Title - Course of Love Part 1/9

Author name - Carol

E-mail - writestories315@yahoo.com
Rating - G

Spoilers - Episodes implied but none really stated.
Disclaimer - Don't own them, only borrowing for amusement and manipulation.

Summary - "The course of true love never did run smooth." -Shakespeare

Author thanks - Lots of thanks to Dae for beta reading this and tolerating my many punctuation mistakes. -Smiles-

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May 23, 2013

9:45 AM

Rabb House

Arlington, VA

"Boys are dorks!"  Chloe Madison shouted as she stormed into the kitchen and roughly sat down at the kitchen table. Harm set the Saturday paper down on the table and looked at her.  Chloe glared, "Well, they are."

"Honey, you want to take this one,"  Harm said to Mac who was leaning against the kitchen counter, drinking her coffee.

"I would have to agree with her,"  Mac responded with a smile.

"What did Andrew and David do now?"  Harm ignored his wife's comment as his attention returned to the young woman in front of him. 

This young woman who at one time was on top of an elevator and now attending American University for her master's degree.  When Chloe started her freshman year at Georgetown she chose to live in the dorm and hated it.  Harm and Mac offered her a room in their house and Chloe quickly accepted. Chloe had been living with them for the past six years and had watched the couple live together. She especially enjoyed how they loved their family of four small children, to which Chloe was a big sister/aunt. 

Chloe took a deep breath, "Harm, think about that question for a minute.  Andrew is nine and David is four."

"So if it's not my sons then it's an actual boy."

"Gee, now I know why you're an admiral,"  Chloe sarcastically stated as she rolled her eyes.

"Chloe, getting sarcastic with Harm might make you feel better.  But it won't help your problem,"  Mac interjected as she sat down at the table,  "Now tell us what's wrong."

"Last night at the Coffee Shop Cindy asked me if Matt and I were dating."

"You're too young to date,"  Harm fatherly stated to Chloe.

"I'll be twenty-five in four months." 

"Mac,"  Harm whined trying to get her support.

Mac looked at Chloe and ignored Harm's whining. "Why did Cindy ask you that?"

"She doesn't think a guy and a girl can be best friends.  So since Matt and I hang out, Cindy along with other people think we're dating,"  Chloe explained.

"So how does this make boys dorks?"  Mac asked.

"This morning Matt and I went jogging. After our jog we went to his place for breakfast and to review for our final on Monday. Well, I told Matt what Cindy said and he acted like a total jerk.  He ignored everything I was saying and he said that if we were meant to be more he would know.  But right now we're just friends and that's all he can see us as. So needless to say we're fighting and I'm talking about my personal life with you two."  Chloe rested her head in her hands and sighed heavily.

"Do you want to date Matt?"  Mac asked as Harm's eyes bulged out of his head.

"He's my best friend,"  Chloe defended herself.

"Answer the question?"  Mac said to her little sister.

"I'm not on trial, Mac." 

"I know, honey.  I just need to know the answer to help you out,"  Mac explained.

"I care about him a lot.  But I don't know if I want us to get involved because of our friendship,"  Chloe said sounding like a scared little girl.

Mac looked at Harm and smiled softly. "Sound familiar?"

Harm chuckled slightly. "Sure does."

"What sounds familiar?"  Chloe asked.

"I used those same words about ten years ago," Harm said.

"Now paging confused party of one.  Your table is ready,"  Chloe said as she found herself lost in their conversation.

"You know how Harm and I were before we got married?"

"Best friends, I was at your wedding," Chloe stated. 

"You were but you weren't there for the months before it."  Mac twirled her wedding ring and engagement ring on her finger.

"We talked every week, Mac." 

Mac chuckled. "You were fourteen.  Do you really think I told you everything that happened with us?"

Chloe looked at Harm as he covered his mouth to hide a smile.  "No, I don't think you did."

"How about a story then?"  Mac asked.

"Will it help?"  Chloe responded.

Harm looked at Chloe. "It should."  Chloe shook her head.

"The both of us had made a lot of mistakes with each other and lost a part of our friendship.  So we started to rebuild it.  It took time and lots of understanding.  It took so much time that we didn't realize how our friends were interpreting the time we were spending together,"  Mac explained.

"You're best friends, best friends spend time together,"  Chloe stated the fact she used when talking to Cindy earlier in the day.

"Right,"  Harm said,  "But our friends thought there was more then just friendship between us."

"You're married now so there was,"  Chloe said.

"There was but we didn't know that.  You can see it from the outside, but the view from inside is always different.  So different in fact that our friends thought we were dating.  When we weren't," Harm said, hoping the Chloe would understand.

"So how did you two start dating?"  Chloe asked.

Mac gave her little sister a smile. "It all started one night when a group of us went to Benzinger's after we won a case against Bud and Sturgis.  While Harm, Sturgis and Bud were playing a game of pool, I was sitting at the table with Harriet and Bobbie, just talking about different things."  Mac paused and let her mind drift back to that night.  "Well, Bobbie suddenly changed the course of the conversation when she asked me…"

FLASHBACK - 10 years earlier

Friday May 2, 2003

10:32 PM

Benzinger's

"So, Mac, how would you describe Harm in bed?"  Bobbie asked as she took a sip of her drink.

Mac choked on the tonic water she was drinking when Bobbie asked the question. "What?!" 

"Harm in bed,"  Bobbie said with a smile.

"What?" 

"Come on, you can tell us,"  Harriet said with a grin.

Mac stared at Bobbie and Harriet in disbelief. "We're not sleeping together."

Bobbie smiled sweetly. "So you two are waiting, there's nothing wrong with that."

"That's so sweet,"  Harriet added.

"What are you two talking about?"  Mac asked quickly as she placed her drink back on the table.

"You two have been dating for a while,"  Harriet stated.

"We're not dating,"  Mac said to the two women.

"Mac, you don't need to hide this from us, we see it."  Bobbie coyly smiled.

"See what?"  Mac asked, still in shock.

"Everything,"  Harriet stated, holding her hands out in front of herself in an exaggerated measure to convey her point.

"What in the world would give you two the idea that Harm and I are dating?"  Mac asked, not understanding where Harriet and Bobbie were seeing this.

Bobbie smiled. "You spend a lot of time together."

"We work together,"  Mac said.

"Including at night and on the weekends?"  Harriet asked.

"Sometimes,"  Mac defended herself.

Harriet raised her eyebrows at Mac. "So last weekend when the two of you went flying in 'Sarah' you were working."

"We weren't working, we were…"  Mac trailed off, trying to think of the right words to describe the last weekend.

"Out on a date,"  Bobbie supplied.

"No. He wanted to go flying and asked me to come.  Besides we're best friends, friends do stuff together."

"Like cook dinner for each other every other night."  Bobbie shook her head in mock-agreement.

"We have working dinners,"  Mac defended herself.

"Do you also have working lunches and coffee breaks?"  Harriet asked.

Mac took a deep breath. "Why are you two ganging up on me?"

"I just want to know what's going on with you and Harm.  Lately the two of you have been inseparable," Bobbie stated,  "For example, last week Sturgis needed to cancel the basketball game with Harm.  He tried Harm at home and on his cell-phone and couldn't reach him.  So Sturgis called your place and there Harm was."

"So just because Harm was at my place when Sturgis called that means we're dating?"  Mac looked at Bobbie, knowing that this one event was not enough evidence.

"It was 11:20 at night." 

"It's all circumstantial."  Mac shook her head and finished her drink.  "I'm going to get another drink.  Want one?"

Bobbie and Harriet exchanged a look and said, "No, I'm fine."

"Okay," Mac said as she walked over to the bar.

Harriet watched as Mac walked away, "Is it just me or is she in denial?"

"Yeah, and we're not talking about the river,"   Bobbie said as Sturgis and Bud walked over to the table,  "So who won?"

"Harm,"  Sturgis said as he and Bud sat down.

"Where is he?"  Harriet asked.

"He went over to the bar to get a drink,"  Bud said as he pointed towards the bar.

Bobbie and Harriet looked over at the bar and saw Harm standing behind Mac.  He just said something in her ear and Mac was laughing.  Bobbie and Harriet looked at each other and smiled smugly.  Bud and Sturgis looked at the two women and found themselves mildly confused. 

"Oh yeah, definitely not dating,"  Bobbie sarcastically commented as she watched Harm place one hand on Mac's left hip and the other on her right shoulder.

"I hear denial is beautiful this time of year,"  Harriet laughed as she watched her friends at the bar.

"What are you talking about?" Bud asked, letting Harriet and Bobbie spark his curiosity.

Bobbie looked over at Bud. "Harm and Mac are dating and they won't admit it."

Sturgis laughed. "I think if they were dating we would know."

"You are so blind,"  Bobbie said as she rolled her eyes.

Sturgis raised an eyebrow. "All right, explain this one to me, Congresswoman."

"I would but here they come. Take note, his right hand is holding his drink while the other is on her back,"  Bobbie pointed out to the small group of friends.

The four at the table all noticed this and looked at each other with mild understanding and hopefulness.  Harm and Mac reached the table as everyone stopped talking. "Did we do something?"  Harm asked as he and Mac sat down.

"If only you knew,"  Harriet muttered under her breath to Bobbie.

"No, we were just talking about different things," Sturgis said, still finding himself confused about the conversation that had just taken place.

"Really?"  Mac said as she took a sip of her tonic water.  She had a good idea what the conversation had been and didn't want it to continue.

"Yeah."  Bobbie watched Harm and Mac and could have sworn they looked like two people who were happily dating.

Everyone looked at each other as an uncomfortable silence surrounded the table, so Sturgis decided to break the tension.  "You know, Harm, I should have bought your drink, since I did lose the game."

Harm looked at his drink. "You can get the next one."

"Deal,"  Sturgis said with a smile.  Then very slowly the six people started to pick up a new conversation, this time not about the topic of Harm and Mac.

About an hour later the group started to leave the bar.  "Hey Harm, Bobbie and I can give you a lift home,"  Sturgis offered as he and Harm walked outside in time to see Bud and Harriet's van pull out of the parking lot.

"Mac said she would drive me home." 

"Okay, I'll meet you at the court for our game at 6:00." 

Harm snapped his fingers as he remembered something. "That reminds me, I need to cancel."

"Why?"

"Mac is borrowing my SUV tomorrow to pick Jingo up from the vet and she promised me dinner in return."

"Oh.  Okay,"  Sturgis said, thinking about the earlier conversation Harm hadn't witnessed.  "How about a run Sunday morning?"

"How about basketball Monday night?"  Harm suggested.

"Sure.  Why not a run?"

"Mac and I go running every Sunday,"  Harm explained.

Sturgis bit back a smile. "Okay. Monday and you can't cancel."

"Deal, see you then." Mac and Bobbie walked over to Harm and Sturgis.

"Ready?"  Mac asked Harm.

"Sure."  Harm placed his hand on her back.

Bobbie looked at Harm's hand and took Sturgis' arm.  "Come on, sailor, take me home."

"Yes, Ma'am."  Sturgis smiled, then looked at Mac. "Have a good night, Mac."

"You, too, Sturgis, Bobbie."

"Goodnight,"  Bobbie said before she and Sturgis walked towards Sturgis' car.

Harm and Mac walked to her Corvette and Mac drove Harm home.    Once they reached Harm's apartment he handed her the keys to the SUV.  "My keys."

Mac smiled at the keys. "Thanks for letting me borrow it."

"Remember you're cooking tomorrow night,"  Harm said as he escorted Mac to the SUV.

"I know."

"Good,"  Harm said as she unlocked the car door. He watched as she got into the SUV and moved the seat.  "Great, now I'll never get the seat back to where I like it."

"Just wait till I move all your mirrors,"  Mac smiled as he rolled his eyes and laughed as she adjusted the review mirror.  Then she buckled up and looked at Harm before she closed the door. 

"I really appreciate this, Harm."

"I know.  Call me when you get home so I know that you got there all right."

"Yes, Dad,"  Mac jokingly commented with a playful smile on her face.

"At least you didn't give me the 'I'm a Marine' speech." 

"Goodnight, Harm." She reached for the door handle to close the door. 

Before she could close the door Harm took a step closer to her, placed his left hand on her cheek, leaned and kissed her on the lips. He wanted to give her a gentle goodnight kiss but it ended up lingering and turned from one kiss into several soft sweet kisses.  He slowly stopped kissing her lips and then lightly kissed her cheek before he pulled away from her.  He looked at her and noticed a soft smile on her face. "Goodnight, Sarah."

"Goodnight, Harm,"  Mac said as he took a step back and she closed the door.

End of Part 1