The Ring Part 2/2
Disclaimer - See part one for all important information
"I was holding the ring for a friend. You were to get this last night." Sturgis handed her a jeweler's box.
Bobbie opened the box and saw the heart shaped pendant and necklace that Sturgis bought her the other day. She touched the pendant and somehow knew that this fit them better then the ring. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I was nervous. You looked at that ring and I knew that you were planning your future. I couldn't hurt you like that last night."
"So you decided to hurt me now?" Bobbie asked as a tear fell across her face.
Sturgis quickly moved the floor kneeling in front of her. "I don't want to hurt you. It was an accident that you got the ring. But I've been thinking about it things ever since you slipped it on your finger."
"What have you been thinking?"
Sturgis looked in her eyes, "That maybe the two of us should talk about our future before I put a ring on your finger for real."
Bobbie slipped the ring off her finger and took the necklace and pendent out of the box. "Can you clasp this for me?"
"I would love to," Sturgis said as he fastened the necklace around Bobbie's neck.
Bobbie handed him the ring and he placed it in the empty jewelry box. "I'm sorry, Bobbie."
"I know," Bobbie sighed. "Who were you holding the ring for?"
"Harm."
Bobbie thought for a second. "Harm's seeing someone?"
"Yeah, I was surprised when he bought the ring."
"Who's he dating?"
"He said he would tell me after she said yes." Sturgis then kissed Bobbie gently on the lips. "Are we okay?"
"We're fine. But we do need to talk."
"And I want to talk," Sturgis reassured Bobbie as he slowly got lost in her eyes.
Mac's Apartment
Same time
"Duck sauce, please." Mac said to Harm as they sat on the floor in front of her coffee table eating their dinner.
"Duck sauce." Harm handed her the packet and watched her open it and place it on her egg roll.
Mac then took a bite and Harm laughed as some of the duck sauces landed on side of her mouth. He leaned over and kissed her lip, "You had some duck sauce right there."
"Since when do you need an excuse to kiss me?"
"Haven't had to have one for awhile, come to think of it."
"You know I still can't believe that Sturgis and Bobbie are getting married."
"They love each other," Harm told her.
Mac rolled her eyes. "I hear it's a good thing to be in love if you get married."
Harm laughed and nearly choked on the rice he was eating, "Don't make smart comments when I'm eating."
Mac then thought for a minute about Bobbie and Sturgis. "Sturgis looked a little nervous when we ran into them this afternoon."
"I think he is still adjusting to the idea of getting married."
"He bought the ring, he knew about it before she did." Mac pointed out as she took the rice from Harm and gave him the Lo Mein noodles.
"There is a huge difference from having a ring and having a girl wear your ring." Harm took a bit of the noodles.
Mac placed the rice on the table and gave Harm a serious look. "Really?"
"Yeah. Having the ring means that you still have time to ask her. Once she's got the ring your future is getting planned."
"And what do you see in the future?"
Harm placed the noodles next to the rice and thought for a second. "More."
"More what?"
"The whole thing, the house, dog, mini-van, and kids," Harm said locking his gaze with hers.
Mac's eyes smiled back at him, "Do you want that?"
"Yes."
"You really all want that?"
"Yes."
"You're not just saying this because an ex is getting married." Mac asked wanting to make sure he was sure.
Harm kissed her gently then took a hold of her hands. "I'm saying this because I want you to know that I want us to have a future together. And that I love you very much."
"I love you." Mac kissed him.
Harm smiled as he pulled away from her lips. "You know what else I want more of?"
"What?" Mac asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"This." Ham then kissed her again on the lips. "And this." He started to trail kisses down her neck.
Mac laughed softly at the man who was assaulting her with his lips. "Do I get anything out of this?"
Harm lifted his head from her neck, "Yeah, you get this." Harm then pushed her down onto the floor and started kissing her again as Mac's laughter floated through the apartment.
Friday February 16
JAG
8:02 AM
Sturgis walked into Harm's office. "Delivery service."
"How did Bobbie take it?" Harm said taking the ring from Sturgis.
"Surprisingly well." Sturgis sat down in front of Harm's desk.
Harm looked at the ring, then at Sturgis, "I'm sorry for the trouble."
"No problem. Last night we talked and sorted things out. That ring probably helped us more then you think."
"How so?" Harm asked, raising his eyebrows in question.
"We've decided to work towards that. Believe it or not: she might actually want to spend the rest of her life with me."
"Hey, she couldn't pick a better guy," Harm smiled.
Sturgis stood up. "The same with your girl." Then he left the office.
JAG
5:05 PM
"Hey, are you going to Bud and Harriet's After Valentine's Day Bash tonight?" Mac asked as she stood in the door frame of Harm's office.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Harm looked at his watch. "What time does it start?"
"Eight, gives everyone a chance to get out of uniform and relax."
Harm looked up at Mac. "I need to go out to the mall and return something. I can pick you up before I head over for the party."
"I told Harriet I'd help her set up for the party and watch AJ."
"Then I will see you at the party," Harm smiled at her.
"See you then," Mac said before she left.
Bud and Harriet's House
Bud and Harriet's After Valentine's Day Bash
8:12 PM
"Hey Mac," Bobbie said as she walked over to Mac standing by the punch bowl.
"Hey." Mac greeted Bobbie. "How are you?"
"Good. You?" Bobbie filled a glass with punch.
"Fine." Mac glanced at Bobbie's hand and noticed the ring was missing, "Where's your ring?"
Bobbie laughed and looked over at the kitchen, "Let's go into the kitchen and I'll tell you."
Mac and Bobbie walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. Bobbie took a breath. "Sturgis accidentally gave me the ring."
Mac looked at Bobbie with disbelief. "How do you accidentally give someone an engagement ring?"
Bobbie laughed, "My thought exactly, but he said he was holding it for a friend. When he went to hand me my Valentine's gift he gave me the ring instead of this." Bobbie pointed to the necklace and pendant she was wearing.
"Nice." Mac commented on the necklace. "So whom was he holding the ring for?"
Bobbie looked through the doorway to make sure that no one was listening to their conversation. "Harm."
"Harm?"
"Yeah, Sturgis said that he has been dating someone and he wants to marry her."
"Really?"
"Any idea who she is?" Bobbie asked.
Mac pretended to think for a minute. "No. I wasn't aware he was dating anyone."
Bobbie was going to say something but Sturgis walked into the kitchen, "Hey. I was wondering where you two were."
"Just chatting about the ring," Bobbie said as Sturgis stood near the table.
"Yeah, Bobbie was telling me about the mistake. I think she should nominate you for the 'Boyfriend Hall of Shame Award' under the Screw-Up category," Mac joked.
Sturgis laughed. "It wasn't one of my finer moments." He then paused and decided to change the conversation away from him and onto a better target. "Where's Harm?"
"He had to go to the mall and return something," Mac informed the couple. Then it dawned on Mac what Harm was doing and she felt her emotions getting the better of her. "Excuse me."
Sturgis and Bobbie then watched as Mac left the room. Bobbie got very concerned about Mac. "I wonder what's wrong with Mac."
"I wonder, too." Sturgis then paused and smiled at Bobbie. "I'm sure she'll be fine. Come on Meredith wants to talk to you."
"Okay," Bobbie said as Sturgis held his hand to help Bobbie out of her seat.
They walked into the living room as Harm entered the house into the house. Harm stopped Sturgis and smiled. "Hey guys."
"Hello Harm," Bobbie and Sturgis said.
Harm looked around the room. "Where's Mac?"
"We were in the kitchen talking and she excused herself," Bobbie explained.
"I'm sure she'll turn up," Harm said as Meredith and the Admiral approached the three of them.
Mac was standing on the back porch giving herself a pep talk. 'So Harm bought an engagement ring and returned it today. Maybe he changed his mind. It's no big deal, he doesn't know that you know. So nothing to worry about. Just act normal and don't worry about it.' She took a deep breath of cold air and walked back into the house.
"Where did you go?" Harriet asked Mac noticing her standing near the glass door.
"I needed some fresh air," Mac said to Harriet.
Harriet gave Mac a motherly look. "You should have taken your coat. It's getting cold out there."
Mac rolled her eyes, smiling. "Yes, Mom."
Harriet then laughed at her friend and herself. "What's so funny?" The Admiral asked as he saw Mac and Harriet laughing.
"The Colonel decided to step outside and I was just reprimanding her for not wearing a coat, Sir," Harriet explained.
"You know better than that, Colonel," the Admiral jokingly stated.
Mac chuckled. "Yes, Sir."
Harm caught Mac's laughter in the air and walked over to her as Harriet and the Admiral walked away. "I was looking for you."
"Found me. Should I go hide again?" Mac asked trying to keep the conversation light.
"What do I get if I find you?" Harm asked raising one eyebrow at her and giving her his seductive look.
"What would you want?"
"I can give you a list of things I want to do. But I can't tell you now."
Mac chuckled. "How about I let you get me a drink. Harriet has my favorite juice."
"Sounds fair enough." Then they walked over to the refreshment area.
10:31 PM
As the night went on, more of the JAG crew came and talked with each other about different things. Everyone was finding themselves impressed with Bud and Harriet's party and the relaxed atmosphere. Conversation about the world, family events, and friends filled the rooms of the house, excluding the kitchen which Harriet declared off limits.
Harm noticed the Mac was acting a little strange towards him. He also noticed that they really didn't have a minute alone all evening. He wanted to get a moment alone to talk to her so he followed her into the kitchen as she brought in an empty tray. "If I didn't know any better I would say you were trying to avoid me," Harm said as he leaned against the doorway.
"I'm not avoiding you. I told Harriet I would help her tonight," Mac said as she put the tray in the dishwasher.
Harm took a breath. "I know there is something bothering you. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm just getting a slight headache," Mac lied closing the dishwasher as Harm took a few steps near her to see her better.
"After seven years of knowing each other you think you would know that you can't lie to me. Your lip still does that little turn up thing," Harm told her. "Now tell me what's wrong."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Well, I think we should. What's wrong?"
Mac exhaled deeply. "Bobbie told me about the ring."
"Can you believe that Sturgis did that?" Harm joked.
"She told me that he was holding onto the ring for you." Mac crossed her arms and leaned against the counter top.
Harm looked at the floor for a second knowing that Mac was smart enough to put two and two together. "Yeah, I bought the ring. I asked Sturgis to hold onto it for me."
"And you returned it today."
"Yeah." Harm then looked in her eyes and noticed sadness in there.
"I can't do this, Harm."
"Can't do what?"
"I can't play this game. Where you're not ready to move to the next step. I thought we stopped this game a few months ago," Mac said as the tears welled up in her eyes.
"Mac, let me explain."
"No, don't. You told me enough last night. And then I find out about this. So why should I believe whatever you're going to say now." Mac paused to catch a breath as she felt her voice break, "You said that you wanted more, but you're not ready for it."
"Mac, I'm sorry."
"So am I." Mac then started to walk of the kitchen.
Harm knew that she was going to leave and he quickly realized she wasn't going to let him explain. "Mac." He grabbed her hand as she passed by him.
"What?" She asked as he moved to stand in front of her to prevent her from leaving.
"I don't want it to end this way," he said as a tear fell down her face.
"Then why did you say those things last night?"
"I meant those things last night. But right now everything is different." Harm took a breath. "I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore."
Mac closed her eyes. "Fine, then let me leave," she whispered as her voice broke.
"No, you need to listen to me."
"Why? So you can hurt me more," Mac said a little louder to him.
"No, so I can explain why I can't be your boyfriend."
"I really don't want to hear this." Mac felt her anger grow.
Harm reached into his pocket with his free hand. "I can't be your fiancé if I'm still your boyfriend."
Mac blinked and looked into his eyes in shock. He released her hand and opened the box in his hand to revel a one and half carat diamond with emeralds and sapphires surrounding it. "I couldn't give you the other ring since you already saw it on Bobbie's hand. So I returned it and got this one. I was planning on asking you tomorrow night. But I figured that I better ask now, because if I don't you might not be talking to me tomorrow."
Mac tried not to smile at him as he stood there with the ring in his hand. But she smiled anyway. "You're an idiot."
Harm smiled at her. "Am I your idiot?"
Mac roughly wiped the tears from her eyes and took a ragged breath. "Are you going to ask me to marry you or do you just buy rings for the hell of it?"
Harm laughed knowing that if she had a smart comment for him, he was forgiven. "You're going to make me do this the hard way."
Mac shook her head and laughed slightly. Harm smiled and he got down on one knee in front of her. "Mac, you're my best friend and I love you. Will you marry me?"
"You're still an idiot," Mac softly said to him as a tear fell from her eye.
"Is that a yes?" Harm looked up at her with his hope-filled eyes.
"No." Mac pulled his hand up and Harm stood next to her. Mac placed a hand on the back of his neck, pulled him closer, and passionately kissed him. "That is a yes," she whispered as they broke apart. They then shared another kiss.
As the second kiss ended Harm took Mac's left hand into his and slipped the ring on to her finger. "I love you," he whispered as a tear escaped his eye.
Mac placed her hand on his cheek and gently kissed his lips. "I love you, too."
Harm pulled Mac into a hug and held her tight against him as he said "I love you," over and over again while she was crying softly.
At the doorway stood Harriet, Bobbie, Sturgis, Bud, and the Admiral. All five of them were smiling at their two friends. Bobbie and Harriet were crying softly at the romantic scene in front of them while the three males were very proud and happy for the couple holding each other in the middle of the kitchen.
The Admiral put his usual gruff expression on and cleared his throat, letting Harm and Mac know that they were being watched. Harm let Mac out of the hug but kept her hand in his. "Commander, you do realize that you could have done that better?"
"I know that, Sir, but think we'll tell this story to our grand-kids." Harm smiled at the Admiral.
"Colonel, you do know what you're getting yourself into?"
Mac looked at Harm then the Admiral. "No Sir. But that should make it more exciting."
The Admiral then took a step closer and his face broke out into a smile. "Congratulations." He held his hand out and shook Harm's hand. Then he gave a Mac a hug.
Bobbie and Harriet walked into the kitchen and walked into the kitchen and gave Mac a hug and 'ohhed' and 'awed' over the ring. Sturgis and Bud jovially patted Harm on the back. Sturgis and Bud then hugged Mac and a kissed her on the cheek as Bobbie and Harriet told Harm what a great job he did with the ring.
Harriet smiled at the newly engaged couple. "So when did you two start dating?"
"New Year's," Mac said as Harm kissed her hand that he was again holding in his.
Everyone looked at each other as they remembered what Harriet told them on New Year's Eve Party at the Admirals house. 'Whatever you do at the stoke of midnight on New Year's is what you'll end up doing for the majority of the next year.'
Sturgis then looked at Harm and Mac. "So what were you two doing at the stroke or midnight on New Year's?"
Everyone looked at them as their cheeks started to blush. Harm finally spoke up. "Something that I hope we do every New Year's Eve."
"Mac?" The Admiral said.
"Yes, Sir," Mac said with a smile.
"Anything to add."
Mac thought for a second. "We might want to meet Monday morning and discuss things, Sir."
The Admiral was about to respond when Meredith walked into the kitchen. "Harriet, I thought you declared the kitchen off limits."
"I did, but for what happened I think I'll let the rule be broken," Harriet said looking at Meredith then her friends.
"What happened?" Meredith asked.
"Harriet, Bud since this is your party would you mind if we announced it to everyone?" Harm asked.
"We would love it, Sir," Bud said as he and Harriet smiled widely.
"No time like the present," Mac suggested.
The group then walked into the living room and made their announcement.
The End…