A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this posted -- real life intruded late
last week and brought with it an annoying case of writer's block.
Fortunately, though, the ideas are starting to flow again. :-) Enjoy!
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Continued from Chapter 7
The two shadowy figures stood entwined together in the center of the living room. What had started off as a tender touching of lips had quickly deepened into something more passionate, rendering Harm and Mac oblivious to everything but each other. It wasn't until Mac finally broke the kiss that the shrill ringing pierced through the haze clouding Harm's mind. He reached for her again, but she took a step back.
"I think that's yours," she said quietly. It took him another moment before he understood what she meant - someone was calling on his cell phone. Somewhat dazed, he picked it up.
"Rabb."
"Hi, Harm," Mattie's voice crackled through static. "Did you and Mac make it okay?"
"Hey, I was just about to call you," he said, glancing over at Mac. A loud clap of thunder drowned out Mattie's response. "Sorry, Mattie, could you repeat that?"
"I asked if everything was all right. You sound like you're out of breath."
"Everything's fine; we've got a whale of a storm here and the power's out. Hey, do you know off the top of your head where we might find some candles?"
"Try the kitchen, in the junk drawer next to the stove. I think there may also be a flashlight under the sink."
"There was, but it didn't work." He watched as Mac moved over to the window to observe the rain falling outside. "So, are you still at Bud and Harriet's?"
"Yeah, they're not back yet. We put the baby down around eight, and AJ fell asleep about two hours ago watching 'Finding Nemo'."
"Did he behave for you?"
"Aside from his dropping a full bag of marbles down the toilet, he's been a perfect angel," she chuckled.
"Please tell me you're joking."
"Nope. It took Jen forty-five minutes to fish them all out. Listen, I think Harriet and Bud just pulled in. Have a great time flying tomorrow and I'll see you Sunday, okay?"
"Thanks. See you then." He ended the call and shut the phone. Setting it down on the table Harm crossed over to Mac, whose silhouette was outlined by the flashes of lightning visible through the window. He now moved behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Mac tensed for a moment, then relaxed and covered his hand with her own.
"Mac, I'm sorry if I was out of line before, for answering your phone. If you want to go on this mission with Webb then it's your decision. But I've already come close to losing you once because I was too stubborn to tell you how I felt. I won't take the chance of doing the same thing again." Harm's quiet apology whispered in Mac's ears.
Turning around in his arms, she tilted her head back to look at him. "You won't lose me. I'd already made up my mind to say no." Harm's heart fluttered
"We still have an agreement to fulfill," Mac added softly. "Are you ready to 'let go'?" Harm's eyes met hers.
"Yes, I am," he said with certainty.
Mac threw him a small, somewhat mischievous smile. "Then might I suggest we move this upstairs? We can find the candles later." Harm found himself grinning back at her, a sudden weight lifting off his chest.
"Lead the way, Mac."
Hand in hand, they walked quietly out of the living room and up the staircase.
* * * * * * * * * *
Monday; 1309 Zulu; JAG Headquarters; Falls Church, Virginia
Harm waited impatiently as the coffeepot slowly filled. Leaning back against the break room counter, his mind drifted back over the preceding few days. Once he and Mac had gotten past the initial awkwardness of becoming lovers, the weekend had gone surprisingly well. Saturday they had awoken in each other's arms to sunshine and clear skies, and subsequently spent most of the day up in Harm's Steerman flying over the hilly Virginian terrain. That evening they had sat quietly together watching old Cary Grant films on television, followed by another tender night of lovemaking. It wasn't until late Sunday evening that the two friends finally returned to Washington.
Now, staring absently at the freshly brewed coffee dripping into the carafe, Harm wondered how he and Mac were to go back to their platonic professional friendship. They had always shared an unusually strong bond, even when they were at odds with each other. He hadn't seen Mac since dropping her off at her apartment the evening before. Hypothetically, it wasn't hard to imagine a return to their old companionable, non-sexual relationship. But he was a little surprised at the twinge of disappointment that came when he finally realized he no longer had her all to himself.
"Morning, sailor," her voice interrupted his thoughts. "Sleep well?" Glancing up, Harm focused in on Mac as she rested casually against the doorjamb.
"Yes, I did," he said with a grin. "Didn't get a whole lot of rest over the weekend, you know."
"There must be something going around," Mac chuckled, stepping into the room. She sidled up next to Harm and reached to open the overhead cabinet. "Hey, have you seen the Frosted Cocoa Bombs?"
Harm looked down at her with mock disdain. "No, I can't say that I have." Mac was close enough that he could smell her perfume. *This is going to be more difficult than I expected,* he thought to himself.
"Well, they were here Friday morning."
"Maybe one of the cleaning staff decided to go on a health kick and cleaned out the kitchen."
Just as Mac smiled up at him, an acerbic remark on her tongue, Commander Sturgis Turner strode into the room. Immediately, the two officers slid away from each other. Mac flipped open the adjoining cupboard, searching intently for her sugary cereal. Harm, on the other hand, stepped across to the coffeemaker. Sturgis' gaze shifted from Harm to Mac, then back to Harm.
"Is that coffee fresh?" he asked.
Harm nodded. "I just put it on."
"I'll wait, then." The room fell uncomfortably silent. Sturgis watched as Mac gave a small cry of victory and pulled a large brown cereal box from the rear of the cupboard, turning back towards them. Harm rolled his eyes. "Did you have a good weekend?" asked Sturgis. Crossing the room, Mac emptied the box's contents into a large bowl.
"It was all right."
"Uneventful."
Harm and Mac looked at each other as they answered simultaneously. For a second, Mac froze and Harm raised a questioning eyebrow. Then, breaking eye contact, Mac stepped over to the refrigerator for some milk.
Noting his friends' reactions, Sturgis shot them an odd glance and gestured towards the machine next to Harm. "Coffee's done."
Grabbing the coffeepot, Harm filled two Styrofoam cups and reached for the sugar. His hand brushed lightly across Mac's as she did the same. Both pulled back instantly as Sturgis continued to observe them from a few feet away.
"That stuff's already got enough sugar to put you into orbit," Harm chastised as Mac snatched up the sugar and proceeded to pour a substantial amount onto her cereal. She glanced up at him with a knowing smile.
"At least I won't have to worry about falling asleep during staff call." Handing him the container, she started towards the bullpen but found her way blocked by Petty Officer Coates.
"Good morning, sirs, ma'am." Jennifer greeted as she entered the room. Looking over at Harm and Mac, she asked cheerfully, "Did you two have fun in Blacksburg over the weekend?"
Their eyes went wide with shock, Mac's mouth gaping open, and an expression of guilt fleeting across Harm's face. Sturgis observed the two of them with sudden amusement. *Aha,* he thought. *Busted!* Outwardly, though, he simply crossed his arms and frowned. For her part, Jennifer seemed totally oblivious to the officers' discomfort.
Finally, Mac regained her composure. "Yeah, we had a great time. Thanks for asking." Nodding in silent agreement, Harm smiled at Jennifer.
"We'll tell you about it later," he promised. "See you in the conference room, Sturgis." With that, Harm handed Mac one of the two coffee cups he'd filled and ushered her out of the room. Gesturing for Jennifer to go ahead and help herself to coffee first, Sturgis watched thoughtfully as his two peers walked out of sight.
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To be continued.
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Continued from Chapter 7
The two shadowy figures stood entwined together in the center of the living room. What had started off as a tender touching of lips had quickly deepened into something more passionate, rendering Harm and Mac oblivious to everything but each other. It wasn't until Mac finally broke the kiss that the shrill ringing pierced through the haze clouding Harm's mind. He reached for her again, but she took a step back.
"I think that's yours," she said quietly. It took him another moment before he understood what she meant - someone was calling on his cell phone. Somewhat dazed, he picked it up.
"Rabb."
"Hi, Harm," Mattie's voice crackled through static. "Did you and Mac make it okay?"
"Hey, I was just about to call you," he said, glancing over at Mac. A loud clap of thunder drowned out Mattie's response. "Sorry, Mattie, could you repeat that?"
"I asked if everything was all right. You sound like you're out of breath."
"Everything's fine; we've got a whale of a storm here and the power's out. Hey, do you know off the top of your head where we might find some candles?"
"Try the kitchen, in the junk drawer next to the stove. I think there may also be a flashlight under the sink."
"There was, but it didn't work." He watched as Mac moved over to the window to observe the rain falling outside. "So, are you still at Bud and Harriet's?"
"Yeah, they're not back yet. We put the baby down around eight, and AJ fell asleep about two hours ago watching 'Finding Nemo'."
"Did he behave for you?"
"Aside from his dropping a full bag of marbles down the toilet, he's been a perfect angel," she chuckled.
"Please tell me you're joking."
"Nope. It took Jen forty-five minutes to fish them all out. Listen, I think Harriet and Bud just pulled in. Have a great time flying tomorrow and I'll see you Sunday, okay?"
"Thanks. See you then." He ended the call and shut the phone. Setting it down on the table Harm crossed over to Mac, whose silhouette was outlined by the flashes of lightning visible through the window. He now moved behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Mac tensed for a moment, then relaxed and covered his hand with her own.
"Mac, I'm sorry if I was out of line before, for answering your phone. If you want to go on this mission with Webb then it's your decision. But I've already come close to losing you once because I was too stubborn to tell you how I felt. I won't take the chance of doing the same thing again." Harm's quiet apology whispered in Mac's ears.
Turning around in his arms, she tilted her head back to look at him. "You won't lose me. I'd already made up my mind to say no." Harm's heart fluttered
"We still have an agreement to fulfill," Mac added softly. "Are you ready to 'let go'?" Harm's eyes met hers.
"Yes, I am," he said with certainty.
Mac threw him a small, somewhat mischievous smile. "Then might I suggest we move this upstairs? We can find the candles later." Harm found himself grinning back at her, a sudden weight lifting off his chest.
"Lead the way, Mac."
Hand in hand, they walked quietly out of the living room and up the staircase.
* * * * * * * * * *
Monday; 1309 Zulu; JAG Headquarters; Falls Church, Virginia
Harm waited impatiently as the coffeepot slowly filled. Leaning back against the break room counter, his mind drifted back over the preceding few days. Once he and Mac had gotten past the initial awkwardness of becoming lovers, the weekend had gone surprisingly well. Saturday they had awoken in each other's arms to sunshine and clear skies, and subsequently spent most of the day up in Harm's Steerman flying over the hilly Virginian terrain. That evening they had sat quietly together watching old Cary Grant films on television, followed by another tender night of lovemaking. It wasn't until late Sunday evening that the two friends finally returned to Washington.
Now, staring absently at the freshly brewed coffee dripping into the carafe, Harm wondered how he and Mac were to go back to their platonic professional friendship. They had always shared an unusually strong bond, even when they were at odds with each other. He hadn't seen Mac since dropping her off at her apartment the evening before. Hypothetically, it wasn't hard to imagine a return to their old companionable, non-sexual relationship. But he was a little surprised at the twinge of disappointment that came when he finally realized he no longer had her all to himself.
"Morning, sailor," her voice interrupted his thoughts. "Sleep well?" Glancing up, Harm focused in on Mac as she rested casually against the doorjamb.
"Yes, I did," he said with a grin. "Didn't get a whole lot of rest over the weekend, you know."
"There must be something going around," Mac chuckled, stepping into the room. She sidled up next to Harm and reached to open the overhead cabinet. "Hey, have you seen the Frosted Cocoa Bombs?"
Harm looked down at her with mock disdain. "No, I can't say that I have." Mac was close enough that he could smell her perfume. *This is going to be more difficult than I expected,* he thought to himself.
"Well, they were here Friday morning."
"Maybe one of the cleaning staff decided to go on a health kick and cleaned out the kitchen."
Just as Mac smiled up at him, an acerbic remark on her tongue, Commander Sturgis Turner strode into the room. Immediately, the two officers slid away from each other. Mac flipped open the adjoining cupboard, searching intently for her sugary cereal. Harm, on the other hand, stepped across to the coffeemaker. Sturgis' gaze shifted from Harm to Mac, then back to Harm.
"Is that coffee fresh?" he asked.
Harm nodded. "I just put it on."
"I'll wait, then." The room fell uncomfortably silent. Sturgis watched as Mac gave a small cry of victory and pulled a large brown cereal box from the rear of the cupboard, turning back towards them. Harm rolled his eyes. "Did you have a good weekend?" asked Sturgis. Crossing the room, Mac emptied the box's contents into a large bowl.
"It was all right."
"Uneventful."
Harm and Mac looked at each other as they answered simultaneously. For a second, Mac froze and Harm raised a questioning eyebrow. Then, breaking eye contact, Mac stepped over to the refrigerator for some milk.
Noting his friends' reactions, Sturgis shot them an odd glance and gestured towards the machine next to Harm. "Coffee's done."
Grabbing the coffeepot, Harm filled two Styrofoam cups and reached for the sugar. His hand brushed lightly across Mac's as she did the same. Both pulled back instantly as Sturgis continued to observe them from a few feet away.
"That stuff's already got enough sugar to put you into orbit," Harm chastised as Mac snatched up the sugar and proceeded to pour a substantial amount onto her cereal. She glanced up at him with a knowing smile.
"At least I won't have to worry about falling asleep during staff call." Handing him the container, she started towards the bullpen but found her way blocked by Petty Officer Coates.
"Good morning, sirs, ma'am." Jennifer greeted as she entered the room. Looking over at Harm and Mac, she asked cheerfully, "Did you two have fun in Blacksburg over the weekend?"
Their eyes went wide with shock, Mac's mouth gaping open, and an expression of guilt fleeting across Harm's face. Sturgis observed the two of them with sudden amusement. *Aha,* he thought. *Busted!* Outwardly, though, he simply crossed his arms and frowned. For her part, Jennifer seemed totally oblivious to the officers' discomfort.
Finally, Mac regained her composure. "Yeah, we had a great time. Thanks for asking." Nodding in silent agreement, Harm smiled at Jennifer.
"We'll tell you about it later," he promised. "See you in the conference room, Sturgis." With that, Harm handed Mac one of the two coffee cups he'd filled and ushered her out of the room. Gesturing for Jennifer to go ahead and help herself to coffee first, Sturgis watched thoughtfully as his two peers walked out of sight.
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To be continued.
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