AN: All of your nice comments definitely makes me enjoy writing this story even more, thank you. And thank you Cria and TZ for beta-reading!
Part 8
"Have you changed your mind?" Harm asked Mac as he was just finishing up getting his biplane Sarah flight ready. "It's OK if you want to back out, if you don't want to go up. Not that anything will happen..."
"Nothing happening and you aren't a very likely mix," Mac smiled at him "No of course we're going to go flying."
Harm had convinced Mac to come with him for the first flight of the year. Sarah was still in the hangar of Mattie's old business, which had been taken over by another family who were also renting her house, but Harm had started thinking about moving Sarah to another place. Mattie wasn't comfortable coming out there and Harm wanted to keep flying as a common interest between them. He had decided to give it some more time because it might help Mattie confront her feelings about the place, but if she still didn't want to come there he would see what he should do about it. Since Mattie wouldn't come with him, he had asked Mac to come with him. Before he had never had a problem going out there alone, but now he was so used to always having company around, to always have Mac and Mattie around, that he hadn't wanted to go without Mac.
Though he wanted Mac there, he didn't want her to be doing anything she felt uncomfortable with. However he was pretty sure Mac wouldn't have backed out now no matter how much she didn't want to go flying.
"I thought we'd go to this beautiful meadow not to far away and then we can hike up to a little mountain where there's a nice view and we can have our picnic there. Sounds good to you?"
"Sure. That's where we were going last time we went up, right?"
"Yeah. Let's hope for a better result this time then."
"Don't remind me of that right now please," Mac begged him.
"You're the one who brought it up," Harm said rather confused. It was met by a stare from Mac that made him add "I won't, I won't. I'm ready," Harm said and nodded towards the plane "Are you?"
Mac nodded at him and they both got into the plane. The take off went fine and the trip continued to pass in a nice way. They didn't talk much because there was no need. Even though it was still rather cold being just the end of March, the blue sky, the sun shining and the green grass and forests beneath them fooled their senses and made them feel like it was at least a bit warm. By the time they were approaching the meadow where Harm was going to land, Mac had actually started enjoying the flight. Harm put Sarah down pretty gently on the green meadow.
"We're going up there?" Mac pointed towards the cliff she could see sticking out of the forest a bit up on the mountain.
"Yeah," Harm nodded at her. He tried to take the backpack she was holding with their picnic, but she wouldn't let him. He stretched out his arm once again and she moved a few steps away from him. "Maac," he protested.
"What?" Mac smiled at him and continued to step away from him.
"Give it to me."
"Why?"
"So I can carry it up the mountain."
"I can do that too."
"Of course you can, but please let me be the gentleman here. Humor me. I'll feel better if I'm carrying it," Harm tried to convince her.
Mac turned around and started walking in the direction of the mountain. "Too bad for you," she threw over her shoulder.
Harm started running after her and when he caught up with her he had so much force that his supposedly light tackle managed to knock the unexpecting Mac to the ground and have Harm following her to the ground ending up on top of her, their faces facing each other.
"Gottcha," Harm said, but his attention was slipping away from the backpack, that Mac had dropped beside her when she fell, to the beautiful woman who was lying right under him. His head no longer had any control of his body, his lips slowly descended onto Mac's. Mac raised her head up to meet him and slipped her hands around his body to make sure he'd stay and not back away. They touched and felt not remembering where or who they were. Not wanting to remember anything at all. The grass was wet and slowly it was soaking their clothes, but they simply didn't care.
"Harm," Mac said and it was all that was needed for Harm to remember why they shouldn't be doing what they were doing. Quickly they got to their feet and started to brush away grass and leaves that were sticking to their clothes.
"I... I'm..." he didn't know what to say or what to do to explain what had happened. Did it need an explanation?
"Come on. Let's go. I'm hungry, aren't you?" Mac said. Ignoring what had happened was the only way she could deal with it right now. It was the only way either one of them could deal with it.
Harm grabbed the backpack and Mac followed him as they hiked up the mountain at a quick pace. They didn't talk, they were afraid to say anything. Afraid that what they had with their apartments and Mattie would be ruined if they acknowledged what had happened. Afraid that they didn't see it the same way. Insecure about how they saw it themselves.
Finally they walked out of the forest and could see the view that was spreading out beneath them. Most of it was green, but here and there was a farm with fields or a lake. It was beautiful.
"This is wonderful, Harm," Mac sighed
"It is, isn't it?" Harm agreed wholeheartedly with her. "You were hungry, right?"
"Always."
They started unpacking the backpack and spread out the blanket. When they sat down and weren't moving anymore the coldness from their damp clothes caught up with them. Sharing body heat wasn't an option this time though. The conversation took off somewhat and they were talking as they were eating. Soon the conversation died down again and they just sat on the blanket looking at everything but each other. It was weird how they were able to act normally and talk and then the next minute it was extremely awkward.
"Do you think we should talk about it?" Harm said.
"Are we going to keep ignoring this?" Mac said at the same time.
They sighed and turned their heads to look at each other and smiled. 'You go first,' they both motioned.
"What's happening with us?" Mac asked "It's never been like this before."
"No, not quite like this," Harm shook his head.
"Why is that? Why is this happening now?" Mac asked again "Is it..." Mac swallowed, she didn't want to ask this, but something inside her forced her "Does those things happen now because I'm... unavailable? Because we can't... not really. Not for real."
"No, Mac. That has absolutely nothing to do with it. For me it's what stops it."
"Harm, I... I think I might be falling for you," Mac got out "Again. "
"I know the feeling," Harm smiled at her and took her hand in his, braiding his fingers with hers. He felt that it was a gesture innocent enough, but it showed the affection he felt.
"And it won't go away when I'm in a position where we can do something about it?" Mac really more stated then asked.
"You say when?" Harm acknowledged.
"Yes," Mac simply answered.
"This won't go away." Harm shook his head. This would never just go away.
TBC
Part 8
"Have you changed your mind?" Harm asked Mac as he was just finishing up getting his biplane Sarah flight ready. "It's OK if you want to back out, if you don't want to go up. Not that anything will happen..."
"Nothing happening and you aren't a very likely mix," Mac smiled at him "No of course we're going to go flying."
Harm had convinced Mac to come with him for the first flight of the year. Sarah was still in the hangar of Mattie's old business, which had been taken over by another family who were also renting her house, but Harm had started thinking about moving Sarah to another place. Mattie wasn't comfortable coming out there and Harm wanted to keep flying as a common interest between them. He had decided to give it some more time because it might help Mattie confront her feelings about the place, but if she still didn't want to come there he would see what he should do about it. Since Mattie wouldn't come with him, he had asked Mac to come with him. Before he had never had a problem going out there alone, but now he was so used to always having company around, to always have Mac and Mattie around, that he hadn't wanted to go without Mac.
Though he wanted Mac there, he didn't want her to be doing anything she felt uncomfortable with. However he was pretty sure Mac wouldn't have backed out now no matter how much she didn't want to go flying.
"I thought we'd go to this beautiful meadow not to far away and then we can hike up to a little mountain where there's a nice view and we can have our picnic there. Sounds good to you?"
"Sure. That's where we were going last time we went up, right?"
"Yeah. Let's hope for a better result this time then."
"Don't remind me of that right now please," Mac begged him.
"You're the one who brought it up," Harm said rather confused. It was met by a stare from Mac that made him add "I won't, I won't. I'm ready," Harm said and nodded towards the plane "Are you?"
Mac nodded at him and they both got into the plane. The take off went fine and the trip continued to pass in a nice way. They didn't talk much because there was no need. Even though it was still rather cold being just the end of March, the blue sky, the sun shining and the green grass and forests beneath them fooled their senses and made them feel like it was at least a bit warm. By the time they were approaching the meadow where Harm was going to land, Mac had actually started enjoying the flight. Harm put Sarah down pretty gently on the green meadow.
"We're going up there?" Mac pointed towards the cliff she could see sticking out of the forest a bit up on the mountain.
"Yeah," Harm nodded at her. He tried to take the backpack she was holding with their picnic, but she wouldn't let him. He stretched out his arm once again and she moved a few steps away from him. "Maac," he protested.
"What?" Mac smiled at him and continued to step away from him.
"Give it to me."
"Why?"
"So I can carry it up the mountain."
"I can do that too."
"Of course you can, but please let me be the gentleman here. Humor me. I'll feel better if I'm carrying it," Harm tried to convince her.
Mac turned around and started walking in the direction of the mountain. "Too bad for you," she threw over her shoulder.
Harm started running after her and when he caught up with her he had so much force that his supposedly light tackle managed to knock the unexpecting Mac to the ground and have Harm following her to the ground ending up on top of her, their faces facing each other.
"Gottcha," Harm said, but his attention was slipping away from the backpack, that Mac had dropped beside her when she fell, to the beautiful woman who was lying right under him. His head no longer had any control of his body, his lips slowly descended onto Mac's. Mac raised her head up to meet him and slipped her hands around his body to make sure he'd stay and not back away. They touched and felt not remembering where or who they were. Not wanting to remember anything at all. The grass was wet and slowly it was soaking their clothes, but they simply didn't care.
"Harm," Mac said and it was all that was needed for Harm to remember why they shouldn't be doing what they were doing. Quickly they got to their feet and started to brush away grass and leaves that were sticking to their clothes.
"I... I'm..." he didn't know what to say or what to do to explain what had happened. Did it need an explanation?
"Come on. Let's go. I'm hungry, aren't you?" Mac said. Ignoring what had happened was the only way she could deal with it right now. It was the only way either one of them could deal with it.
Harm grabbed the backpack and Mac followed him as they hiked up the mountain at a quick pace. They didn't talk, they were afraid to say anything. Afraid that what they had with their apartments and Mattie would be ruined if they acknowledged what had happened. Afraid that they didn't see it the same way. Insecure about how they saw it themselves.
Finally they walked out of the forest and could see the view that was spreading out beneath them. Most of it was green, but here and there was a farm with fields or a lake. It was beautiful.
"This is wonderful, Harm," Mac sighed
"It is, isn't it?" Harm agreed wholeheartedly with her. "You were hungry, right?"
"Always."
They started unpacking the backpack and spread out the blanket. When they sat down and weren't moving anymore the coldness from their damp clothes caught up with them. Sharing body heat wasn't an option this time though. The conversation took off somewhat and they were talking as they were eating. Soon the conversation died down again and they just sat on the blanket looking at everything but each other. It was weird how they were able to act normally and talk and then the next minute it was extremely awkward.
"Do you think we should talk about it?" Harm said.
"Are we going to keep ignoring this?" Mac said at the same time.
They sighed and turned their heads to look at each other and smiled. 'You go first,' they both motioned.
"What's happening with us?" Mac asked "It's never been like this before."
"No, not quite like this," Harm shook his head.
"Why is that? Why is this happening now?" Mac asked again "Is it..." Mac swallowed, she didn't want to ask this, but something inside her forced her "Does those things happen now because I'm... unavailable? Because we can't... not really. Not for real."
"No, Mac. That has absolutely nothing to do with it. For me it's what stops it."
"Harm, I... I think I might be falling for you," Mac got out "Again. "
"I know the feeling," Harm smiled at her and took her hand in his, braiding his fingers with hers. He felt that it was a gesture innocent enough, but it showed the affection he felt.
"And it won't go away when I'm in a position where we can do something about it?" Mac really more stated then asked.
"You say when?" Harm acknowledged.
"Yes," Mac simply answered.
"This won't go away." Harm shook his head. This would never just go away.
TBC