usually is. But if she'd offered, I'd have curled up right there on her floor, wrapped around her, in a heartbeat.
I'm beginning to question the wisdom of getting involved with this play reading business. It's almost torture, saying all of these things to Beatrice as Benedick, when I want to say them to Sarah as Harm. What would she do? Probably run away again. I've screwed up so many times with her I couldn't blame her.
Our friendship is at its best right now, and we are really enjoying each other. Best to leave well enough alone, and take what she's willing to give me.
*************** Following that one practice session during which nothing was really accomplished, work assignments conspired to keep Harm and Mac apart. It was not possible for them to practice their scene, except over the phone. They actually tried it once but each time they got started, one of them would start laughing. They gave up, content instead to catch up on one another's activities. They were supposed to meet with Meredith the week before the reading, but it had to be Mac alone, as Harm was on an investigation at Miramar. Meredith reviewed some of the logistics and asked if Mac had any questions, or knew if Harm did. Figuring that they both had done enough improvising in a court room, she assured Meredith that they would be fine. Before they knew it, it was Wednesday, 3 December, and their turn to read had arrived. And they hadn't even laid eyes on one another since that Sunday evening in mid-November . . .
To be continued.