Disclaimer: Definitely don't own it. Definitely don't.
WARNING: Later chapters of this fic contain sensitive material (assault,
rape) Beware!
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Instead of doing any work after I talked to Mac, I formulated a plan to completely win her over. After all, it couldn't be just as easy as just telling her that I'm taken with her-I have to at least do something sweet before I completely sweep her off her feet tonight.
So about an hour ago, I called the nearest florist and ordered my own flower arrangement.
Speaking of winning her heart, the florist delivery man just walked in, carrying a vase with eight long-stemmed red roses in it. I grin and watch as he walks directly to Sarah's office, no doubt he's been there a few times today already. He knocks and I watch as she looks up from her work, gesturing him in. He hands her the flowers and the card that I ordered with them. Smiling widely, she thanks him and he leaves.
She looks at the flowers, then sniffs them, inhaling deeply the scent that reminds me so much of her. Then she opens the card and reads it, which doesn't take long, because there are only a few words. The card reads,
'One rose for each year I've been taken with you.
-H.R.'
When she looks up from the card, she turns toward my office and looks directly at me, a look on her face that I've never seen before. She looks...She looks in love. I just meet her gaze and look at her the same way, letting my expression say the words that I haven't been able to say to her directly.
I love you Sarah, so much.
She understands, and nods slightly, a barely visible gesture. Then she smiles a little, her eyes returning my feelings one hundred percent. I can't help but grin and hold back the tears that spring to my eyes as I realize that she's in love with me, too.
I let out a shuddering breath, looking away from her beautiful face so I don't completely lose my composure. I look at my computer and start typing away on a brief that I was supposed to be working on all morning.
I don't know how long I've been working when there's a knock on my door. Looking over, I see that same delivery man standing at my door and I frown. What's he doing here? Glancing at the clock on my computer, I see that it's been an hour and a half since I started typing.
"Are you Harmon Rabb?" The delivery man asks. I nod. Coming forward with a vase containing six long-stemmed, red roses, he sets them on my desk and hands me the card. I take the card and look at the man, puzzled.
"We've had more deliveries to this office this morning...Especially to that Sarah MacKenzie. She's a real looker, ain't she?" He asks as I sign the clipboard that he hands me. I nod, smiling at him. He smiles back, an oddly familiar smile that I swear I've seen before. I get a chill that passes after a second.
"Yeah, she is. Thank you." He nods and walks away, leaving me with my six roses and my card. I sit down, opening the card as I do. When I see what the card says, I smile.
'Here are six roses-one for each of your smiles. I'm looking forward to tonight.
-S.M.'
I wonder if she's planning on explaining my smiles to me. I didn't know that I had six smiles...
Looking up at her, I can't help but grin as I see her sitting at her desk, concentrating on some document in front of her, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed. She looks so beautiful. I've all but forgotten about the strange delivery man.
She has four smiles.
------------------- Harm's Apartment North of Union Station After Work
I ran out of JAG the moment that I could, hurrying home to change and spend a minute or two with Maddie before going over to Mac's.
When I open the door to my apartment, I'm surprised to see Maddie in my livingroom, doing homework.
"Hey, Maddie. What's up?" I ask, throwing my cover and briefcase onto my desk and loosening my tie, taking off my jacket. She looks up at me, smiling widely.
"Mac called. She said to bring 'the movie' when you come over." She says, her grin sly. Narrowing my eyes, I nod.
"Thanks." I say simply, going to the kitchen to get a drink of water. Maddie gets up and follows me, resting her elbows on the breakfast bar.
"So, you're going to Mac's tonight?" She asks in a voice that tells me she's already made a hundred conclusions about my date with Mac. I nod.
"Yes, I am." I say. Grinning, she raises her eyebrows.
"On Valentine's Day? Is this a date, Mister Rabb?" She asks, teasing. Lifting an eyebrow, I chuckle.
"Maybe. Why do you wanna know?" I ask, trying to sound cool. She shakes her head.
"Harm, come on! You're finally having a date with Mac? This is great!" She exclaims, sounding as excited as I am. I try to act confused.
"Why? What's the big deal?" I ask, really playing dumb now.
"You can't fool me, Harmon Rabb. You're in love with her, and tonight, you're finally going to tell her. And by the way, what's 'the movie'?" She asks, hinting to something. I smile and shrug.
"It's this movie that we've liked watching together since we became friends. We watched it the first time we hung out at her place and now we watch it together whenever we can. It's like an old tradition, I guess." I tell her. She looks suspicious.
"What movie is it? I haven't seen any around here." She says. I glance away from her, going into the bedroom to change my shirt. She stays in the kitchen, getting something to eat as she waits for my answer. Staying behind the glass, I change and try to avoid answering.
"Harm? You can't avoid my question forever." She taunts in a sing-song voice. I roll my eyes and finish buttoning my shirt, coming out of the bedroom and looking at her warily.
"The movie is The Sound of Music, and I keep it in my car for whenever I go to her place." I say, awaiting the inevitable laughter. Sure enough, Maddie bursts into a laugh that makes me a little grumpy.
"You...Like...The Sound...of...Music?" She laughs. I shrug, grabbing a belt from my closet and putting it on.
"Mac likes it a lot, and I like it because she does." I mutter, buckling the belt. Maddie grins at me.
"Aww, Harm, that's so cute!" She says. I roll my eyes again and gesture to myself.
"Do I look alright? Do you think she'll like the shirt?" I ask. Maddie squints, looking at my kakhis and button-up red shirt. Then she steps past me, into the bedroom, shaking her head.
"Go with a blue shirt, Harm. It'll bring out the color in your eyes, which she'll love." She says, throwing a dark blue button-up shirt at me. I shrug, taking off the one I'm wearing and putting the blue one on over the white undershirt I'm wearing. Maddie looks at me, then nods.
"That's better. You'll knock her socks off." She says, going back into the kitchen. I go to the bathroom and make sure my hair's not sticking up, which it isn't. Then I grin and start walking out of the bathroom when I see Maddie standing in the middle of the bedroom, shaking her head.
"Nope. Get back in there and put on some cologne." She says. What?
"What? Why? Are you saying I smell?" I ask, joking. She shakes her head again.
"No, my friend, Mac loves your cologne." She says. Narrowing my eyes, I ask,
"How do you know that?" She grins and sighs.
"Harm, you've got to be a woman to understand, and you're not. I've seen this myself. The last time she came over, and you weren't wearing your cologne, she looked at you dreamily, but she wasn't shaken. When you were wearing the cologne, and you walked by her, she got an inch shorter." She says. I'm so confused.
"What do you mean she got an inch shorter?" I ask. She rolls her eyes as if I'm the most dense creature on the planet.
"Harm, you and your cologne made her weak at the knees. Now isn't that what you want?" She asks, knowingly. I nod, turning around and spraying come cologne on.
"Yeah...Thanks Maddie." I say, turning back around and walking out of the room. She turns as well and walks with me to the door.
"No problem, Harm. Give her hell." She says. I glare at her.
"Give her what?" I ask, trying to stifle a grin. Maddie looks around quickly then back at me, a sweet smile on her face.
"Give her...um...candy!" She covers, giving me a great idea. My Marine loves chocolate. I grin.
"Great idea, Maddie. Thanks!" I say, kissing her on the forehead and waving as I walk out the door. What would I do without her?
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Instead of doing any work after I talked to Mac, I formulated a plan to completely win her over. After all, it couldn't be just as easy as just telling her that I'm taken with her-I have to at least do something sweet before I completely sweep her off her feet tonight.
So about an hour ago, I called the nearest florist and ordered my own flower arrangement.
Speaking of winning her heart, the florist delivery man just walked in, carrying a vase with eight long-stemmed red roses in it. I grin and watch as he walks directly to Sarah's office, no doubt he's been there a few times today already. He knocks and I watch as she looks up from her work, gesturing him in. He hands her the flowers and the card that I ordered with them. Smiling widely, she thanks him and he leaves.
She looks at the flowers, then sniffs them, inhaling deeply the scent that reminds me so much of her. Then she opens the card and reads it, which doesn't take long, because there are only a few words. The card reads,
'One rose for each year I've been taken with you.
-H.R.'
When she looks up from the card, she turns toward my office and looks directly at me, a look on her face that I've never seen before. She looks...She looks in love. I just meet her gaze and look at her the same way, letting my expression say the words that I haven't been able to say to her directly.
I love you Sarah, so much.
She understands, and nods slightly, a barely visible gesture. Then she smiles a little, her eyes returning my feelings one hundred percent. I can't help but grin and hold back the tears that spring to my eyes as I realize that she's in love with me, too.
I let out a shuddering breath, looking away from her beautiful face so I don't completely lose my composure. I look at my computer and start typing away on a brief that I was supposed to be working on all morning.
I don't know how long I've been working when there's a knock on my door. Looking over, I see that same delivery man standing at my door and I frown. What's he doing here? Glancing at the clock on my computer, I see that it's been an hour and a half since I started typing.
"Are you Harmon Rabb?" The delivery man asks. I nod. Coming forward with a vase containing six long-stemmed, red roses, he sets them on my desk and hands me the card. I take the card and look at the man, puzzled.
"We've had more deliveries to this office this morning...Especially to that Sarah MacKenzie. She's a real looker, ain't she?" He asks as I sign the clipboard that he hands me. I nod, smiling at him. He smiles back, an oddly familiar smile that I swear I've seen before. I get a chill that passes after a second.
"Yeah, she is. Thank you." He nods and walks away, leaving me with my six roses and my card. I sit down, opening the card as I do. When I see what the card says, I smile.
'Here are six roses-one for each of your smiles. I'm looking forward to tonight.
-S.M.'
I wonder if she's planning on explaining my smiles to me. I didn't know that I had six smiles...
Looking up at her, I can't help but grin as I see her sitting at her desk, concentrating on some document in front of her, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed. She looks so beautiful. I've all but forgotten about the strange delivery man.
She has four smiles.
------------------- Harm's Apartment North of Union Station After Work
I ran out of JAG the moment that I could, hurrying home to change and spend a minute or two with Maddie before going over to Mac's.
When I open the door to my apartment, I'm surprised to see Maddie in my livingroom, doing homework.
"Hey, Maddie. What's up?" I ask, throwing my cover and briefcase onto my desk and loosening my tie, taking off my jacket. She looks up at me, smiling widely.
"Mac called. She said to bring 'the movie' when you come over." She says, her grin sly. Narrowing my eyes, I nod.
"Thanks." I say simply, going to the kitchen to get a drink of water. Maddie gets up and follows me, resting her elbows on the breakfast bar.
"So, you're going to Mac's tonight?" She asks in a voice that tells me she's already made a hundred conclusions about my date with Mac. I nod.
"Yes, I am." I say. Grinning, she raises her eyebrows.
"On Valentine's Day? Is this a date, Mister Rabb?" She asks, teasing. Lifting an eyebrow, I chuckle.
"Maybe. Why do you wanna know?" I ask, trying to sound cool. She shakes her head.
"Harm, come on! You're finally having a date with Mac? This is great!" She exclaims, sounding as excited as I am. I try to act confused.
"Why? What's the big deal?" I ask, really playing dumb now.
"You can't fool me, Harmon Rabb. You're in love with her, and tonight, you're finally going to tell her. And by the way, what's 'the movie'?" She asks, hinting to something. I smile and shrug.
"It's this movie that we've liked watching together since we became friends. We watched it the first time we hung out at her place and now we watch it together whenever we can. It's like an old tradition, I guess." I tell her. She looks suspicious.
"What movie is it? I haven't seen any around here." She says. I glance away from her, going into the bedroom to change my shirt. She stays in the kitchen, getting something to eat as she waits for my answer. Staying behind the glass, I change and try to avoid answering.
"Harm? You can't avoid my question forever." She taunts in a sing-song voice. I roll my eyes and finish buttoning my shirt, coming out of the bedroom and looking at her warily.
"The movie is The Sound of Music, and I keep it in my car for whenever I go to her place." I say, awaiting the inevitable laughter. Sure enough, Maddie bursts into a laugh that makes me a little grumpy.
"You...Like...The Sound...of...Music?" She laughs. I shrug, grabbing a belt from my closet and putting it on.
"Mac likes it a lot, and I like it because she does." I mutter, buckling the belt. Maddie grins at me.
"Aww, Harm, that's so cute!" She says. I roll my eyes again and gesture to myself.
"Do I look alright? Do you think she'll like the shirt?" I ask. Maddie squints, looking at my kakhis and button-up red shirt. Then she steps past me, into the bedroom, shaking her head.
"Go with a blue shirt, Harm. It'll bring out the color in your eyes, which she'll love." She says, throwing a dark blue button-up shirt at me. I shrug, taking off the one I'm wearing and putting the blue one on over the white undershirt I'm wearing. Maddie looks at me, then nods.
"That's better. You'll knock her socks off." She says, going back into the kitchen. I go to the bathroom and make sure my hair's not sticking up, which it isn't. Then I grin and start walking out of the bathroom when I see Maddie standing in the middle of the bedroom, shaking her head.
"Nope. Get back in there and put on some cologne." She says. What?
"What? Why? Are you saying I smell?" I ask, joking. She shakes her head again.
"No, my friend, Mac loves your cologne." She says. Narrowing my eyes, I ask,
"How do you know that?" She grins and sighs.
"Harm, you've got to be a woman to understand, and you're not. I've seen this myself. The last time she came over, and you weren't wearing your cologne, she looked at you dreamily, but she wasn't shaken. When you were wearing the cologne, and you walked by her, she got an inch shorter." She says. I'm so confused.
"What do you mean she got an inch shorter?" I ask. She rolls her eyes as if I'm the most dense creature on the planet.
"Harm, you and your cologne made her weak at the knees. Now isn't that what you want?" She asks, knowingly. I nod, turning around and spraying come cologne on.
"Yeah...Thanks Maddie." I say, turning back around and walking out of the room. She turns as well and walks with me to the door.
"No problem, Harm. Give her hell." She says. I glare at her.
"Give her what?" I ask, trying to stifle a grin. Maddie looks around quickly then back at me, a sweet smile on her face.
"Give her...um...candy!" She covers, giving me a great idea. My Marine loves chocolate. I grin.
"Great idea, Maddie. Thanks!" I say, kissing her on the forehead and waving as I walk out the door. What would I do without her?
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