Thank you all very much!!!
ArwenUndomiel: Hehe, thank you! I'm growing mildly obsessed with everyone's reviews. I swear, I jump to the computer, like, every hour to check my email...*shakes head* it's very sad...Clay Jr. will be okay, and he has changed some as you'll see more of ahead. I miss Eric too!!! But, he's gonna be twice as old, due to time (*darn it*), but we will still see him. Thank you! We can use all the prayers we can get for my dad!!! Yes, I'm trying to make this hard on the older Mac, because it should be, lol. Oh, you'll see what I mean further ahead. Anywho, thanks again and see you next week!
Domintel: Aw, hehe, thank you for such nice comments!! 40 degrees Celsius? Oy, I can't remember how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, but from what it sounds like, it's pretty warm!!! It's just starting to warm up here, we've had it pretty darn cold for a while now. Well, I hope all works out for ya!!! LOL, I do hope the double Mac and Harms aren't too confusing!!! :) thanks and see ya next week!
Gillian-Marie: Thank you! Oh, gosh, it's been a little difficult trying to make sure everybody knows who I'm talking about, lol. It was daunting when I first starting thinking up ideas for this story. I was like, "how the heck am I going to be able to distinguish the two?!" So, yeah, hearing you say that is a big relief to me, lol. Thank you and see ya next week :).
Mimmi: Hiya! Hehe, yeah, there will be some "ouch" moments here in the future between the Harms and the Macs. You know me, I have to have a little angst in here. :D. Hehe, I miss Eric too. He was fun to write about. But he'll be in here, it'll just be different because he'll be twice as old as the last time Grace saw him. A bit of shocker when she does run into him! Oh, my, you hit it right on the T! Older Mac being jealous of young Mac is exactly what I was going for, and will be demonstrated here. Thank ya very much and see ya next week!
Pennithil: Thank you! He needs all the prayers he can get!!! Thanks and see ya next week!
e-dog: LOL, yeah, I didn't want Clay to be too bad off, but he'll probably be in the hospital for a few days. Grace will get a chance to visit him and in turn we'll finally see Webb and Catherine. Hehe, well, the interaction with older Harm and younger Mac was strictly a funny awkward moment, but, yeah, we'll see some more of his emotions soon. The older Mac is a little bit more high strung about the whole thing. She definitely feels threatened by both of them. Thank you and see ya next week! :) Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*60*~ on the review list! *does little happy dance* THANK YOU, E-DOG!!!!
Moonlights Sundance: Yuppers, Eric will have an appearance soon. Not sure exactly what his part will be in the whole thing, but it'll come to me...hopefully, lol. Yes, yes, yes, at first I was really confused as to who "Rebecca" was, so I just kept reading a little bit, thinking it would be explained. But after the first two paragraphs, I was like..."okay, something's not right," lol. So I peeked at your other stories and realized what happened. Reeally hope you update soon, it's such an original!! Thanks and see ya next week!
LadyJadePerendhil: Heehee, well, hopeless romantic that I am, I wanted to see how Eric turned out, and for Grace to see how he turned out. He made a large impact in her life for that year and was her closest friend, a friend she had to walk away from. You know me, though, I have to have a bit of angst in here :D. Hehe, don't worry, there won't be some weird relationship thing between the lot. Accidents like on the couch are simple awkward moments that are supposed to make those 4 a tad uncomfortable. Hehe, well, I don't know about a fistfight, but there will certainly be some verbal skirmishes between them!! Thanks and see ya next week!
Pissed Off Poet: Hey! Yes, I will certainly use that in this chapter. I've been really itching to experiment the interactions between everybody. Older Mac snapping at younger Harm was just the tip of the iceberg... :)...thanks and see ya next week!
Maggie: LoL, yeah, Clay is too much fun to kill, but I don't mind hurtin' him a little bit, lol. Hehe, my poor characters, what I do to them...thanks and see ya next week!
Harm-n-Mac Shipper: Oh, thank you! Oh no, my prayers for your mom and your family!! Thank you so much, really, I told my dad that my reviewers were praying for him and he had just such an appreciative expression on him, it really meant a lot. :) Thank you and see ya next week!
Debbie: Aw, thank you! Funny and interesting is definitely what I strive for. I know my comical scenes aren't always the best, but I try, lol. Thank you and see ya next week!
Jagchick105: Heyheyhey! Hehe, Older Mac isn't a happy camper with these guests, as you'll see further down the road...LoL, well, I figured since this really was based about 17 years in the future, that a few things would be different. I could picture Harm trying to work something that seemed simple, but would be difficult for him. Anyway, that fun to write, so thank you! LOL, oh, thank you soooo much, I was kind of dreading how exactly I was going to present the two Harms and Macs, so it isn't confusing. People seem to say it wasn't, but oh boy, sometimes it's like..."okay, how am I gonna do this..." so yeah, thank you for that! I know, hey, do you know what exactly happened to Palmer? He's still in prison, right?? It just seems like he's fallen into oblivion, which is good for Harm, but I kind of miss all the action :D. LOL, your head doesn't need to be checked! Anyone who doesn't agree with us should be the ones getting a CAT scan!!! :D thanks again and see ya next week!
GHeTtOnErD: Hiya! Thank you! Ya, I'll think about it. I may post both of them after I finish this story. I dunno, but thank you for the encouragement! See ya next week!
NadaZimri: LOL, noooo, I didn't do it, I swear!!!!! That was pretty ironic though...*sigh*...ah yes, poor little Claysicle. Ooops, that reminds me. I forgot to give the credit that you thought that up...I'll try to change that here sooneth. *smiles innocently*...LEFTOVER PIZZA!!!! We wants it!!!
CharmedMummy: LOL, yay!!! My friendly proof-reading fairy is back!!! 1).(Clay's Mom):....heehee..well...okay...um...my friends that I've known for more than 13 years...I call their parents by their first names..hehe...and since Grace has known the Webbs forever, I kinda figured they did that too...umm...so yeah...:D But anywho..umm...I have MSN instant messenger (which I've actually never used, but it's there), Yahoo IM, and AIM. It's a little better than emailing...umm..oh yeah, for MSN, it's the same as my Yahoo ID, which is in my profile. My e-mail's also there though if you wanna shoot me a letter! 2.(Infrared): THANK YOU. I was having major disagreements with my spell check, trying to figure out just how you spell that darn word!!! *gets on knees and folds hands* THANK YOU!! 3. (Admiral/Harm): Heehee, I've been experiments with different references to them. I'll start using the younger/older ones too. Thank you :D. 4. (Defensive Mac): Thanks, I really wanted to stress this. You hit it right on the T. This is exactly what I want to get across. Older Mac is genuinely worried how these two guests will affect her children, as they've already affected Grace! 5. (Prey/pray): I slapped my forehead when I proofread that chapter after it was uploaded. It was late and I didn't have time to re-upload it when I noticed the mistake. Now I'm just lazy, but I'll fix it soon. 6. (Mac's Scar): LOL, good, that was supposed to be a little funny, lol. 7. (Catherine Gale): Heehee, this is where my good luck comes in. I forgot about that too, that Catherine Gale was only introduced when Mac went to Paraguay. But she was quite pregnant at the beginning of the 9th season, meaning she probably met Webb way before Paraguay. So that's how I pretty much figured it happened (in my mind anyway, who knows in the show). Webb and Catherine were gettin' it on, then perhaps broke up because of their careers, but once Webb realized she was pregnant, decided to stay with her and they both rekindled their love for one another...yeah, maybe I'll stick that in the story somewhere, lol. Thank you so much, really, I told my dad that my reviewers were praying for him and he had just such an appreciative expression on him, I could tell it really meant a lot to him. OUCH, I hope your knee will be okay! Get plenty of rest!!! Heehee, and feel free to ramble allll you want. Like I've said before, you are my unofficial beta-reader and I love having you, because I really trust your opinion, and I know you'll be honest. Thank you again, and see ya next week!!! Ah! And look! You're lucky number ~*70*~ on the review list! *does little happy dance* THANK YOU, CHARMED!!!!
Macicat: LOL, yes, Big Mac is not a happy camper, and Big Harm is definitely a tad bit confused :D. Heehee, well, Mamma Mac will have her moment, verbally anyway, maybe she'll throw a dish or something, I dunno, lol. Thanks and see ya next week!
DD2: Hey, welcome back! How was your vacation?! Thank you and see ya next week!
Lili: LoL, hey there! Aw, thank you, but do review other peoples! Authors thrive on reviews! :). Yes, you can bet on there being more scenes between those four!! Thank you and see ya next week!
Nikole1025: Hey there! LoL, welcome back, I'm glad you found it! Oh, I'm so glad you could tell which character was which, lol. I was so worried that nobody would know who I was talking about, lol. Thank you! Hehe, the title for Chapter 3, Claysicle, my friend actually made that up, and I'm giving her credit below, lol. Glad you like it! Thank you and see ya next week!
Winnie Bear: Oh, thank you! I try!! I wish the chapters weren't so short, but, eh, I'll try to make them longer. Hehe, don't worry, the story line is being created bit by bit. :) Thank you and see ya next week!
SarahRabb705: Thank you! Oy vay, this has been a confusing ordeal, trying to figure out everybody's reactions, lol. I'm glad you see where I'm trying to go with this, lol. Thank you and see ya next week!
cmaf: Hey there! Hehe, cutting it close, but you made it!!! Oh, no, I wasn't questioning "sigh", you had written "imho" in parentheses, I was wondering what that meant. LOL, yes, stupid Clay Junior, but this all ties into something more important :D, I promise. OMG, 104 F??? That's insane!!! Do you guys get a lot of humidity (moisture) in the air down there?? Or is it dry?? Cause that can be quite a contributing factor!!! Yikes though. Well, I think my wish is coming true, it's warming up here, which means it should be cooling down a little bit down there!!! Thank you and see ya next week!!
(A/N): Two things. First, I forgot to give the credit to the title of my third chapter, Claysicle, to me pal, NadaZimri!! Thank you!!! Second, just wanted to thank you all for your prayers and best wishes for my father. He's doing well and the surgery went with no surprises. When I told him my reviewers wished him well, he had such an expression of thanks, so thank you, I think it meant a lot to him :).
Chapter 4: Cuban Music Sets the Mood1426 ZULU
Rabb Home
Georgetown, Virginia
Mac awoke with a start to the sound of the roaring of trucks outside. The morning light flooded through the guest room window and Mac stretched her arms and yawned, happy to feel the warmth of sunlight on her skin. At that moment, her fiancé came out of the bathroom in jeans and an undershirt. She watched him carefully and silently as he maneuvered around the room, opening the closet as quietly as he could and taking out a shirt Admiral Rabb had let him borrow. With his back to her, Harm buttoned the shirt, but stopped, feeling he was being watched. He turned around slowly and grinned when he saw Mac.
"Good morning." He said cheerfully as he came over to the bed.
Mac grunted, bringing the covers up to her chin. "What's good about it?"
"What's good about it?!" Harm quoted her, disappointment in his voice, "Well, first, that shower seems to have an unlimited amount of hot water...the electricity is back on...and, in your benefit, it smells like there's bacon cooking downstairs. Do these conditions please you, m'lady?" He added playfully.
Mac let her lips spread into a smile. "Gratefully."
"Good girl." Harm bent down and kissed her quickly as he buttoned the rest of his shirt.
***
Grace stirred her cereal around in the bowl; actually eating the food the farthest thing on her mind. At the moment, all she could think about was Clay lying in some hospital bed, pale and lonely. But that scene was the farthest from the truth. No doubt Clay's parents would be with him right now. But she couldn't help but think it would do him good if he saw her. To know she cared about him.
The crackling of frying bacon filtered into her ears as the scent entered her nostrils. She breathed it in fully, trying to find out if she smelled it enough she might taste it, seeing that that was the closest she would let herself get to the meat. She sighed. The scent only made her mouth water so she stuffed a spoonful of corn flakes in her mouth. The milk had gotten warm and the corn flakes were soggy, falling apart too easily. She swallowed what she'd taken and pushed the bowl aside. Her mother came over a second later placing a small plate with three crispy, brown slices of bacon in front of her. Grace's mouth started to water again and she grabbed her glass of orange juice.
Grace's mother caught her daughter's reaction and put her hands on her still shapely hips. "Gracie, you need some protein."
Grace scoffed as she pushed the plate away. "There are healthier ways to get protein."
Mac sighed, sliding the plate over to Isabel who smiled gleefully at the food. Grace didn't understand it. Her little sister could eat like a teenage boy and still stay skinny as a rail. Grace had to watch it and made sure she got in her jogs and her fruits and vegetables. She used to go running with her father, but he would usually go into a long lecture about something deep. After a while, she couldn't take all that intense thinking at five in the morning, so she made an excuse that she needed more sleep and went out running after he did. Jake was the strangest out of everyone. He ate almost as healthy as their father, but sat around doing nothing. Therefore, he got a little round in the edges, but her parents weren't worried. It seemed like he was growing an inch a month and would probably stretch to at least a six-footer by high school, therefore his weight would balance out.
Grace flinched when something hit her. She looked down and saw an apple seed stuck to her shirt. Her head whipped up angrily to see Jake hiding his wide grin behind a half-eaten apple. Isabel giggled in between bites of her bacon. Grace peeled the apple seed off and threw it back at Jake, watching as it landed in his thick red hair, which was poking out in all directions from sleeping on it. Jake scowled, putting down his apple and ruffling his hair searching for the seed. At that moment, Grace's mother turned on the radio attached to the underside of an above-the-counter cabinet and the room filled with the sound of Cuban music. Grace knew her mother did that to filter out anything her children were doing. She couldn't blame her.
After some time, Jake found the seed and threatened to throw it back at Grace, who stood from her chair going over to where her mother was cooking the rest of the bacon. Grace emptied the cereal in the sink, washing her bowl. Grace's mother looked on curiously and watched as the food went down the drain. She eyed her daughter thoughtfully. Grace looked back.
"What?"
"You need to eat more." Mac said as she pushed the bacon around on the griddle.
Grace dried her hands on a towel and rolled her eyes. Behind them, Isabel squealed, surely because Jake threw an apple seed at her. His laughter echoed in the kitchen. A second later, the swinging kitchen door opened to reveal the houseguests. Everyone became silent, save for the upbeat Cuban music. The young Harm and Mac could immediately sense the different feelings in the room. Grace's mother returned her attention to the bacon. Jake put his apple seed down and Isabel slowly nibbled at her last piece of bacon, her eyes piercing the two adults who had just entered the room.
Grace finally broke the silence and smiled at the two. "Morning," they merely nodded at her, so Grace continued, "there's bacon, cereal, frozen waffles, bagels, anything you want."
Grace's mother slid the now cooked bacon onto a plate, covering it with another overturned plate and placing it on the table. She gently smacked Isabel's hand away from the plate before taking off her apron and busying herself with cleaning up.
"Thanks." Harm said, still apprehensive.
Jake put his apple core down, fiddling with another seed. "Hey, Mom, since the roads are open now, can you take us sledding?"
"Yeah!" Isabel added excitedly, the thought apparently crossing her mind for the first time that morning.
Grace's mother sighed as she put the griddle in the sink. "Jake, I have a lot to do today, why don't you guys just use the hill in the backyard."
"That thing's for babies, Mom!" Jake whined.
Isabel nodded defiantly, though she probably didn't have any guts to go on anything bigger than that hill. "Yeah, it is!"
"There's this great hill Matt was talking about, Mom," Jake exclaimed, his bluish/green eyes wide with excitement, "It's at the golf course. He says you actually take on air!"
The young Harm and Mac listened with amusement as they sat down pouring themselves a simple bowl of cornflakes. Grace leaned against the kitchen counter, curious to see where this conversation would go.
Grace's mother didn't seemed to comforted by Jake's description of the hill. "I don't think so, Jake. Besides, like I said, I have too much to do today."
The boy scowled, slouching down in the chair. His eyes brightened up a fraction of a second later though. "Can't Dad take us?"
"No, he's going to Bethesda to check in on Clay."
Grace cranked her neck towards her mother. "What?! When?!"
Her mother shrugged. "Some time this morning."
"Can I go?!"
Mac nodded. "I don't see why not."
Grace sighed in relief.
Isabel turned her head to Harm and Mac, sitting next to her. "Can one of you taking us sledding?"
Grace's mother, who was leaning on the counter next to Grace, shot up, her spine straightening. "Of course not."
Jake couldn't see any flaws in it though and made a toothy smile. "Come on, Mom, they're practically you and Dad...I think."
The eyes widened on both the young Harm and Mac. But Grace's mother looked positively hostile. "They are not your parents." She spat angrily.
The silence in the air grew thick again, the beating of several Congo and Bongo drums and exotic trumpet notes echoing from the Cuban music, a singer in the background saying, "Mami Me Gusto," over and over again. Isabel frowned down at her bacon and Jake swallowed hard. Grace crossed her arms, giving fleeting looks from Harm and Mac. They both kept their eyes to the table. Grace's mother sighed sharply and stepped quickly out of the room. A moment later, Grace's father breezed into the room, his expression that of confusion. He was dressed in a thick winter coat. He had been out shoveling the driveway, and his cheeks were red from the cold.
"What's wrong with her?" He asked, pointing a gloved hand behind him.
Grace shook her head, leaving the kitchen with a scowl on her face. Jake and Isabel exchanged glances before turning to their father. "Can Harm take us sledding, Dad?" Jake asked hopefully.
Admiral Rabb's eyebrows nearly reached his hairline. He understood what distressed his wife and why. His younger counterpart shifted uncomfortably in the chair, sensing he was now the center of attention. Mac took a sip of her coffee, hoping to hide her expression. Jake's father shrugged, stammering a little.
"I—I guess...um..."
Mac spoke up immediately. "You wife doesn't like that idea, do you really want to go against her wishes?"
The Admiral glared at her solidly. She sounded the most like his wife when she said that. "...My wife is under a lot of...pressure right now, I don't really trust her opinion at the moment. Besides, it'll probably be good for her to be alone."
Jake leapt up from the chair, slicing his fist through the air in achievement. "Yesss! This is gonna be awesome! I'll go dig out my sled!"
Isabel squeaked excitedly and was on her brother's heels as he rushed out of the kitchen.
The older Harm seemed to be confused by what just happened and shook his head. "Do you, uh, know where you're supposed to take them?" He asked his younger self.
Harm nodded. "I know the golf course Jake was talking about."
The Admiral bit his lip, his eyes wandering to the ceiling as his wife's footsteps treaded heavily across the floor upstairs. His gaze slowly fell back down to Harm. "I trust you...but make sure nothing happens to them. My wife may kill you if she finds a scratch on either one of them."
***
1516 ZULU
Grace stood at the end of the driveway as she waited for her father, and examining the road. They had gotten about two feet solid of snow from yesterday's storm, but the trucks cleared the snow off the roads, which luckily didn't have much ice on them. Grace remembered when she lived with Harm, and how long it would take for trucks to clear the roads after a storm. If D.C. had gotten this size of a storm in 2003, the entire city would be shut down before the roads were cleaned up.
Her father made a short whistle behind her to catch her attention. Grace spun around and started up the driveway, hugging her thin arms. They both climbed into the SUV-like vehicle, buckling their seatbelts. Her father started the car, and a hot current of air poured out of the vents at the dashboard and their feet. Grace welcomed the heat, her red cheeks gaining a normal color again.
The car ride was silent for a while. Her father drove slowly through the streets, keeping a careful eye on the other drivers. They came to a stop sign at the end of the neighborhood, and Grace couldn't help but notice that he kind of rolled through the sign. Grace pursed her lips.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?" He answered distractedly.
"You rolled through that stop sign."
Her father slowly turned his neck to look at her, the smallest a smirk on his features. "Okay, Mac." He joked, referring to his wife's behavior sometimes when she was forced to sit in the passenger seat.
Grace rolled her eyes and looked out the window. Harm sped up a little bit, now on a more open road as they headed for Washington.
He cleared his throat, shifting in the seat. "During you little...sojourn...you didn't happen to learn how to drive—did you?"
Grace snorted a laugh. "You bet I did. I had this little Corolla, it was so cute. But I liked your 'Vette more."
The car swerved a little and a car passing them in the opposite direction honked. Grace chuckled. "Relax, Dad, you never let me near the pedals of your Corvette."
They rode some more in silence, each lost in their own thoughts before they pulled into the Bethesda parking lot.
***
1530 ZULU
Not even wanting to come near a car of the future, Harm called a cab to pick him, Jake and Isabel up. He wasn't about to try and figure out how the vehicles around here worked, that is if they were even different. But he wasn't going to take his chances.
Apparently, Admiral Rabb informed his wife of the plan, and his wife locked him out of the bedroom, refusing to talk to him. But something told Harm it wasn't that she didn't trust him, it was simple jealously. That was Harm's best guess, but he wasn't about to confront the woman about it. His Mac then informed him that she would try to talk to her. The two had yet to be alone together to talk about anything, so Harm thought that was a good idea.
A hand tugged at his jacket and he looked down to see Isabel, completely covered with snow gear from head to toe. She had a scarf wrapped around the bottom half of her face, so the only part of her you could see were her big chocolate eyes.
"What, sweetheart?"
"Can you help me wiff my boofs?" She said, her voice muffled from the scarf.
Harm looked down at her feet which had only pink socks. She held up her gloved hands, handing him the boots. Harm smiled as she plopped to the floor, or rather fell backward, her many layers supporting her fall. Jake was next to them, hopping on one foot as he secured his last boot on. He had a mask on, making him look like a miniature bank robber.
The cab honked from outside and Harm barely tied Isabel's boot before she shot up, wobbling to where her sleigh was propped up against the wall next to her brother's. Jake grabbed his sleigh, a little bigger than Isabel's and pulled open the front door, racing out into the front yard. Isabel hobbled after him with Harm close behind. Jake raced towards the cab, waiting across the street, with Isabel now close behind him. Harm marveled a bit at the children's excitement. Growing up in California, his childhood was never graced with the fun of snowstorms. But seeing these kids looking forward to it like it was Christmas morning made him smile inside and out. But his grin disintegrated when he heard the honking of a car in the opposite direction. Jake had made it to the cab, but Isabel was still racing across the wide street.
Pure instinct kicked in and Harm tore across the front yard and into the street. The car's breaks screeched, but caught a patch of ice and slid towards the girl who stood motionless in the street. Harm wrapped his arms around her waist and leapt into the yard next to the cab, the two of them falling into the deep, fluffy snow. Harm breathed heavily, that short sprint taking the air out of him. He still tightly gripped the girl who was wheezing but was fine. Harm rolled onto his back, finally letting go of the girl who also limply fell into him.
"Thanks." The girl said breathlessly, "I'm never gonna go into another street again."
Harm nodded. "No problem." But Harm felt this was an omen of what would happen the rest of the day.
***
TBC
***
I promise. Next chapter will be much more entertaining. This week was crazy, with Dad's surgery and other things that make our lives nuts. You guys would probably have more if it wasn't for yesterday. I saw Passion of the Christ yesterday morning and was emotionally drained the rest of the day, I couldn't write a thing. Thanks again and see y'all next week!
~sancti
