1605 Zulu;
Saturday;
Roberts Family Residence
"You're welcome."
The words lingered between them as the two friends stared at each other. Harm was certain Mac could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest despite his barely touching her. He was surprised to find that he wasn't afraid or anxious, but instead felt energized and full of anticipation: it was the same exhilaration he felt when launching a Tomcat off an aircraft carrier. Every take-off brought with it the underlying concern of something potentially going wrong, a mild sense of uneasiness that stayed with him until the moment the plane's wheels left the ship. Suddenly the security and safety of the landing deck would fall away and he'd be in momentary free-fall, filled with uncertainty at whether the bird would fly. But then the plane would steady and start to climb, and all apprehension would be washed away by a powerful surge of elation and the strength of the wind at his back. It was that initial wave of exhilaration that compelled him to fly, and he felt it now as he unconsciously tightened his fingers around Mac's arm. He leaned towards her.
!!!CRASH!!!
"Nice shot, AJ!" Mike's voice rang through the yard, breaking Harm out of his trance. Startled, both he and Mac turned to see little AJ Roberts sitting next to a large pile of sandbox toys and grinning hugely up at his uncle, who had started applauding.
"What happened?" Mac called.
"Mr. Spock blew up the Klingons' tower!" AJ happily explained.
"Oh, I see."
Harm looked back at Mac. Their eyes met again briefly but the intimate moment was gone, leaving him with a profound sense of disappointment. He shot her a look he *hoped* would tell her that he wasn't at all uncomfortable with what they'd just shared. Their track record, though, meant that the odds were not in his favor, and as much as he wanted to make certain she understood his feelings, now was not the time or place. He squeezed her arm lightly before removing his hand.
'Poor Harriet," Mac commented. "First, Bud names Jimmy after 'James T. Kirk', and now AJ's playing 'Star Trek' in the sandbox. I think I've underestimated her patience." She looked down at the infant in her lap. "This little guy sure is a sweet one, though."
"Speaking of 'sweet ones', we have a conversation to finish."
"Yes, we do," Mac agreed, an understanding smile on her lips. She shifted Jimmy to her other knee. "Are we still on for later tonight?"
"1900 at my place. We can order Chinese."
"Good." She glanced towards the house. "I'll need to stop at home first to get the files."
"Files?" Harm asked in confusion. "What files-"
"Good to see you two getting along for a change," a familiar voice interrupted. A few feet away stood Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden, arms crossed and watching his senior attorneys with a somewhat amused expression.
"Ah, good morning, sir," Harm said quickly. *Nice save, Mac,* he thought. "Great day for the party, isn't it?"
"Damned fine day, if I do say so myself. How's preparation for the court martial coming?"
"We were just talking about it, sir," Mac answered. "There are several last minute details the Commander and I need to discuss before opening statements on Monday, but we'll be ready."
"Glad to hear it. But I suggest you postpone the discussion until after the party; your client might be rather disturbed to hear his defense team chatting about their case in the opposing counsel's back yard."
"Understood, sir."
"Good." Satisfied that his point had been made, the Admiral turned and headed off towards the sandbox to see his namesake. Harm and Mac glanced at each other sheepishly.
"Oops."
"Yeah, we walked right into that one."
"Correction: YOU walked into that one," Harm said. Mac rolled her eyes, but smiled.
"Okay, you win," she said, adding quietly, "I'll meet you at your apartment at 1900. Need me to bring anything?"
"Just your appetite."
"Done." With a laugh she turned her attention to baby Jimmy, who had started to squirm. Lifting him up, she sniffed and made a face. "Ugh, someone's a little stinky. Let's go get you changed, shall we?" She stood and looked back at Harm. "Coming?"
"No, I'll wait out here."
"Coward," she teased, and carried the baby off to the house. Watching her go, Harm reflected on the Admiral's words: 'Good to see the two of you getting along for a change.' His relationship with Mac had been strained for so long that it was sometimes hard to remember how close they had once been. The easy banter and lightness from early on had been replaced in recent years by harsh words and bitter disappointments. Over the last few weeks, though, the rift between them seemed to have been bridged and a tenuous rebuilding begun. They still had their share of miscommunications, but the tension had lessened considerably. Harm only hoped that the step they were about to take wouldn't ruin their relationship for good.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
To be continued. . .
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
A/N: I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am - - let me know what you think! I REALLY appreciate everyone's feedback (it gives me something to look forward to when I'm at my day job, getting depressed). :-)
"You're welcome."
The words lingered between them as the two friends stared at each other. Harm was certain Mac could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest despite his barely touching her. He was surprised to find that he wasn't afraid or anxious, but instead felt energized and full of anticipation: it was the same exhilaration he felt when launching a Tomcat off an aircraft carrier. Every take-off brought with it the underlying concern of something potentially going wrong, a mild sense of uneasiness that stayed with him until the moment the plane's wheels left the ship. Suddenly the security and safety of the landing deck would fall away and he'd be in momentary free-fall, filled with uncertainty at whether the bird would fly. But then the plane would steady and start to climb, and all apprehension would be washed away by a powerful surge of elation and the strength of the wind at his back. It was that initial wave of exhilaration that compelled him to fly, and he felt it now as he unconsciously tightened his fingers around Mac's arm. He leaned towards her.
!!!CRASH!!!
"Nice shot, AJ!" Mike's voice rang through the yard, breaking Harm out of his trance. Startled, both he and Mac turned to see little AJ Roberts sitting next to a large pile of sandbox toys and grinning hugely up at his uncle, who had started applauding.
"What happened?" Mac called.
"Mr. Spock blew up the Klingons' tower!" AJ happily explained.
"Oh, I see."
Harm looked back at Mac. Their eyes met again briefly but the intimate moment was gone, leaving him with a profound sense of disappointment. He shot her a look he *hoped* would tell her that he wasn't at all uncomfortable with what they'd just shared. Their track record, though, meant that the odds were not in his favor, and as much as he wanted to make certain she understood his feelings, now was not the time or place. He squeezed her arm lightly before removing his hand.
'Poor Harriet," Mac commented. "First, Bud names Jimmy after 'James T. Kirk', and now AJ's playing 'Star Trek' in the sandbox. I think I've underestimated her patience." She looked down at the infant in her lap. "This little guy sure is a sweet one, though."
"Speaking of 'sweet ones', we have a conversation to finish."
"Yes, we do," Mac agreed, an understanding smile on her lips. She shifted Jimmy to her other knee. "Are we still on for later tonight?"
"1900 at my place. We can order Chinese."
"Good." She glanced towards the house. "I'll need to stop at home first to get the files."
"Files?" Harm asked in confusion. "What files-"
"Good to see you two getting along for a change," a familiar voice interrupted. A few feet away stood Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden, arms crossed and watching his senior attorneys with a somewhat amused expression.
"Ah, good morning, sir," Harm said quickly. *Nice save, Mac,* he thought. "Great day for the party, isn't it?"
"Damned fine day, if I do say so myself. How's preparation for the court martial coming?"
"We were just talking about it, sir," Mac answered. "There are several last minute details the Commander and I need to discuss before opening statements on Monday, but we'll be ready."
"Glad to hear it. But I suggest you postpone the discussion until after the party; your client might be rather disturbed to hear his defense team chatting about their case in the opposing counsel's back yard."
"Understood, sir."
"Good." Satisfied that his point had been made, the Admiral turned and headed off towards the sandbox to see his namesake. Harm and Mac glanced at each other sheepishly.
"Oops."
"Yeah, we walked right into that one."
"Correction: YOU walked into that one," Harm said. Mac rolled her eyes, but smiled.
"Okay, you win," she said, adding quietly, "I'll meet you at your apartment at 1900. Need me to bring anything?"
"Just your appetite."
"Done." With a laugh she turned her attention to baby Jimmy, who had started to squirm. Lifting him up, she sniffed and made a face. "Ugh, someone's a little stinky. Let's go get you changed, shall we?" She stood and looked back at Harm. "Coming?"
"No, I'll wait out here."
"Coward," she teased, and carried the baby off to the house. Watching her go, Harm reflected on the Admiral's words: 'Good to see the two of you getting along for a change.' His relationship with Mac had been strained for so long that it was sometimes hard to remember how close they had once been. The easy banter and lightness from early on had been replaced in recent years by harsh words and bitter disappointments. Over the last few weeks, though, the rift between them seemed to have been bridged and a tenuous rebuilding begun. They still had their share of miscommunications, but the tension had lessened considerably. Harm only hoped that the step they were about to take wouldn't ruin their relationship for good.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
To be continued. . .
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
A/N: I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am - - let me know what you think! I REALLY appreciate everyone's feedback (it gives me something to look forward to when I'm at my day job, getting depressed). :-)