Admiration and Love - Part 5/11
For disclaimer and all other important comments, see part one.
One week later
Friday, May 15
JAG
7:35 am
"Are you sure you won't get in trouble, Mom?" Chloe asked as she and Mac walked into the bullpen.
"Chloe, the Admiral has already given you permission to tape at JAG. Plus it's a teacher workday. You're coming in with me so I don't have to worry about you being home alone," Mac explained as they reached her office. "Now, you brought enough to stay busy and out of trouble?"
Chloe set her two bags down on the couch. "Yeah, I've got a history test on Wednesday, plus my English journal to write from last week. Then there is my project. Hey, are you going to be in court today?"
"Yeah, I've got the Brooks court martial against Harm." Mac pulled files out of her briefcase.
"Who's the judge?"
"Captain Sebring. Why?"
"I was thinking I could get some footage of you in court. You know some 'my mom in action' shots. You think I could meet with him about it?"
"I'm sure you'll be able to meet with him, but I can't promise you anything."
Chloe smiled. "Cool. I'm going to get started on my journal." Chloe settled down on the couch and started going through her book bag.
"Okay. You know where everything is, so I'm sure you'll be fine if I'm not with you. Chloe… just promise me one thing."
"I know, ignore Singer."
"Thank you." Mac walked out of the room.
"Good morning, Mac," Sturgis said as he joined Mac in the bullpen.
"Morning, Sturgis. How are you?" she asked as they walked into the break room to get their coffee.
"Good. Was that Chloe I saw?"
"Teacher workday." Mac poured her coffee and offered it to Sturgis.
"She'll be here all day?" Sturgis asked with a hint of mischief as Mac filled his mug.
"Do you know something I don't?" Mac wondered what he was thinking.
Sturgis smiled in response as Bud and Harriet joined them in the break room. "Good morning Ma'am, Sir."
"Morning, Bud. Morning, Harriet." The two officers greeted the junior couple.
"Chloe's here early," Harriet commented.
"Teacher workday," Mac responded.
"Oh. It should be an interesting day," Harriet said.
"Okay. What does everyone know that I don't know?" Mac asked as she set her coffee mug on the counter.
Bud looked at Sturgis and then his wife. "Well Ma'am, Harriet just means that Chloe is very…"
"Adventitious," Mac offered.
"I was going to go with interesting," Bud stated.
"Trust me Lieutenant, I can think of at least twenty different adjectives to use when describing my daughter. Have a good day." Mac left the break room with her coffee.
Captain Sebring's Office
9:15 am
Chloe was very nervous waiting outside Captain Sebring's office. Petty Officer Griffen told her ten minutes ago the Captain could spare five minutes to see her. Chloe was sitting quietly, practicing her speech in her head, when Petty Officer Griffen called to her. "Miss Madison, the Captain can see you now."
"Thank you." Chloe stood up and walked to the door as the Petty Officer held it open for her.
Captain Sebring was sitting at his desk; he was expecting a woman to enter his office, not a child. "Good morning, Captain, and thank you for meeting with me. My name is Chloe Madison," Chloe said professionally and extended her hand for a hand shake.
"Good morning to you, Miss Madison. Please have a seat," he said after shaking Chloe's hand. "How may I help you?"
Chloe sat down and took a calming breath, "Thank you, Sir. My mother is Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie, and I'm doing a video project for my English class about her. Admiral Chegwidden has given me permission to tape at JAG and around the office. I was wondering if you would let me tape in your courtroom today while Mom and Harm… Commander Rabb are in court?"
Captain Sebring looked at Chloe, finding himself impressed with how professional she was. "What is the topic of your project?"
"Mom thinks it's about my parent's job, but it's really about the person I admire most."
"So you're lying to your mother?"
"No, I'm withholding information. Plus, Sir, I would also like to interview you for a segment on the project," Chloe said, trying to cut a deal.
He smiled at the young girl. "I'll let you tape. But before court this morning, I'll need to ask council if they approve."
"Thank you, Sir. I promise I won't be in the way."
"I know you won't be. We start at ten with the closing arguments today. Make sure you're on time."
"Sir, I'm Colonel MacKenzie's daughter. I'm always on time."
He chuckled. "See you then."
"Thank you again, Sir," Chloe said as she reached the door.
Harm's Office
1:10 PM
Chloe sat at Harm's desk, editing the footage from court that morning. She had to admit that she had some good footage of Mac in action. Even a few shots of Harm gazing at Mac, the other project she was working on covertly.
Harm walked into his office and chucked as he looked at Chloe. "What's so funny?" She asked with a pencil sticking out of her mouth.
"You." Harm sat down in front of his desk, across from her.
Chloe removed the pencil from her mouth. "Why do you say that?"
"You just look cute sitting there working on the laptop with a pencil sticking out of your mouth," Harm explained. "Oh, Mac's wondering if you want lunch."
"Food?" Chloe's eyes shot up.
"Yes, food."
Chloe saved her work on the computer. "I'm starving. Where is she?"
"Sturgis caught her when we got off the elevator," Harm said as he looked out into the bullpen and saw Mac walking towards his office, not looking happy.
"Hi Mom. Where's Harm taking us for lunch?"
Mac took a deep breath. "I wish I could eat with you. But Sturgis just dropped a bomb on another case, so I have to make a few calls."
"Oh," Chloe said sadly.
Harm took this chance to be hero. "Why don't Chloe and I go? We'll eat lunch and bring you something back."
Chloe smiled. "I like that idea, plus I need to have you answer some more questions for my project."
Mac looked at her daughter. "You sure you want to eat with him? He'll probably take you to Ho's."
"Yeah, I'm sure. Can I?" Chloe got up from Harm's desk.
"Sure, just bring me back something with meat," Mac instructed.
"Cool. I have to go to the bathroom. Give me five minutes," Chloe said as she left the office.
Mac looked at Harm. "Thanks, Harm."
"No problem. I like the kid. She kind of grows on you."
"Like mold." Mac laughed. "So, where are you going to take her?"
"Pizza or Chinese. I'll let her choose."
"Well, at least let me pay for lunch since you're getting my kid for 45 minutes," Mac suggested.
"No, I've got it. You can get dinner tonight." Harm gave her a sly smile as he set a file down on his desk.
"Dinner?"
"Yeah, dinner for the three of us," Harm said, encouraging her.
"Chloe has a sleepover tonight."
"Then dinner for the two of us."
"So lunch with my daughter costs me dinner with you." Harm didn't say anything. He just looked into Mac's eyes. "Sounds fair enough."
"Good, I'll be over at seven," Harm said to her as Chloe entered the office.
"I'm back. Let me grab my camera and we'll do a lunch interview." Chloe picked up her camera and turned to Mac. "Are you sure you can't go with us?"
"Wish I could, just bring me back something good. Okay?"
"We will."
Chinese Caf
Falls Church
1:20 PM
Chloe and Harm sat at a table outside for their lunch. Before the waiter came with their food, Chloe decided to ask Harm a few questions.
"Okay, just like before, ignore the camera," Chloe instructed Harm.
"Yes, Miss Director," Harm joked.
"Hey, I met the Video Princess. Don't compare me to her."
Harm tried not to laugh at her comment. "Yeah, you're Mac's kid."
"Yes, I am." Chloe pulled out a small notebook from the camera bag. "I wrote down some questions for you. My first question is: what kind of lawyer is my mom?"
Harm thought for a second. "Mac is a great lawyer. She fights for the truth of the matter and is strong in her defense. I love fighting against her in court."
"Why?"
"She has a passion for it that makes others want to be better lawyers. She gets so competitive in court, it's great," Harm said with a gleam in his eye.
"Who's better, you or Mac?" Chloe asked with a smile.
Harm chuckled. "I'm pleading the fifth."
"Typical lawyer response," Chloe mumbled. "What do you think about Mac as a person?"
"She is my best friend. She's gone further with me then any other person I know. She's the first to defend my six when I do something stupid and she's the first in line to kick it when I do something stupid. When she loves something, she has this all-consuming passion for it. She never ceases to amaze me everyday."
"How does she amaze you?"
"She is complex. She's a Marine who has been trained to defend her country and herself with her bare hand. I've seen her in fights, and there is no other person I would want on my side. Then I've seen the other side of her that isn't tough, but is kind, loving, and sweet. The mother in her that you and Little AJ bring out in her. She does that time thing which drives me crazy and she knows it."
"Do you love her?"
Harm choked on the water he was drinking. "Now what does that have to do with the topic at hand?"
"It doesn't, but I thought it might help explain this." Chloe reached into the camera bag and pulled out the picture of Harm and Mac from the two month anniversary when they were dating.
Harm took the picture into his hand. "Where did you get this?"
"I found it in your desk, and I knew Mom wouldn't tell me about it. Are you mad?" Chloe sounded like a child and not the reporter like she was before.
Harm smiled softly at Chloe. "I'm not mad. I'm sad."
"Why?" Chloe set the camera down, but left it recording and the LCD screen focused on Harm.
"A few months before your grandparents' accident, Mac and I started dating. We didn't tell anyone because we didn't want to ruin what we had. It was great; we did all the things that couples do. We went to the movies, dinner, picnics, and even museums." Harm paused and looked at the picture. "I don't think either of us expected to reach two weeks, let alone two months."
"What did you do to celebrate?" Chloe asked with a smile as the waiter came to the table with their food.
"Thank you," they both said to the waiter.
"We went for a ride in Sarah. We landed in a small field and had a picnic lunch and we talked. It was one of our best dates. We just sat together in this field and talked about anything and everything. I planned for us to have dinner at my apartment, so we left. When we landed back at the hangar, I had John take this picture. I wanted something to remember that day."
Harm took a bite of his lunch, but found himself not too hungry. Chloe looked at him. "What happened at dinner?"
"We ate and talked. I told her I was falling in love with her." Harm closed his eyes for a second and remembered the feeling of Mac in his arms that night.
"What did she say?" Chloe asked with a hopeful smile.
"She said she was already falling in love with me."
"What happened after that?" Chloe asked hoping for something good.
Harm blushed a slightly. "I'll keep that to myself."
Chloe started to laugh. "Fine." Then she turned serious. "Why did you two break up?"
Harm took a deep breath. "How do I say this?" He took a second to find the words. "Two months after the picture was taken, your grandparents had the accident. Mac went up to get you and help Kyle. She came back with you and we knew things would be different. We both agreed to just let things happen and to take a break. She needed to be with you. I knew Mac needed to be with you. You were so scared and so was she. We thought with Kyle getting stationed in Norfolk, we could get back on track with dating."
"But then there was Dad's accident."
Harm shook his head. "I couldn't ask Mac to choose. She loves you so much; she had to be with you. I knew it."
"So she gave you up for me."
"Not really." Harm smiled. "I'm slowly trying to convince her to start dating me again."
"Yeah, that's why your make out session last week in the den didn't work out."
Harm stared at the young girl. "How do you know about that?"
"Please. I asked Mom if she loves you and she said it was complicated. Why is it complicated? You both love each other."
Harm ate some of his lunch and decided how to answer the question. "It's complicated because we have to worry about work, our friendship, and you."
"Why me?" Chloe asked.
Harm reached across the table and held Chloe's hand. "Because I would hate myself if Mac and I started dating again and I hurt you somehow."
"You'd never hurt me. Mac would kill you if you did."
"True, but I know Mac never meant to hurt me when we broke up. But I still hurt, knowing we can't do what we used to do." Harm let go of her hand.
"Hey, if you ever want to kiss Mom at home, just tell me and I'll leave the room," Chloe said with a smile.
"Really? Can you convince Mac to stay in the room with me and kiss me back?"
"It's worth a shot," Chloe said to him as the waiter came with Mac's lunch.
Harm's Office
5:06 PM
Mac stopped by Harm's office to ask Chloe something, but her head was in a file when she said, "Hey Honey, what time is the sleepover?"
"I can sleep over?!" Harm asked Mac with a smile.
Mac looked up from her folder and saw Harm sitting at his desk with a patented flyboy smile on his face. "I thought Chloe was in here."
"Damn," Harm muttered.
"I heard that. So, you know where she is?"
"I think with Harriet in the law library."
"Okay." She took a step from Harm's door, then turned back to him. "Hey, thanks for lunch."
"No problem, just remember dinner."
"Me? Forget food? You must have me confused with someone else." Mac walked into her office.
"Haven't done that for years," Harm muttered to himself as she walked away.
Mac and Chloe's House
8:15 PM
Harm and Mac had finished eating dinner and were sitting on the living room floor, playing gin. "I win, again!" Mac smiled.
"I hate this game," Harm muttered as Mac counted up the points from his hand.
"You're the one who wanted to play," Mac reminded him as she wrote down his score.
"Well, I was hoping we would play using our old rules. You know, the one where the loser has to do anything the other wants."
Mac's cheeks started to blush a little. "I remember."
"I liked those games."
"You always lost."
Harm chuckled. "I lost so I could do things to you. Like the full body massage that one night. I still remember how wonderful your skin felt underneath my fingers." Harm slowly moved closer to Mac on the floor. He noticed the words were causing Mac to remember that night. "I had taken your shirt off so I could touch you better and you said it was unfair that I still had mine on. So you helped me out of my shirt."
"You were wearing that blue shirt," Mac remembered.
"You were wearing a light pink satin bra. I started to kiss your neck, like this." Harm gently touched and kissed Mac's neck.
"Mmmm." Mac softly moaned as his lips and tongue traced her skin.
"Then I moved to the other side," Harm said as he did. Mac moaned again and Harm moved her body so he could lie on top of her. Mac let him lead her as her eyes closed and she wrapped her arms around him. "I worked my way towards your stomach." Harm took his hands and started to unbutton her shirt and he left a trail of kisses down her chest.
Mac felt his lips on her chest and she started to breathe faster. Harm finished unbuttoning her shirt, lifted his head up and saw her face filled with passion. He used his hands to pull her shirt away from the exposed skin. He started to kiss her stomach as his hands held onto her hips.
Mac felt Harm on her. His voice was taking her back to that night. That night was the first night they saw each other in love. They spent the night touching and feeling each others bodies. Mac thought they were going to make love, but they didn't. Harm showered her with kisses and words of love. It was the night she realized she could spend the rest of her life with him.
Harm lifted his eyes to look at her face again; he knew she was thinking about that night. Harm slowly started to kiss her rib cage. "Harm," Mac softly moaned, her hands started to run through his hair.
Harm smiled as he started to kiss his way back up her chest. His hands moved along her body as his lips reached her lips. He expected Mac's kiss to be sweet and soft like it was that night. But it was entirely different. This kiss was demanding and forceful. Harm went with it, his tongue dueling with hers as her hands were grabbing at the back of his shirt. Harm pulled away from her lips and kissed her neck. Mac moaned again and Harm kissed her lips.
"Tell me you want this, Sarah," he said near her ear.
"Yes," Mac said as he nibbled on her ear.
Harm moved his head directly above hers and looked at her closed eyes. She slowly opened her eyes and looked into Harm's. They both reflected want and desire. Harm gazed closely in Mac's and knew he saw love in them. He closed his eyes and kissed her lips as one of his hands massaged her lower rib cage and lightly touched the bottom of her breast.
At the light touch, her brain began to seep though the fog of passion. She opened her eyes and tried to move her lips away from Harm. She succeeded, but only to have Harm move to her neck again. "Harm. Stop," Mac softly said.
But Harm didn't stop, he didn't hear her.
"Stop. Harm, no!" Mac said, forcefully this time. She started to push him away.
Harm was wrapped up in the moment… he didn't understand Mac's protest until she finally pushed him off of her, nearly throwing him into the coffee table they had moved earlier. Mac quickly sat up and looked at him. Harm was sitting there, dazed, only a few feet from her. His hair was askew and his lips full from kissing her. He was breathing heavily and his mind was reeling about what they had just done.
Harm looked at Mac and realized she was as wrapped up in that memory as he was. Her cheeks were flushed and her mouth was full. Her breathing was hard and erratic. He glanced down and noticed her shirt was still open. Mac noticed his eyes and closed her shirt. He didn't know what she was thinking, but her eyes were no longer filled with desire, there were tears forming. It didn't make any sense to him. He knew she was wrapped up with him in the memory of that night.
"Mac, I'm sorry." Mac closed her eyes and lifted her gaze the ceiling, "I wasn't going to hurt you." He moved his hand to touch her.
Mac opened her eyes and looked at him. "No."
He moved his hand back towards him. "I never meant for that to happen."
"What did you want to happen?"
Harm took a deep breath. "I wanted you to remember that night and how much we love each other. I wanted you to need me like that night. I wanted you to touch me and to say you wanted that back. That you wanted us again."
Harm watched as Mac's tears started to fall. "There isn't an us. There can't be."
"Why not?" Harm asked, trying to resist the urge to wipe her tears away.
Mac took a deep breath and avoided his stare. "We can't do that anymore."
"That's not a reason," Harm said, getting upset.
"It is for me." Harm was about to respond when the phone rang. Mac stood up and walked into the kitchen to get the phone. Harm sat there still on the floor. He bit his lower lip and could still taste Mac on it.
A couple of minutes later, Mac walked back into the living room and looked at Harm. She had buttoned her shirt and her defensive wall of protection was back in force. "That was Chloe. Her friend Tina got sick, so they had to cancel the sleepover. I need to go get her."
Harm stood up. "I'll go with you."
"No. I think it would be best if you went home."
"Mac, this isn't over!" Harm yelled, and took a step to her. Mac took a step backward and stepped into the doorframe of the kitchen. He looked in her eyes and saw what he was afraid of seeing: Mac was scared of him. He had never seen her look at him like that, and her expression made him hate himself for causing her pain. Harm took a calming breath and took a step back. "I'll go home."
"Thank you," Mac said as she straightened her back.
Harm walked to the door and put his coat on. He opened the door and turned around to look at Mac. She was standing about five feet from him. "Before I go, I want you to understand something. I want you in my life. I like kissing you. I like feeling you near. I like holding you. I'll wait 'til you'll ready. I won't forget tonight. I won't forget the way you kissed me or the way you said my name. I need you as much as you need me. I'll give you this promise I won't say anything about tonight unless you do. But I'll think about it and I know you'll be thinking about it, too." Harm watched Mac as she listened to his words. "I love you. Goodnight, Sarah."
End Part 5/11