AN: Just a small warning. Today's Valentines Day, but this isn't a
Valentines story... at all. You have been warned, ok? I don't think a lot of
people will like me after reading it, but please try to be nice it's still
Valentines Day, right?
Part 26: The Last Date?
April 19th 2003
Mac was getting herself ready to be picked up by Harm. They were going as a couple to an office Easter celebration at Benzinger's. Mac had been against going together since all of the people from the office would be there, but Harm had somehow convinced her to go with him. Since everyone would be in civvies and try to talk about things outside of work, she was afraid it would be worse than anything she had been through at the office. She was very nervous and tense about it and hoped they wouldn't have to stay long.
"Are you ready, Marine?" Harm said when she opened the door for him.
"Sure," Mac got her jacket and followed Harm out to his car.
They talked little on their way over. Harm was getting worried about her. She seemed so closed to the world, like she was trying to protect herself from it. He had hoped that them going together would help her get over her insecurities about what other people said about her, but now he kind of regretted talking her into this. It was however too late to back out of it now.
When they entered the bar only a few people from JAG were there. It was still very early. Harriet and Bud sat at a table and Harm and Mac joined them there. When they had gotten out of the car Harm had taken Mac's hand, but she had released it as soon as they had entered the bar. When they sat down at the table Mac mad a point of not sitting so close to Harm that they were touching.
Mac felt a little less uncomfortable sitting there together with Bud and Harriet. Especially Harriet still treated her the same way she always had. Harriet had been happy for them when she found out about their relationship. Bud had accepted it after having a conversation with Harm. He had noticed how Bud acted differently around Mac and him lately.
Bud's behavior had turned out to have less to do with Mac and more with the whole relationship. Bud wasn't sure the relationship would last very long and he felt that Harm would be the one suffering the most when it ended. Mac was in a very different situation than she was normally and he was worried about Mac only taking Harm's support while she was pregnant and once the baby was there they wouldn't be able to sort out their differences and the relationship between them would be back to normal. Harm had been quite shocked by hearing Bud's worries, but said that if Bud had any respect for either one of them, he wouldn't show those feelings to Mac. It turned out that Bud had been very capable of doing that, even though the way Mac had been treating Harm lately hadn't convinced him that he wasn't right.
Benzinger's was getting more and more crowded with military personnel. Mac had to leave the table to go to the bathroom and when she returned, Harm and Bud had left the seats and stood at the bar discussing something with Mattoni. At the table, Harriet had gotten company from four of the other women at the office. They were talking and giggling about something. Mac didn't know where to go, join Harm or go back to her table and Harriet. She remained standing in the middle of the bar until Harriet waved at her to come and join her.
The conversation, which had been lively, was silenced when Mac sat down beside Harriet. Harriet tried her best to get it back going, by telling them all about the latest adventure of Little AJ. It was all in vain and the rest of the women were still not talking very much. Two of them started looking like they wanted to get up from the table and then Mac decided to leave before they did. She went over to Harm.
"I'm calling a cab. I just wanted you to know that I'm not riding with you home."
"You want to go home already?" Harm asked, but he wasn't surprised. He had kind of expected this to happen.
"I'm..." she couldn't come up with a good excuse for why so she ended up nodding and then turned around to leave.
"I'll drive you home, Mac," he followed her and took her hand in his. Mac was reluctant, but his grip was so firm, that she was scared she would draw more attention to them if she tried to get out of it so they stayed that way until they got to the car.
"Mac, what is the real problem? Why are you acting like this?" Harm asked once they were in the car. He didn't start it since he intended to finish this conversation before driving off.
"Didn't you see how those people looked at me? What they were thinking about me? About us? How can you not see that?" Mac finally said.
"So what if they do? I don't think that about you, isn't that more important?" Harm was scared. She looked so vulnerable and hurt. He knew there was a certain truth about what she had said. He had seen how the women had looked at her and those looks hadn't been nice and he had also experienced how sometimes conversations would stop when he entered the room. But those women and men that were gossiping about them weren't her real friends. Her real friends at the office, Bud, Harriet, Coates, the admiral and Tiner, hadn't looked at her any differently than before. Those people should be more important to her than the rest of them.
"Maybe we should end this. I will just drag you with me down or you'll leave me before," Mac said to him and tried desperately to end the conversation before she couldn't control her tears anymore.
"If you go down, I want to go down with you, Mac," Harm wasn't sure how serious she was about this. It sounded like something she had given a lot of thought to, but he still hoped it was just an impulse and she wouldn't mean it anymore once she was calmer again.
"I don't want to leave you alone right now, but I think that you might need to think some things through. I still want to be with you, but I can't if you continue to push me away." He started the engine and drove her to her apartment. They remained silent for the rest of the trip. When he stopped the car Mac got out of the car and went up to her apartment still without saying anything more to him. Harm stayed around until he saw the lights being turned out in her apartment. He hoped she would get some sleep and call him the next day.
TBC
Part 26: The Last Date?
April 19th 2003
Mac was getting herself ready to be picked up by Harm. They were going as a couple to an office Easter celebration at Benzinger's. Mac had been against going together since all of the people from the office would be there, but Harm had somehow convinced her to go with him. Since everyone would be in civvies and try to talk about things outside of work, she was afraid it would be worse than anything she had been through at the office. She was very nervous and tense about it and hoped they wouldn't have to stay long.
"Are you ready, Marine?" Harm said when she opened the door for him.
"Sure," Mac got her jacket and followed Harm out to his car.
They talked little on their way over. Harm was getting worried about her. She seemed so closed to the world, like she was trying to protect herself from it. He had hoped that them going together would help her get over her insecurities about what other people said about her, but now he kind of regretted talking her into this. It was however too late to back out of it now.
When they entered the bar only a few people from JAG were there. It was still very early. Harriet and Bud sat at a table and Harm and Mac joined them there. When they had gotten out of the car Harm had taken Mac's hand, but she had released it as soon as they had entered the bar. When they sat down at the table Mac mad a point of not sitting so close to Harm that they were touching.
Mac felt a little less uncomfortable sitting there together with Bud and Harriet. Especially Harriet still treated her the same way she always had. Harriet had been happy for them when she found out about their relationship. Bud had accepted it after having a conversation with Harm. He had noticed how Bud acted differently around Mac and him lately.
Bud's behavior had turned out to have less to do with Mac and more with the whole relationship. Bud wasn't sure the relationship would last very long and he felt that Harm would be the one suffering the most when it ended. Mac was in a very different situation than she was normally and he was worried about Mac only taking Harm's support while she was pregnant and once the baby was there they wouldn't be able to sort out their differences and the relationship between them would be back to normal. Harm had been quite shocked by hearing Bud's worries, but said that if Bud had any respect for either one of them, he wouldn't show those feelings to Mac. It turned out that Bud had been very capable of doing that, even though the way Mac had been treating Harm lately hadn't convinced him that he wasn't right.
Benzinger's was getting more and more crowded with military personnel. Mac had to leave the table to go to the bathroom and when she returned, Harm and Bud had left the seats and stood at the bar discussing something with Mattoni. At the table, Harriet had gotten company from four of the other women at the office. They were talking and giggling about something. Mac didn't know where to go, join Harm or go back to her table and Harriet. She remained standing in the middle of the bar until Harriet waved at her to come and join her.
The conversation, which had been lively, was silenced when Mac sat down beside Harriet. Harriet tried her best to get it back going, by telling them all about the latest adventure of Little AJ. It was all in vain and the rest of the women were still not talking very much. Two of them started looking like they wanted to get up from the table and then Mac decided to leave before they did. She went over to Harm.
"I'm calling a cab. I just wanted you to know that I'm not riding with you home."
"You want to go home already?" Harm asked, but he wasn't surprised. He had kind of expected this to happen.
"I'm..." she couldn't come up with a good excuse for why so she ended up nodding and then turned around to leave.
"I'll drive you home, Mac," he followed her and took her hand in his. Mac was reluctant, but his grip was so firm, that she was scared she would draw more attention to them if she tried to get out of it so they stayed that way until they got to the car.
"Mac, what is the real problem? Why are you acting like this?" Harm asked once they were in the car. He didn't start it since he intended to finish this conversation before driving off.
"Didn't you see how those people looked at me? What they were thinking about me? About us? How can you not see that?" Mac finally said.
"So what if they do? I don't think that about you, isn't that more important?" Harm was scared. She looked so vulnerable and hurt. He knew there was a certain truth about what she had said. He had seen how the women had looked at her and those looks hadn't been nice and he had also experienced how sometimes conversations would stop when he entered the room. But those women and men that were gossiping about them weren't her real friends. Her real friends at the office, Bud, Harriet, Coates, the admiral and Tiner, hadn't looked at her any differently than before. Those people should be more important to her than the rest of them.
"Maybe we should end this. I will just drag you with me down or you'll leave me before," Mac said to him and tried desperately to end the conversation before she couldn't control her tears anymore.
"If you go down, I want to go down with you, Mac," Harm wasn't sure how serious she was about this. It sounded like something she had given a lot of thought to, but he still hoped it was just an impulse and she wouldn't mean it anymore once she was calmer again.
"I don't want to leave you alone right now, but I think that you might need to think some things through. I still want to be with you, but I can't if you continue to push me away." He started the engine and drove her to her apartment. They remained silent for the rest of the trip. When he stopped the car Mac got out of the car and went up to her apartment still without saying anything more to him. Harm stayed around until he saw the lights being turned out in her apartment. He hoped she would get some sleep and call him the next day.
TBC