AN: Just to assure everyone, this is not a Mac/Webb story, though Webb will still take part in this story for a while. Exactly how high on the Mac/Harm- scale it will be is for you to continue to read and find out... Thanks to Cria and TZ for betaing and also to all the reviewers.
Part 3
A little more than a week had gone by since Mac and Mattie had moved into the apartment. The two of them were getting along fine when they were both in the apartment, which wasn't too often. Mac had been out a lot both working and with Webb. It wasn't uncommon for Mac to return home first after Mattie had gone to bed.
"Hey," Mattie said and looked up from her books sitting at the kitchen table studying.
"Hi. Don't you like sitting at your desk working?" Mac got a package of orange juice out of the refrigerator and poured herself a glass.
"My desk is kind of overloaded."
"So I noticed..." Mac said and thought that you couldn't possibly put another thing on that desk without all of the stacks of books, papers and other things to collapse.
"So what are you going to do tonight?" Mattie asked Mac instead.
"I'm going to a jujutsu-class. I had a friend in boot who had trained it and it was really cool what she could do. I saw that there is a jujutsu club here in the neighborhood so I thought I'd finally try it out."
"What's jujutsu?" Mattie asked.
"It's self defense techniques from Japan. You know judo, well judo comes from jujutsu."
"Cool."
"Yeah. Do you want to come?"
"But I don't know anything about those things."
"Neither do I."
"You know how to kick-box and... I mean you're a marine!"
"That's something very different. Besides it's for beginners. I think it would be fun if you'd come."
"I guess I should ask Harm..."
"Do that and then get dressed. You need to wear something with long sleeves," Mac said and left to take off her uniform and change into something suitable for the exercise.
"I'm not going to be able to get out of bed tomorrow," Mattie sat down on the chair and started to dig in on the mashed potatoes and sausages. "You know Harm, this is a lot better than all of those steamed vegetables..."
"I thought I'd treat the hard working women to something more of their preference today."
"The best idea you've had in a very long time, Harm," Mac said.
"Hey..." he protested "So you liked jujutsu then?" he asked Mattie.
"Yeah. It was really cool. Lots of nice people and it hurt really badly... it was just so great!" Mattie explained lively.
"You think it was great that it hurt?" Harm looked rather confused at Mattie.
"Yeah hm... I guess it was more fun when Mac was hurting..." Mattie admitted.
"You're so bad, Mattie. I won't be able to move my wrists at all tomorrow," Mac complained.
"You're just as bad. Anyway next time we're going to practice kicking. Don't you want to come too, Harm?"
"It sounds a bit dangerous for an old man like me,"
"So what have an old flyboy like you been up to then?" Mac asked Harm. Since they both had spent the whole day in the office they had driven with one car to JAG HQ. They would do that whenever they knew they'd be leaving the office at the same time. Mattie, who was just studying global warming in Biology, was very proud of them.
"I went for a jog and then I finished some of the paperwork."
"Is it safe for you to go for a jog?" Mattie asked "I mean aren't you afraid that you'll have an heart attack at your age?"
"Mattie..."
"It was an innocent question..."
"Do you have a lot of homework left, Mattie?" Harm went over to a more serious topic and Mattie was obviously not very pleased with the new one.
"I still have to write some answers to those questions about that book," she complained.
"Which book? The one you haven't started reading yet..." Harm assumed.
"Maybe not yet... I thought maybe you could help."
"English was never my best subject. Too bad that you don't have any problems with math or physic, then I could help."
"Math and physic are easy subjects," Mattie said and for her they were indeed very easy.
"You know Mattie, I could help you with English if you want to," Mac offered cautiously afraid of stepping on Harm's toes. Mattie was his responsibility and he might want to spend that time together with her.
"Oh Mac, that would be great! Have you read it? Then maybe I don't have to read it."
"Yes, you do. Why don't you start and I will clean up here before I come over to the apartment?" Mac suggested.
"Go to your room and read, Mattie!" Harm said in a very fatherly tone when Mattie looked like she'd rather help Mac cleaning up after dinner.
Mattie got up from her chair and walked over towards the door slowly. She really wasn't into reading that book.
"Harm, you don't need to do that. You cook so often for me nowadays, the least I can do is to clean up."
He stopped moving the things from the table to the counter for a second and then continued again.
"It's just fun to have some people to cook for," he said.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I never felt like cooking just for me either."
"I'm glad that you're here."
"I'm glad to be here, Harm," she said and smiled.
They continued to clean up together in silence.
"I better get going now. I wonder if Mattie's gotten anything done," Mac said as they were finished.
"Are you sure you have time to help Mattie? Aren't you seeing that boyfriend of yours tonight?" Harm asked sarcastically. If anyone had asked him why he'd ask that and like that on top of it, he wouldn't have been able to give an answer.
"If you had a problem with me helping Mattie, you could have just said so. There's no need for you to drag Webb into this," she said calmly trying to keep herself under control.
"I..." he didn't know quite what to say.
Mac turned around and decided to just walk away from the fight. When the door was almost shut, Harm started moving again.
"Mac, wait," he said wanting her to stay and went after her. She hadn't entered her and Mattie's apartment when Harm joined her in the hallway.
"Mac, I'm sorry," he said and that got Mac to stay and listen to what he had to say. "I really appreciate the time you spend with Mattie. You're good for her."
"I just wish you'd accept what Clay and I have. If you can't I don't think this will work out," she said and made a wave with her hand towards both of the apartments. She looked devastated at the thought of it not working out.
"I'll work on that. I promise," He paused and they looked into each other's eyes "Are we OK?"
"Yeah, we're OK," Mac said and nodded "I need to go now."
"I know," Harm said and sighed in relief. Hopefully sooner rather than later they were going to be OK.
TBC
Part 3
A little more than a week had gone by since Mac and Mattie had moved into the apartment. The two of them were getting along fine when they were both in the apartment, which wasn't too often. Mac had been out a lot both working and with Webb. It wasn't uncommon for Mac to return home first after Mattie had gone to bed.
"Hey," Mattie said and looked up from her books sitting at the kitchen table studying.
"Hi. Don't you like sitting at your desk working?" Mac got a package of orange juice out of the refrigerator and poured herself a glass.
"My desk is kind of overloaded."
"So I noticed..." Mac said and thought that you couldn't possibly put another thing on that desk without all of the stacks of books, papers and other things to collapse.
"So what are you going to do tonight?" Mattie asked Mac instead.
"I'm going to a jujutsu-class. I had a friend in boot who had trained it and it was really cool what she could do. I saw that there is a jujutsu club here in the neighborhood so I thought I'd finally try it out."
"What's jujutsu?" Mattie asked.
"It's self defense techniques from Japan. You know judo, well judo comes from jujutsu."
"Cool."
"Yeah. Do you want to come?"
"But I don't know anything about those things."
"Neither do I."
"You know how to kick-box and... I mean you're a marine!"
"That's something very different. Besides it's for beginners. I think it would be fun if you'd come."
"I guess I should ask Harm..."
"Do that and then get dressed. You need to wear something with long sleeves," Mac said and left to take off her uniform and change into something suitable for the exercise.
"I'm not going to be able to get out of bed tomorrow," Mattie sat down on the chair and started to dig in on the mashed potatoes and sausages. "You know Harm, this is a lot better than all of those steamed vegetables..."
"I thought I'd treat the hard working women to something more of their preference today."
"The best idea you've had in a very long time, Harm," Mac said.
"Hey..." he protested "So you liked jujutsu then?" he asked Mattie.
"Yeah. It was really cool. Lots of nice people and it hurt really badly... it was just so great!" Mattie explained lively.
"You think it was great that it hurt?" Harm looked rather confused at Mattie.
"Yeah hm... I guess it was more fun when Mac was hurting..." Mattie admitted.
"You're so bad, Mattie. I won't be able to move my wrists at all tomorrow," Mac complained.
"You're just as bad. Anyway next time we're going to practice kicking. Don't you want to come too, Harm?"
"It sounds a bit dangerous for an old man like me,"
"So what have an old flyboy like you been up to then?" Mac asked Harm. Since they both had spent the whole day in the office they had driven with one car to JAG HQ. They would do that whenever they knew they'd be leaving the office at the same time. Mattie, who was just studying global warming in Biology, was very proud of them.
"I went for a jog and then I finished some of the paperwork."
"Is it safe for you to go for a jog?" Mattie asked "I mean aren't you afraid that you'll have an heart attack at your age?"
"Mattie..."
"It was an innocent question..."
"Do you have a lot of homework left, Mattie?" Harm went over to a more serious topic and Mattie was obviously not very pleased with the new one.
"I still have to write some answers to those questions about that book," she complained.
"Which book? The one you haven't started reading yet..." Harm assumed.
"Maybe not yet... I thought maybe you could help."
"English was never my best subject. Too bad that you don't have any problems with math or physic, then I could help."
"Math and physic are easy subjects," Mattie said and for her they were indeed very easy.
"You know Mattie, I could help you with English if you want to," Mac offered cautiously afraid of stepping on Harm's toes. Mattie was his responsibility and he might want to spend that time together with her.
"Oh Mac, that would be great! Have you read it? Then maybe I don't have to read it."
"Yes, you do. Why don't you start and I will clean up here before I come over to the apartment?" Mac suggested.
"Go to your room and read, Mattie!" Harm said in a very fatherly tone when Mattie looked like she'd rather help Mac cleaning up after dinner.
Mattie got up from her chair and walked over towards the door slowly. She really wasn't into reading that book.
"Harm, you don't need to do that. You cook so often for me nowadays, the least I can do is to clean up."
He stopped moving the things from the table to the counter for a second and then continued again.
"It's just fun to have some people to cook for," he said.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I never felt like cooking just for me either."
"I'm glad that you're here."
"I'm glad to be here, Harm," she said and smiled.
They continued to clean up together in silence.
"I better get going now. I wonder if Mattie's gotten anything done," Mac said as they were finished.
"Are you sure you have time to help Mattie? Aren't you seeing that boyfriend of yours tonight?" Harm asked sarcastically. If anyone had asked him why he'd ask that and like that on top of it, he wouldn't have been able to give an answer.
"If you had a problem with me helping Mattie, you could have just said so. There's no need for you to drag Webb into this," she said calmly trying to keep herself under control.
"I..." he didn't know quite what to say.
Mac turned around and decided to just walk away from the fight. When the door was almost shut, Harm started moving again.
"Mac, wait," he said wanting her to stay and went after her. She hadn't entered her and Mattie's apartment when Harm joined her in the hallway.
"Mac, I'm sorry," he said and that got Mac to stay and listen to what he had to say. "I really appreciate the time you spend with Mattie. You're good for her."
"I just wish you'd accept what Clay and I have. If you can't I don't think this will work out," she said and made a wave with her hand towards both of the apartments. She looked devastated at the thought of it not working out.
"I'll work on that. I promise," He paused and they looked into each other's eyes "Are we OK?"
"Yeah, we're OK," Mac said and nodded "I need to go now."
"I know," Harm said and sighed in relief. Hopefully sooner rather than later they were going to be OK.
TBC