"Rituals"

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Sarah Mackenzie invariably started her day at work by depositing her belongings in her office and taking the fastest route to the break room. She usually arrived at work at least half an hour early, because she preferred the office when it was quiet and she usually liked to enjoy her first caffeine hit alone. That would leave her twenty, maybe thirty minutes before another trip to the break room was an order. Today however she was late and just in time for the 0850 exchange of the latest rumours in the break room. By this time every morning, the small room would be as crowded as it got and the day's unofficial brief would begin. It wasn't that she lived for office gossip, but it was important to keep up with the latest news. At 0900 the room would be deserted but for her. She always waited to taunt Harm about being late, and she was usually rewarded with the stunning reaction of a true non-morning person. Today was much the same as any other day, except she was accompanied by Commander Sturgis Turner who was also waiting for the arrival of Harmon Rabb Jnr. Turner knew her little morning ritual by heart and never passed up an opportunity to tease her about it.

After enduring five long minutes of intense mockery, Mac decided she'd had enough of damaging the Navy's ego with scathing retorts for one morning. She tactfully steered the conversation in another direction, "So why are you waiting here with me anyway?"

"Because much the same as I delight in teasing you about him, I also tease him about you and I also know exactly what he'll do when he gets here- put his stuff down and come straight in here to flirt with you."

"Get back in line Commander- we do not flirt!" she objected, only slightly offended and more so because her attempt at a topic change had blatantly failed.

"No, but he does," Turner informed her.

"He does not," she protested again, quite sure she wouldn't mind if he *did* flirt with her occasionally. She didn't add this remark, but Sturgis obviously read her mind, judging by his subsequent snort. She had long abandoned trying to give Commander Turner the 'we're just friends' line and pretend she didn't have certain more-than-friendly feelings for Harm. It was pointless. Turner had decided she was in love with him before she'd had a chance to open her mouth and then when she had- well, what she had said then was not exactly the best rebuttal to that assertion.

"Whatever you say Colonel," was the disbelieving response.

"He practically treats me like a sister," she retorted, vaguely remembering that she'd promised not to bother having this argument with Sturgis several mornings ago, "How can you say he flirts with me?"

"I don't think Harm thinks of you as a sister Mac."

"Really? And I suppose you claim to know how he *does* think of me?"

"Well yes actually."

Realising she may have uncovered a valuable information source, she proceeded, "Have you had this conversation with him- about how he thinks of me?"

"The topics of our conversations do vary however you are one topic he invariably glosses over. On the other hand, I have known him for a very long time and also know the way he treats women---"

She snorted, "Yeah, the opposite to how he treats me."

"And I also happen to be male, so I have more insight into the male mind than yourself, being female and all- no offence."

"None taken. Cut to the chase Turner, this is getting awfully long."

"So due to this perspective that I have and you don't, I can assure you that when he's studiously studying your chest he's not looking at your ribbons."

"Commander!" she responded, shocked at his forthcoming attitude, "We're in a military institution, mind your mouth!"

"Ah, but you see Colonel, I have nothing to worry about because on one occasion you forgot to mind yours and let slip a very interesting piece of information which I am sure you do not want revealed."

"Are you black mailing me?" she asked.

"No, but I like to make sure you haven't forgotten."

She rolled her eyes, "How in hell could I forgot? Not that feelings don't change over time you understand. And it has been 305 days since I said that."

"I don't think things have changed much."

"Oh really? That's presumptuous of you."

He shrugged, "I was thinking more along the lines of 'perceptive' myself, but whatever you would label it."

"Harm does not check me out anyway," she informed him.

"Has it ever occurred to you that this is half your problem?"

"What problem? How many times have we been through this, there is no problem."

"Then why aren't you with him?"

"Because--- ooh, I am not having this conversation with you."

"See your problem is that neither of you is willing to admit that the other is in fact entirely besotted with you. Excuse me for notifying you, but you are an attractive woman and he does not see a Marine Corps Lt Colonel when he looks at you, he sees an attractive woman and much as he is loathe to admit it, he is in fact intimidated by you because of that. Really, you need to learn to read the man better: it's because he's afraid of you, and to be fair, you are trained to kill so that may be understandable, but it has absolutely nothing to do with your incorrect assumption that he is not entirely smitten with you."

"And what makes you say that?"

"He is incredibly devoted to this little morning chat of yours you know. Mac, we're talking about Harm here- any kind of commitment is a miracle. The fact that this little meeting occurs every morning at precisely 0905 is the closest thing you'll ever see to a sign from the Lord thy God above," he paused, "Which is of course why I am waiting with you this morning, because trying to stop him on his way here is incredibly unproductive. I get the side-step-Turner-and-hurry-to-Mac reaction every time."

"Has it ever occurred to you that this may be because you are unfailingly annoying this time of day?"

"No, I'm just in a good mood today," he responded with an infuriating grin.

"We do not flirt," she murmured indignantly as Harm finally made it to the door at precisely 0905.

"Hey," he nodded to Sturgis before turning to Mac and flashing her a huge smile which she knew was always followed by a brutal taunt, "Hmm, Marine, you look different this morning."

She raised an eyebrow in response, painfully aware of Turner's I-told-you- so look as Harm looked her up and down. Stepping closer to her, he took her hand and motioned for her to spin around. She complied rather unwillingly.

"It's your hair," he finally announced, "It's different to usual---"

He grinned at her impudently, "It's wet, which means you were late."

At her glare he added, "Not that I'm complain about you being all wet you see, that I have no problem with. But you've been late two mornings in a row- jeez, I must be rubbing off on you."

Sturgis' smug smile was replaced by a suppressed fit of self-pleased laughter.

Mac rolled her eyes in utmost exasperation, "Turner, don't you dare say I told you so- there was absolutely no innuendo in that last statement and your reaction was entirely due to your twisted perception."

"Oh I don't know, the part about being all wet was pretty hot considering the temperature," Sturgis replied.

"And I can rub off on you any time if you like Mac," Harm interjected.

"Your Honour, case in point," Sturgis grinned triumphantly.

"Harm," Mac began, "Do we flirt with each other?"

"Oh I don't know Mac," he responded with a grin, much to her annoyance and Sturgis' amusement.

"He," she pointed a condemning finger at Turner, "Thinks you look at my b--- chest."

"Sturgis, you weren't meant to tell her I said that."

"Ooh," Mac exhaled in disbelief, "I---"

They were both laughing at her now. Simmering silently, a brilliant comeback suddenly came to mind. She closed the minimal distance between herself and Harm, hands on hips and smiled.

"You just admitted to checking me out."

He stopped laughing.

Her smile widened, "You did, you just said, by default, that you do in fact- --"

"Yeah, well they're there Mac," he interrupted gesturing to the contours of her blouse.

She giggled, "So that's why you lost to me last week then? You were too busy looking at my--- feminine attributes!"

He didn't know how to diplomatically respond.

"Why didn't someone tell me about this earlier? Think how many cases I would've won by wearing the shorter of my skirts."

"Think how many great plea bargains we could've reached," he added, "If you'd been persuasive enough of course."

Her mouth opened slightly but she closed it again, a sly smile upturning her lips, "So many innocent people would've gone to jail Harm, think of how well I'd be able to persuade you."

"Don't encourage him," Turner advised as though he was the authority on the matter, "You don't want to know just how graphically he wants you."

"Uh Sirs, Ma'am," Harriet stuck her head through the doorway trying to conceal her flushed cheeks and hence, obvious eavesdropping, "Ma'am, the Admiral wants you for something."

She ducked out before any of the officers had a chance to respond. At the use of the phrase 'wants you' Turner and Rabb laughed and Mac had the uncanny feeling she was being ganged up on.

"Go on Mac, the Admiral *wants* you, you'd better go," Harm teased mercilessly.

"I thought you wanted me?" she shot back.

"Nah, I just like looking at your legs."

"What's the fun in looking when you can play?"

"Safer looking," he replied cryptically.

"You've been known to take crazy risks before," Turner interrupted, "I'm surprised you haven't been damned to a straight jacket by now."

"What's it to you?" Harm asked his friend with a look that suggested he keep out of the conversation.

"I'm sick of having to listen you go on about her hair, her eyes and I quote 'breathtakingly gorgeous looks and unbelievably sexy hips'. No offence, but a guy can only take so much before he is forced to intervene."

"He didn't say that," was Mac's immediate reaction. She turned to Harm, "You didn't say that."

He looked like a cat caught with its paw in a fish tank.

She stared disbelievingly, "You said that?"

"Well I think saying quote-unquote is a bit melodramatic---" Harm looked for a suitable answer.

"But he did say that," Sturgis supplied.

"I'm going to kill you," Harm informed Sturgis idly, "I am going to cause you a painful death."

"Ah, but, while we're revealing all this, you wouldn't believe what Mac's told me. Among the myriad of other interesting titbits I've managed to elicit from her, a sampling: your eyes are 'the most amazingly non-sexual turn on' she's ever been exposed to and your smile well that makes her 'weaker in the knees than climbing every mountain in the Himalayans' would."

Harm almost felt sorry for Sturgis as he watched the expression on Mac's face change- almost. He had never thought the Marine capable of cold- blooded murder, but seeing the way her jaw had dropped and her fists were clenched he wasn't so sure.

"You," she began venomously, "Were sworn to secrecy about what I told you about him."

"No," Turner notified her plainly, "I was sworn to secrecy about what you told me on one occasion in my office 305 days ago I believe. On everything else there was no specific confidentiality agreement."

"I cannot believe you," she hissed, "You are---"

"Mac," Harm decided to intervene before he had to defend her in court martial for murder in the break room.

"You---"

"Mac," he repeated, using the close proximity to him she had placed herself within to place a hand on her arm.

"What?" she whirled to face him and almost knocked him over, not realising how close they were.

When they both ended up against the bench, he steadied her and responded, "Leave him. We can get our revenge."

"But---"

"Mac, I know his father. Just think, baby photos, posted on the staff website- it's Ok, we'll get him back."

She sniggered softly, "Ok. Turner, you live, for today. But open your God forsaken mouth one more damned time and I will ensure you do not die of natural causes."

Sturgis chose that moment to retreat to his office, wisely locking the door behind him.

"Coward," she muttered, observing his actions from the doorway.

"Did you really say that stuff Mac?"

"Did you?"

"Well some of it- he elaborated a lot."

"Uh yeah, he added the poetry about mountain ranges."

"Did you mean that stuff?"

"When I said it. You?"

"Yeah."

She smiled, "After how much alcohol did my looks get breathtakingly gorgeous?"

He briefly considered his options before selecting the most certain way to trip her up, "None."

Her smile grew smaller and her eyes wider. He grinned at her, enjoying her reaction immensely, "Run along now Colonel, the Admiral *wants* you if I recall correctly."

He noticed her swallow nervously before replying flirtatiously, "I'm sure he does- lots of people do."

"I want you," he began, pausing to see the return of her wide-eyed facial expression, "To have lunch with me," he finished.

"Of course you do," she grinned back, her momentary loss of stable ground overcome.

He smiled at her, "You'd better go."

She nodded, "Come and find me when you're ready."

"Ok. Lunch it is then."

She smiled.

It was one of their rituals.

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