Title: Just to talk Part VII
Author: Nan
Rating: PG-13
Classification: Mac/Harm
Spoilers: Take It Like a Man
Authors Notes - I hate to say this, but I'm leaving on a trip till next Tuesday. I probably won't post again till the following Wednesday. Hope you enjoy this. I just love the feedback.
******************************************************************
0035 Zulu
Sarah Mackenzie's Apartment
Georgetown
Mac sighed audibly as she watched the noodles slowly twirl around her fork. She was sitting at her dining room table, surrounded by take-out boxes. Mattie was sitting across from her watching, chopsticks in hand, head turned, watching ET on the television located in the living room.
Harm? She could hear the sound of painter's tape peeling off the roll in the next room. He had barely taken two bites of food before hiding himself in the bedroom. The taping of the baseboards and trim was almost complete. At the rate Harm was working, he would have the edge work painted in a couple of hours.
It was easy to read Harm. He was both angry and ashamed. Angry at Mattie for drinking and ashamed of his reaction. Losing your cool was not something a pilot was trained to do. But once lost, he be damned before admitting he might be wrong. The holes in the ceiling of Courtroom B were a testimony to the one of the few times Harm lost his cool.
Now Mattie was different. Mac had been studying her all evening. It didn't take much to guess she was stubborn and hotheaded. Her recent past, fighting to keep her parents crop dusting business was evidence of that. But there was something more. Mattie was surprised. She was surprised by the strength of Harm's reaction to a relatively harmless little escapade.
Harm and Mattie had an unreal relationship from the beginning. He must have seemed like a storybook prince to her. He swooped into her life, understood her problems then poof! - Made them all go away.
Now the prince was having a good look at her life. And he wasn't quite so unforgiving after all. And the life wasn't happily ever after.
Whatever. Mac wasn't going to sit around and mope all evening. She picked up a few empty takeout cartons and dumped them in her garbage pail. Next, she walked down the short hall to her bedroom.
Harm was on his knees, head in a corner, trimming the blue tape with a small Exacto-knife. She smiled. He was wearing a pair of baggy jeans and an old faded flannel shirt, both stained with grease and paint. His face frowned in concentration as he pulled the knife across the strip. Whatever else might happen, she knew her bedroom paint job would be top notch. That was just the way Harm was.
"Harm?" she said.
His head turned and he peered at her from under the crook of his arm. "Yeah?" He then moved to stand up.
"How about we all go for dessert together? There is a coffee place we can walk to with great pastries."
She could see that he was contemplating the invitation. Instead of answering, he put the palm of his hand against the wall and proceeded to brush off any small bits of dust and hair. "You sure you want to paint this? It's in pretty good shape as it is."
"Yes, I want to paint it," she said.
"What's that?" He pointed toward a small motion detector mounted in the upper corner of the room.
"Oh," she said. "During the thing with Sadik, the Agency suggested I put in a security system. Even though the whole thing went down quickly and was over fast, they encouraged me to install anyway. Even though Sadik operated as a loner. All of the windows, doors and rooms have sensors. The security panel is in the closet."
Mac could feel his eyes narrow as they studied her face. He slowly nodded. "Okay."
"So you want to go? Get dessert?"
"No," he said. "I want to polyfill a couple of holes and get started on the edging. You go."
"Suit yourself," she said.
*************
"What's that for?" said Mattie. They had just ordered two hot mochas and one 'Death by Chocolate' cake.
Mattie was referring to the four small flowers Mac was wrapping into a napkin. As they had walked past the Georgetown Hotel, she had spied a bed of white snowdrops and purple crocuses. She had covertly snagged a couple of each.
"Harm," she said.
"Harm?" said Mattie in disbelief. "He doesn't seem like the flower type."
"I wouldn't have thought so either. But he likes spring flowers. So do I," she said and put the small bundle into her purse.
"You guys have a funny relationship, don't you?" said Mattie.
"You could say that," said Mac.
"You know," said Mattie. "When Harm and I first knew each other, he told me things. When he thought I was just this random girl at the airfield where he kept his Stearman. He was so different then."
"I'll bet," said Mac.
"When I first met him, he just seemed like this great looking guy with this fantastic Indian motorcycle and a vintage Stearman. He's a outstanding pilot, you know."
"I know," said Mac. Motorcycle? Harm has a motorcycle?
"No really. Crop dusting is harder than it looks. To keep the chemicals on the plants for maximum efficiency and minimum ecological damage, you need to fly low. Real low. Most pilots are scared to. Harm was unusual."
"Flying is what Harm does."
"At the time, he seemed really torn up about something. He told me a bit about losing his job and the admiral. He also talked why he quit in the first place. For a woman. You're that woman, right?"
"I guess so," said Mac. "Does he still talk about it?"
"No," she said. "Not a word since the day Admiral Chegwidden came down to Blacksburg to offer his job back. That was not a great day in my life."
"Why?"
"Well, maybe if Harm had stuck around and kept crop dusting I could have kept Grace Aviation out of bankruptcy. And I would still be in Blacksburg."
Mac blinked. "Oh Mattie..."
"Don't worry. I don't blame Harm. He's done more for me than anyone else. It's just that...I can dream, can't I?" She looked wistful.
Mac spoke slowly. "Mattie, you remember what I said in court that day? At your hearing? I said that Harm would make a great parent. And I meant it. He will move heaven and earth to help you."
"I guess," she said.
"You're not second guessing that, are you? Just cause you had a disagreement? He really cares for you," said Mac.
Mattie studied her. "Colonel, when Harm was yelling at me, he was really angry."
"I know," she said.
"Really angry. He said something. He was talking about you, wasn't he?"
"What did he say?"
"He told me that I didn't know how bad it could be. You had it bad, Colonel? As a girl, didn't you?"
"Mac," said Mac.
"What?" said Mattie.
"Call me Mac. Or Sarah. Don't call me Colonel," said Mac.
"Okay," she said.
Mac sighed heavily. "Yeah, I guess I had it bad as a girl. I don't think about it. Listen to Harm. You don't need to drink. Even to fit in. That's probably the worst reason to do it."
"Okay, I got the message. I was wrong. But now what do I do about Harm, Mac?" said Mattie.
"He'll get over it, Mattie. I think he surprised himself. He's not one to lose control."
"You sure?" said Mattie.
"I'm sure," said Mac.
***************
Mac stopped mid-motion. She was just about to open the door to her apartment. But there was music playing. Not just any music, but the music from before. When Sadik was following her. Eerie, middle eastern in style with an irregular beat.
"Stay here," she whispered to Mattie. "Something's wrong." Soundlessly, she opened the door and reached for her service pistol hidden in the hall table. Mattie's eyes widened.
"Don't move," she again ordered Mattie. She stepped into the room, pistol first in her outstretched arms. She slowly cased the room with her eyes.
There were the remnants of their dinner still on the table. She looked into the living room. Her stereo system was playing a CD, LED lights held time with the Arabian tune. She moved quietly down the hall toward her bedroom.
There was movement. She tightened the grip on her pistol and crept slowly toward the door. Like a cat, she got ready to pounce. She stepped through the door and pointed it toward a man's figure.
With shock, she realized she was pointing her loaded pistol at Harm as he painted around the casement on the window. He turned around puzzled, as she slowly lowered the gun. Mattie was standing behind her with a look of terror on her face.
Author: Nan
Rating: PG-13
Classification: Mac/Harm
Spoilers: Take It Like a Man
Authors Notes - I hate to say this, but I'm leaving on a trip till next Tuesday. I probably won't post again till the following Wednesday. Hope you enjoy this. I just love the feedback.
******************************************************************
0035 Zulu
Sarah Mackenzie's Apartment
Georgetown
Mac sighed audibly as she watched the noodles slowly twirl around her fork. She was sitting at her dining room table, surrounded by take-out boxes. Mattie was sitting across from her watching, chopsticks in hand, head turned, watching ET on the television located in the living room.
Harm? She could hear the sound of painter's tape peeling off the roll in the next room. He had barely taken two bites of food before hiding himself in the bedroom. The taping of the baseboards and trim was almost complete. At the rate Harm was working, he would have the edge work painted in a couple of hours.
It was easy to read Harm. He was both angry and ashamed. Angry at Mattie for drinking and ashamed of his reaction. Losing your cool was not something a pilot was trained to do. But once lost, he be damned before admitting he might be wrong. The holes in the ceiling of Courtroom B were a testimony to the one of the few times Harm lost his cool.
Now Mattie was different. Mac had been studying her all evening. It didn't take much to guess she was stubborn and hotheaded. Her recent past, fighting to keep her parents crop dusting business was evidence of that. But there was something more. Mattie was surprised. She was surprised by the strength of Harm's reaction to a relatively harmless little escapade.
Harm and Mattie had an unreal relationship from the beginning. He must have seemed like a storybook prince to her. He swooped into her life, understood her problems then poof! - Made them all go away.
Now the prince was having a good look at her life. And he wasn't quite so unforgiving after all. And the life wasn't happily ever after.
Whatever. Mac wasn't going to sit around and mope all evening. She picked up a few empty takeout cartons and dumped them in her garbage pail. Next, she walked down the short hall to her bedroom.
Harm was on his knees, head in a corner, trimming the blue tape with a small Exacto-knife. She smiled. He was wearing a pair of baggy jeans and an old faded flannel shirt, both stained with grease and paint. His face frowned in concentration as he pulled the knife across the strip. Whatever else might happen, she knew her bedroom paint job would be top notch. That was just the way Harm was.
"Harm?" she said.
His head turned and he peered at her from under the crook of his arm. "Yeah?" He then moved to stand up.
"How about we all go for dessert together? There is a coffee place we can walk to with great pastries."
She could see that he was contemplating the invitation. Instead of answering, he put the palm of his hand against the wall and proceeded to brush off any small bits of dust and hair. "You sure you want to paint this? It's in pretty good shape as it is."
"Yes, I want to paint it," she said.
"What's that?" He pointed toward a small motion detector mounted in the upper corner of the room.
"Oh," she said. "During the thing with Sadik, the Agency suggested I put in a security system. Even though the whole thing went down quickly and was over fast, they encouraged me to install anyway. Even though Sadik operated as a loner. All of the windows, doors and rooms have sensors. The security panel is in the closet."
Mac could feel his eyes narrow as they studied her face. He slowly nodded. "Okay."
"So you want to go? Get dessert?"
"No," he said. "I want to polyfill a couple of holes and get started on the edging. You go."
"Suit yourself," she said.
*************
"What's that for?" said Mattie. They had just ordered two hot mochas and one 'Death by Chocolate' cake.
Mattie was referring to the four small flowers Mac was wrapping into a napkin. As they had walked past the Georgetown Hotel, she had spied a bed of white snowdrops and purple crocuses. She had covertly snagged a couple of each.
"Harm," she said.
"Harm?" said Mattie in disbelief. "He doesn't seem like the flower type."
"I wouldn't have thought so either. But he likes spring flowers. So do I," she said and put the small bundle into her purse.
"You guys have a funny relationship, don't you?" said Mattie.
"You could say that," said Mac.
"You know," said Mattie. "When Harm and I first knew each other, he told me things. When he thought I was just this random girl at the airfield where he kept his Stearman. He was so different then."
"I'll bet," said Mac.
"When I first met him, he just seemed like this great looking guy with this fantastic Indian motorcycle and a vintage Stearman. He's a outstanding pilot, you know."
"I know," said Mac. Motorcycle? Harm has a motorcycle?
"No really. Crop dusting is harder than it looks. To keep the chemicals on the plants for maximum efficiency and minimum ecological damage, you need to fly low. Real low. Most pilots are scared to. Harm was unusual."
"Flying is what Harm does."
"At the time, he seemed really torn up about something. He told me a bit about losing his job and the admiral. He also talked why he quit in the first place. For a woman. You're that woman, right?"
"I guess so," said Mac. "Does he still talk about it?"
"No," she said. "Not a word since the day Admiral Chegwidden came down to Blacksburg to offer his job back. That was not a great day in my life."
"Why?"
"Well, maybe if Harm had stuck around and kept crop dusting I could have kept Grace Aviation out of bankruptcy. And I would still be in Blacksburg."
Mac blinked. "Oh Mattie..."
"Don't worry. I don't blame Harm. He's done more for me than anyone else. It's just that...I can dream, can't I?" She looked wistful.
Mac spoke slowly. "Mattie, you remember what I said in court that day? At your hearing? I said that Harm would make a great parent. And I meant it. He will move heaven and earth to help you."
"I guess," she said.
"You're not second guessing that, are you? Just cause you had a disagreement? He really cares for you," said Mac.
Mattie studied her. "Colonel, when Harm was yelling at me, he was really angry."
"I know," she said.
"Really angry. He said something. He was talking about you, wasn't he?"
"What did he say?"
"He told me that I didn't know how bad it could be. You had it bad, Colonel? As a girl, didn't you?"
"Mac," said Mac.
"What?" said Mattie.
"Call me Mac. Or Sarah. Don't call me Colonel," said Mac.
"Okay," she said.
Mac sighed heavily. "Yeah, I guess I had it bad as a girl. I don't think about it. Listen to Harm. You don't need to drink. Even to fit in. That's probably the worst reason to do it."
"Okay, I got the message. I was wrong. But now what do I do about Harm, Mac?" said Mattie.
"He'll get over it, Mattie. I think he surprised himself. He's not one to lose control."
"You sure?" said Mattie.
"I'm sure," said Mac.
***************
Mac stopped mid-motion. She was just about to open the door to her apartment. But there was music playing. Not just any music, but the music from before. When Sadik was following her. Eerie, middle eastern in style with an irregular beat.
"Stay here," she whispered to Mattie. "Something's wrong." Soundlessly, she opened the door and reached for her service pistol hidden in the hall table. Mattie's eyes widened.
"Don't move," she again ordered Mattie. She stepped into the room, pistol first in her outstretched arms. She slowly cased the room with her eyes.
There were the remnants of their dinner still on the table. She looked into the living room. Her stereo system was playing a CD, LED lights held time with the Arabian tune. She moved quietly down the hall toward her bedroom.
There was movement. She tightened the grip on her pistol and crept slowly toward the door. Like a cat, she got ready to pounce. She stepped through the door and pointed it toward a man's figure.
With shock, she realized she was pointing her loaded pistol at Harm as he painted around the casement on the window. He turned around puzzled, as she slowly lowered the gun. Mattie was standing behind her with a look of terror on her face.