Spoilers: "A Merry Little Christmas", "Pulse Rate" Summary: Harm reacts to
Mac's unexpected appearances. AN: I don't have a good excuse for taking so
long this time. Before reading this one, I recommend glancing over
"Placating" and "Soothing the Shifting Sands" to refresh your memory. This
will be my last episode reaction piece before the epilogue to end this
series.
******
1325 EST Montgomery Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courtroom Christianburg, Virginia
"Your Honor, there's a character witness who would like to be heard," the door guard stated, "A Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie." Harm could have sworn his heart dropped down to his feet as he turned to confirm that his ears hadn't been mistaken. He was already worked up enough about Mattie's guardianship hearing, and now Mac was here, and he didn't know whether or not they were on good terms after his fed-up 'It's too important for you to screw up' remark at their last parting.
As he took in the wary look on Mac's face that matched his own, he couldn't help but jump to the conclusion that Mac was here to once again rob his life of something precious that he had grown to love, even if he couldn't say the words to express those sentiments. In his mind, he heard the judge politely telling him, 'I'm sorry, but you cannot take care of this young lady, no matter what you promised her.' The foreboding scene had been playing out repeatedly in hundreds of different variations in the back of his mind, nagging him that this would never work no matter how hard he fought for it. Mac denouncing him to the court had occurred to him, but he had dismissed that as one of the more far-fetched scenarios.
His mind suddenly refocused when he realized that Mac was now an arms- length away, and she was speaking to the judge.
"What is your opinion of his suitability as a guardian for Mattie Grace?" the judge asked.
"Highly suitable, Your Honor," Mac answered, keeping the judge at the center of her attention. Harm masked his surprise outwardly at this unexpected turn of events. Inwardly, he was reeling, trying to process the fact that Mac was on his side in this after all.
"On what do you base that opinion, Colonel?"
Harm was curious to hear her answer to this question, too. What had caused Mac to put aside the obvious resentment she'd developed against him and come here to support him today?
Mac quickly glanced at him before she turned back to the judge to reply in full-lawyer mode. "Your Honor, I have seen the Commander put his own life at risk to protect the son of a fellow aviator who was killed in the line of duty. The Commander has always taken a personal interest in cases involving children, Your Honor. He's taken a child witness into his home and pulled strings to get medical attention for a traumatized little girl after he made it his personal quest to solve that little girl's sister's murder."
Memories of Josh and Darlynn flashed through Harm's mind. He knew that Mac realized the effect her words were having on him when she again glanced back as she finished her testimony. It was scary that they could still have their moments when they were so in sync with each other, despite the fact that they had been so hurtful to each other over the past year.
"That does speak well of the Commander," the judge agreed. "What else can you give me?"
Harm was probably the only one who knew Mac's body language well enough to realize she was nervous about what she was going to say next. Unbidden, his fears of her denouncing him to the court resurfaced.
"I've given a lot of thought to the kind of man that I would want to be the father of my children if I ever." Mac trailed off. Harm silently willed Mac to look his way so that he could try to figure out where she was going with this. She took a deep breath and started again, "Commander Rabb is that kind of man, Your Honor. I can't prove it to you; I can only state without reservation that he is up to the job."
"Thank you, Colonel."
The only coherent thought Harm could put together was 'Where did that come from?' as his eyes followed his colleague to her seat. She turned her head in his direction once or twice, but seemed to be avoiding eye contact for the time being. But she was staying--that was a good sign.
"You both make compelling cases for custody," the judge began, pulling Harm's attention back to the matter at hand. She turned her head to address Mattie's father. "Mr. Johnson, while you do share biology and a history with Mattie, it will be very difficult for you to continue with your recovery while caring for a minor child."
In Harm's heart, he felt a small flicker of hope as the judge turned to him. "Commander Rabb, your lack of experience with children combined with your professional responsibilities makes you equally questionable in my mind as a suitable guardian. I need to take this matter under submission to determine what is in Mattie's best interest."
As quickly as the hope was conjured up, it was extinguished. The judge was now speaking to Mattie about foster care. Harm felt his heart breaking as he watched Mattie's face crumble. He looked back to Mac, needing to find some reassurance as his worst case scenario played itself out. Her look of sympathy gave him the strength he needed to mask his own pain and turn back to Mattie, taking her hand as the judge informed her that she would not be allowed to go home.
"Social Services will find an appropriate temporary foster family for you to stay with until I can sort through these issues. You do understand that you will be back in six months to hear my final decision." It was a statement, not a question, making her decision final.
Harm listened to the words of the judge and squeezed Mattie's hand. This was killing him, but Mattie was the one who was having her world turned completely upside down. As soon as the judge left the courtroom, Mattie pulled her hand away and moved to a bench at the far side of the room. Behind him, Harm heard the scrape of a wooden chair against the courtroom floor as her father stood. Without a word to anyone, Thomas Johnson shuffled to the door.
Harm stood as the door clicked shut. He knew that Mac was watching him, though he was trying to ignore her presence for the moment. Gripping the edge of the table, Harm watched Mattie as they both dealt in their own way with the emotions brought up by the experiences of that afternoon.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you," he finally broke the silence, knowing that Mac could hear him from where she remained seated. Mattie was in her own world, staring at the wall and bravely blinking back tears.
"I think I needed it."
He was surprised by her response, but he still didn't turn to face her. Mac's footsteps echoed in the empty room as she walked up behind him. Something had caused her to have a change of heart in the last 24 hours, and Harm wasn't exactly sure where that left them, but he acknowledged that she was there with a heartfelt, "Thank you for vouching for me."
"You're welcome. I wish I could have done more." He felt Mac's hand on his shoulder a second before she stepped up beside him and murmured, "I'm sorry the outcome wasn't what you'd hoped for."
"Welcome to the club," he sighed. Her hand squeezed his shoulder before she pulled away. Finally looking back at the woman who couldn't help but be more than a friend to him, he gave a thin smile. This was neither the time nor the place for them to talk about the meaning behind what had been said in the courtroom earlier. They would have that talk eventually. For now, he just wanted to restore some normalcy to the whole situation. "It's nice to have my 'good friend' back... Can you stick around for a little while? Maybe you could have lunch with me and Mattie in the cafeteria since it doesn't seem that we're going to get too much time together. I think the two of you would get along."
Mac gave him a sad smile, telling him that he wasn't going to get a positive response. "I'd love to, but this was my lunch break."
"Some drive for a lunch break," he couldn't help but comment, shaking his head. She certainly was going out of her way for him today, Harm realized as he offered, "Rain check?"
"Okay," she agreed. "I've got to get going now so I can grab something on my way back to work."
They stood awkwardly facing each other for a moment, neither making the first move to distance themselves. Without warning, Harm enveloped her in an impulsive hug, surprising both of them. "Thanks again for being here for me and Mattie today," he whispered as they both pulled back from the embrace. "Drive safely."
He wondered exactly what had motivated him to act on the impulse to reach out to Sarah MacKenzie, but it was too late to rethink his decision. Before she could question the sudden display of affection, he turned toward Mattie and began walking away from the woman who could cause so many upheavals in his life without seeming to be affected by them herself.
2131 EST Vietnam Memorial Washington, D.C.
Harm thought he had heard wrong when Mattie said, "You're my guardian." Then he saw Mac walk up behind the teenager, and realized that she was the one responsible for this. He felt his heart drop down to his feet for the second time that day at her seemingly magical appearance. How could she tell him they would never work, yet she would pull through for him, time and again, doing the unthinkable for the sake of his happiness? He couldn't remember the last time he felt so blessed, yet he couldn't help but be confused by the incongruity between Mac's words and her actions.
"Mac talked to my dad," Mattie explained. "He agreed to step aside so I won't have to go to the foster family."
The entire time the teenager talked, Harm couldn't take his eyes off of Mac. "How did you do that?" he asked, voicing the first coherent question that came to mind.
Mac stepped up beside Mattie. "I convinced him that now that he's stopped drinking he'll have to start dealing with life, and he's not fit to take care of Mattie until he can take care of himself," the Marine told him. Harm realized that in order to get through to the man, Mac would have had to reveal her own struggles with alcoholism. And she did this with a complete stranger, for him. Probably aware that Harm had already put together some of the puzzle pieces of how she had gone about convincing the older gentleman, Mac continued, "Mr. Johnson agreed to a full course of treatment. And if he and pull his life together, and if Mattie wants, then they'll give it a shot."
"Until then, I'm yours," Mattie walked trustingly into his arms to hug him. Harm just continued to stare at Mac, afraid that this all was a dream and giving in to it by hugging the child in his arms would shatter the illusion. Mattie looked up and joked, "You can hug me, you know. I won't break."
This was really happening. At last, Harm allowed his arms to wrap around the young lady, and he felt his heart melting as he looked down at her. He finally had someone who agreed to be a part of his life, who would love him unconditionally.
"Good night," Mac said, backing away from the happy little family. Overwhelmed by all that was happening, Harm had forgotten that she was there for a second.
"Where are you going?" he had to ask. She had made this possible, and now she was leaving?
"I have a... a date with Webb," she managed to explain. Even if he hadn't known this woman for eight years, he would be able to tell that she was going more out of obligation than affection for the other man. But it was her life, and he now had Mattie to take care of. Both officers exchanged resigned looks. They seemed to both realize that they had chosen their paths in life, and they weren't necessarily going in the same direction anymore.
"Merry Christmas," Mac told them both before walking away.
"She doesn't want to go," Mattie's muffled voice stage-whispered to him.
Releasing the teenager from his arms slightly, he backed up a step so he could see her face. "How do you know?"
"She would rather be with you," Mattie stated simply. Harm raised an eyebrow and frowned, but the teenager wouldn't be swayed by his doubts. "Why else would she say what she did in court? And just now, talking to my father and getting him to hand over custody of me to a complete stranger?"
Harm wasn't going to let on that those same thoughts were already running through his head. Instead, he recited the friendship excuse that had been sufficient to define the complicated relationship over the years. "Mac and I are just friends. Sometimes we don't get along, but through thick and thin, we will always be there to support each other."
"She does an awful lot for being just friends, especially after the past year."
He backed away to put his glove back on the hand he'd used to trace his father's name on the memorial wall. "Her happiness means more to me than my own, so I let her make her own decisions and live her own life. In turn, she wants me to be happy, and that means she will help me be there for you."
Mattie just watched her new guardian play with his gloves as she processed what he was saying. Snow drifted past them both as they stood in front of the Wall, like figures in a snow globe.
"I didn't say thank you," Harm broke the silence with the somewhat random statement. Mattie cocked her head and gave him a strange look. "You're right, Mac did an awful lot for me today, maybe more than I deserved, and I don't remember thanking her."
"What are you going to do about it?" she asked curiously.
Harm grinned. "Come with me, and you'll find out." He held out his hand, which Mattie took as she smiled up at him. Hand in hand, the newest non- traditional family in the D.C. area left the memories embodied in the black wall behind as they walked toward the promise of their future together.
2222 EST Mac's apartment Georgetown
Sarah, Thank you for everything you've done for Mattie today. We are both grateful for your help in and out of the courtroom. I can't find words to express what it means to me to know that I have you supporting my decision to do this. Have a very Merry Christmas. I know that Mattie and I will, thanks to you! --Harm
Harm is the first person who has cared about me since my mother died. Thank you for believing in him enough to help me be a part of his life. Love, Mattie
Harm walked up behind his ward as Mattie propped the yellow notepad against the pillows. He wanted to read what she'd added to his thank you note, but she pushed him out of the room instead. "I'll tell you what it says later," she promised, then added an exasperated exclamation of, "Trust me, okay Harm?"
"What if Clay comes back to the apartment with her and sees it?"
"He'll have us reported for breaking and entering," Mattie flippantly told him as she buttoned her coat. Harm gave her a stern look, so she recanted a little. "Don't worry. It doesn't say anything that will embarrass you. And if you want my humble opinion on the matter, I don't think that he'll be seeing her bedroom if he even makes it into the apartment tonight. He'll be lucky to get coffee and a polite boot out the front door."
"Oh, really?" Harm couldn't help but be astonished at the spunk Mattie was showing. "And what do you use as your basis for your extensive knowledge of adult relationships?"
"I was running a business all day for a while. I got my fill of soap operas when it was slow," she shrugged. Now that they were both buttoned up, Harm ushered them out the door, using his spare key to lock Mac's apartment door behind them.
"Mattie, those aren't like real life."
She shoved her hands in her pockets as they walked down the hallway. "And your relationship with Mac isn't like some long, tortured relationship full of angst and unresolved sexual tension dreamt up for the misguided amusement of all of the viewers of your lives, otherwise known as your coworkers?"
"It's not that bad between me and Mac!" he protested as he held the door to the stairs open for Mattie. Only in the back of his mind would he admit that there was probably more than just a modicum of truth in her statement.
"Try again, Harm," her voice echoed up the stairwell. "I've only been a one-sided spectator for a few months to this whole thing. I can just imagine the thoughts of some of the people at JAG who get to see both of you interacting on a regular basis."
He slowly followed her down the cement steps. "It can't be that bad."
"Harm, I love you anyway, even if you're a tad oblivious when it comes to women." She stopped at the bottom of the stairs to wait for him to catch up. "Let's go home now, and we'll see if Mac guards her letter from you as closely as you guard the one she wrote you."
Mattie flashed him a mischievous grin before turning to open the door to the parking deck below the apartment complex. Harm was glad that she had left so quickly because he was certain that his face had turned an interesting shade of pink. Pulling out his wallet, he double-checked to make sure the folded up yellow sheet was still tucked safely away before swapping the leather case for his keys and following Mattie out the door.
******
Written December 26, 2003 - January 10, 2004
******
1325 EST Montgomery Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courtroom Christianburg, Virginia
"Your Honor, there's a character witness who would like to be heard," the door guard stated, "A Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie." Harm could have sworn his heart dropped down to his feet as he turned to confirm that his ears hadn't been mistaken. He was already worked up enough about Mattie's guardianship hearing, and now Mac was here, and he didn't know whether or not they were on good terms after his fed-up 'It's too important for you to screw up' remark at their last parting.
As he took in the wary look on Mac's face that matched his own, he couldn't help but jump to the conclusion that Mac was here to once again rob his life of something precious that he had grown to love, even if he couldn't say the words to express those sentiments. In his mind, he heard the judge politely telling him, 'I'm sorry, but you cannot take care of this young lady, no matter what you promised her.' The foreboding scene had been playing out repeatedly in hundreds of different variations in the back of his mind, nagging him that this would never work no matter how hard he fought for it. Mac denouncing him to the court had occurred to him, but he had dismissed that as one of the more far-fetched scenarios.
His mind suddenly refocused when he realized that Mac was now an arms- length away, and she was speaking to the judge.
"What is your opinion of his suitability as a guardian for Mattie Grace?" the judge asked.
"Highly suitable, Your Honor," Mac answered, keeping the judge at the center of her attention. Harm masked his surprise outwardly at this unexpected turn of events. Inwardly, he was reeling, trying to process the fact that Mac was on his side in this after all.
"On what do you base that opinion, Colonel?"
Harm was curious to hear her answer to this question, too. What had caused Mac to put aside the obvious resentment she'd developed against him and come here to support him today?
Mac quickly glanced at him before she turned back to the judge to reply in full-lawyer mode. "Your Honor, I have seen the Commander put his own life at risk to protect the son of a fellow aviator who was killed in the line of duty. The Commander has always taken a personal interest in cases involving children, Your Honor. He's taken a child witness into his home and pulled strings to get medical attention for a traumatized little girl after he made it his personal quest to solve that little girl's sister's murder."
Memories of Josh and Darlynn flashed through Harm's mind. He knew that Mac realized the effect her words were having on him when she again glanced back as she finished her testimony. It was scary that they could still have their moments when they were so in sync with each other, despite the fact that they had been so hurtful to each other over the past year.
"That does speak well of the Commander," the judge agreed. "What else can you give me?"
Harm was probably the only one who knew Mac's body language well enough to realize she was nervous about what she was going to say next. Unbidden, his fears of her denouncing him to the court resurfaced.
"I've given a lot of thought to the kind of man that I would want to be the father of my children if I ever." Mac trailed off. Harm silently willed Mac to look his way so that he could try to figure out where she was going with this. She took a deep breath and started again, "Commander Rabb is that kind of man, Your Honor. I can't prove it to you; I can only state without reservation that he is up to the job."
"Thank you, Colonel."
The only coherent thought Harm could put together was 'Where did that come from?' as his eyes followed his colleague to her seat. She turned her head in his direction once or twice, but seemed to be avoiding eye contact for the time being. But she was staying--that was a good sign.
"You both make compelling cases for custody," the judge began, pulling Harm's attention back to the matter at hand. She turned her head to address Mattie's father. "Mr. Johnson, while you do share biology and a history with Mattie, it will be very difficult for you to continue with your recovery while caring for a minor child."
In Harm's heart, he felt a small flicker of hope as the judge turned to him. "Commander Rabb, your lack of experience with children combined with your professional responsibilities makes you equally questionable in my mind as a suitable guardian. I need to take this matter under submission to determine what is in Mattie's best interest."
As quickly as the hope was conjured up, it was extinguished. The judge was now speaking to Mattie about foster care. Harm felt his heart breaking as he watched Mattie's face crumble. He looked back to Mac, needing to find some reassurance as his worst case scenario played itself out. Her look of sympathy gave him the strength he needed to mask his own pain and turn back to Mattie, taking her hand as the judge informed her that she would not be allowed to go home.
"Social Services will find an appropriate temporary foster family for you to stay with until I can sort through these issues. You do understand that you will be back in six months to hear my final decision." It was a statement, not a question, making her decision final.
Harm listened to the words of the judge and squeezed Mattie's hand. This was killing him, but Mattie was the one who was having her world turned completely upside down. As soon as the judge left the courtroom, Mattie pulled her hand away and moved to a bench at the far side of the room. Behind him, Harm heard the scrape of a wooden chair against the courtroom floor as her father stood. Without a word to anyone, Thomas Johnson shuffled to the door.
Harm stood as the door clicked shut. He knew that Mac was watching him, though he was trying to ignore her presence for the moment. Gripping the edge of the table, Harm watched Mattie as they both dealt in their own way with the emotions brought up by the experiences of that afternoon.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you," he finally broke the silence, knowing that Mac could hear him from where she remained seated. Mattie was in her own world, staring at the wall and bravely blinking back tears.
"I think I needed it."
He was surprised by her response, but he still didn't turn to face her. Mac's footsteps echoed in the empty room as she walked up behind him. Something had caused her to have a change of heart in the last 24 hours, and Harm wasn't exactly sure where that left them, but he acknowledged that she was there with a heartfelt, "Thank you for vouching for me."
"You're welcome. I wish I could have done more." He felt Mac's hand on his shoulder a second before she stepped up beside him and murmured, "I'm sorry the outcome wasn't what you'd hoped for."
"Welcome to the club," he sighed. Her hand squeezed his shoulder before she pulled away. Finally looking back at the woman who couldn't help but be more than a friend to him, he gave a thin smile. This was neither the time nor the place for them to talk about the meaning behind what had been said in the courtroom earlier. They would have that talk eventually. For now, he just wanted to restore some normalcy to the whole situation. "It's nice to have my 'good friend' back... Can you stick around for a little while? Maybe you could have lunch with me and Mattie in the cafeteria since it doesn't seem that we're going to get too much time together. I think the two of you would get along."
Mac gave him a sad smile, telling him that he wasn't going to get a positive response. "I'd love to, but this was my lunch break."
"Some drive for a lunch break," he couldn't help but comment, shaking his head. She certainly was going out of her way for him today, Harm realized as he offered, "Rain check?"
"Okay," she agreed. "I've got to get going now so I can grab something on my way back to work."
They stood awkwardly facing each other for a moment, neither making the first move to distance themselves. Without warning, Harm enveloped her in an impulsive hug, surprising both of them. "Thanks again for being here for me and Mattie today," he whispered as they both pulled back from the embrace. "Drive safely."
He wondered exactly what had motivated him to act on the impulse to reach out to Sarah MacKenzie, but it was too late to rethink his decision. Before she could question the sudden display of affection, he turned toward Mattie and began walking away from the woman who could cause so many upheavals in his life without seeming to be affected by them herself.
2131 EST Vietnam Memorial Washington, D.C.
Harm thought he had heard wrong when Mattie said, "You're my guardian." Then he saw Mac walk up behind the teenager, and realized that she was the one responsible for this. He felt his heart drop down to his feet for the second time that day at her seemingly magical appearance. How could she tell him they would never work, yet she would pull through for him, time and again, doing the unthinkable for the sake of his happiness? He couldn't remember the last time he felt so blessed, yet he couldn't help but be confused by the incongruity between Mac's words and her actions.
"Mac talked to my dad," Mattie explained. "He agreed to step aside so I won't have to go to the foster family."
The entire time the teenager talked, Harm couldn't take his eyes off of Mac. "How did you do that?" he asked, voicing the first coherent question that came to mind.
Mac stepped up beside Mattie. "I convinced him that now that he's stopped drinking he'll have to start dealing with life, and he's not fit to take care of Mattie until he can take care of himself," the Marine told him. Harm realized that in order to get through to the man, Mac would have had to reveal her own struggles with alcoholism. And she did this with a complete stranger, for him. Probably aware that Harm had already put together some of the puzzle pieces of how she had gone about convincing the older gentleman, Mac continued, "Mr. Johnson agreed to a full course of treatment. And if he and pull his life together, and if Mattie wants, then they'll give it a shot."
"Until then, I'm yours," Mattie walked trustingly into his arms to hug him. Harm just continued to stare at Mac, afraid that this all was a dream and giving in to it by hugging the child in his arms would shatter the illusion. Mattie looked up and joked, "You can hug me, you know. I won't break."
This was really happening. At last, Harm allowed his arms to wrap around the young lady, and he felt his heart melting as he looked down at her. He finally had someone who agreed to be a part of his life, who would love him unconditionally.
"Good night," Mac said, backing away from the happy little family. Overwhelmed by all that was happening, Harm had forgotten that she was there for a second.
"Where are you going?" he had to ask. She had made this possible, and now she was leaving?
"I have a... a date with Webb," she managed to explain. Even if he hadn't known this woman for eight years, he would be able to tell that she was going more out of obligation than affection for the other man. But it was her life, and he now had Mattie to take care of. Both officers exchanged resigned looks. They seemed to both realize that they had chosen their paths in life, and they weren't necessarily going in the same direction anymore.
"Merry Christmas," Mac told them both before walking away.
"She doesn't want to go," Mattie's muffled voice stage-whispered to him.
Releasing the teenager from his arms slightly, he backed up a step so he could see her face. "How do you know?"
"She would rather be with you," Mattie stated simply. Harm raised an eyebrow and frowned, but the teenager wouldn't be swayed by his doubts. "Why else would she say what she did in court? And just now, talking to my father and getting him to hand over custody of me to a complete stranger?"
Harm wasn't going to let on that those same thoughts were already running through his head. Instead, he recited the friendship excuse that had been sufficient to define the complicated relationship over the years. "Mac and I are just friends. Sometimes we don't get along, but through thick and thin, we will always be there to support each other."
"She does an awful lot for being just friends, especially after the past year."
He backed away to put his glove back on the hand he'd used to trace his father's name on the memorial wall. "Her happiness means more to me than my own, so I let her make her own decisions and live her own life. In turn, she wants me to be happy, and that means she will help me be there for you."
Mattie just watched her new guardian play with his gloves as she processed what he was saying. Snow drifted past them both as they stood in front of the Wall, like figures in a snow globe.
"I didn't say thank you," Harm broke the silence with the somewhat random statement. Mattie cocked her head and gave him a strange look. "You're right, Mac did an awful lot for me today, maybe more than I deserved, and I don't remember thanking her."
"What are you going to do about it?" she asked curiously.
Harm grinned. "Come with me, and you'll find out." He held out his hand, which Mattie took as she smiled up at him. Hand in hand, the newest non- traditional family in the D.C. area left the memories embodied in the black wall behind as they walked toward the promise of their future together.
2222 EST Mac's apartment Georgetown
Sarah, Thank you for everything you've done for Mattie today. We are both grateful for your help in and out of the courtroom. I can't find words to express what it means to me to know that I have you supporting my decision to do this. Have a very Merry Christmas. I know that Mattie and I will, thanks to you! --Harm
Harm is the first person who has cared about me since my mother died. Thank you for believing in him enough to help me be a part of his life. Love, Mattie
Harm walked up behind his ward as Mattie propped the yellow notepad against the pillows. He wanted to read what she'd added to his thank you note, but she pushed him out of the room instead. "I'll tell you what it says later," she promised, then added an exasperated exclamation of, "Trust me, okay Harm?"
"What if Clay comes back to the apartment with her and sees it?"
"He'll have us reported for breaking and entering," Mattie flippantly told him as she buttoned her coat. Harm gave her a stern look, so she recanted a little. "Don't worry. It doesn't say anything that will embarrass you. And if you want my humble opinion on the matter, I don't think that he'll be seeing her bedroom if he even makes it into the apartment tonight. He'll be lucky to get coffee and a polite boot out the front door."
"Oh, really?" Harm couldn't help but be astonished at the spunk Mattie was showing. "And what do you use as your basis for your extensive knowledge of adult relationships?"
"I was running a business all day for a while. I got my fill of soap operas when it was slow," she shrugged. Now that they were both buttoned up, Harm ushered them out the door, using his spare key to lock Mac's apartment door behind them.
"Mattie, those aren't like real life."
She shoved her hands in her pockets as they walked down the hallway. "And your relationship with Mac isn't like some long, tortured relationship full of angst and unresolved sexual tension dreamt up for the misguided amusement of all of the viewers of your lives, otherwise known as your coworkers?"
"It's not that bad between me and Mac!" he protested as he held the door to the stairs open for Mattie. Only in the back of his mind would he admit that there was probably more than just a modicum of truth in her statement.
"Try again, Harm," her voice echoed up the stairwell. "I've only been a one-sided spectator for a few months to this whole thing. I can just imagine the thoughts of some of the people at JAG who get to see both of you interacting on a regular basis."
He slowly followed her down the cement steps. "It can't be that bad."
"Harm, I love you anyway, even if you're a tad oblivious when it comes to women." She stopped at the bottom of the stairs to wait for him to catch up. "Let's go home now, and we'll see if Mac guards her letter from you as closely as you guard the one she wrote you."
Mattie flashed him a mischievous grin before turning to open the door to the parking deck below the apartment complex. Harm was glad that she had left so quickly because he was certain that his face had turned an interesting shade of pink. Pulling out his wallet, he double-checked to make sure the folded up yellow sheet was still tucked safely away before swapping the leather case for his keys and following Mattie out the door.
******
Written December 26, 2003 - January 10, 2004
