Title : Tell Him
Author : Jaggie 107
Disclaimer : JAG characters belong to DPB, CBS and Paramount. I hope all parties will allow me to have fun for a little while, and replace them all when I'm done. Thank you.
Rating : G to PG-13
Spoilers : None as such, after the Dining-Out though!
Summary : Another songfic – heard the song, couldn't resist!
Thank you to MacHarm4ever, HM foreva, jtbwriter, froggy0319, JAGJenni, hothing40, snugglebug, MaritzaCarmichael and maidenpride21 for such wonderful reviews, and so here is the second part. I hope it meets expectations!
Wednesday Afternoon - JAG Headquarters
"Mac, you up for a working dinner tonight? I need to go over the new evidence in the Bellings case."
Mac looked up from her desk as Harm leaned in through her open door, hanging onto the door frame with one hand, waving a file at her with the other. The smile on his face was so appealing, she almost decided to ditch her other plans. Almost.
"I'm sorry, Harm, I can't. I already have plans. Is there anything I can help with before I leave today?" Harm's smile slipped a little, and Mac felt her heart do a dive as she felt she had pushed him a little further away, again. As Harm backed out of her office, he shook his head.
"No problem. I'll write out what I see our course as, and you can go over it and add your comments tomorrow. See you, Mac."
"Yeah," Mac answered, "…see you." This last was murmured to an empty doorway, and Mac slumped back in her chair. This was going to be hard, hiding her surprise from him. At the very time she was hoping to – finally – get her feelings for him out in the open, she was actually pushing him away. Sighing, Mac reached into her pocket and drew out her cell phone. "Varese, I'll see you at the club. Six, okay?"
Across the bullpen, Mac could see Harm walking out of the breakroom with Sturgis. The two of them had their heads together, and were laughing at some joke. It was good to see their friendship back on an even keel again (A/N – couldn't resist the pun!), even as her own friendship with Harm was so tenuous. Oh well, at least the end result would be worth it! Mac crossed her fingers as she thought this last part!
"Hey, Harm, you free for a beer and a game of pool tonight?" Sturgis asked, just before he disappeared through the glass doors and back to his office. Harm paused, and then nodded.
"Yeah, why not? Looks like I'm free now."
"Oh, big plans, huh? With Mattie?"
"Nah, but never mind. Their loss." Harm's dismissal of Mac was bitter, but he felt that while he was trying hard to build up their tattered friendship, she was tearing it down just as fast. "I'll meet you at McMurphy's, say seven?"
"That's fine. You driving?"
"No, I think I'll take a cab. It could be a 'couplabeersnight' tonight, and I don't want to appear before Cresswell as a DUI!"
Sturgis eyed Harm with some speculation, but nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. See you there." Harm grinned and nodded, and then walked past Mac's office and into his own, closing the door and taking his seat, without once looking at Mac's office. Mac, however, was looking at him.
Wednesday Evening – Somewhere In Georgetown"Mac, you made it! Great!" Harriet waddled over and hugged Mac warmly, and Mac returned the gesture, getting as close as she could for the hug with Harriet's extended stomach in between!
"How could I not? Varese is very good at twisting arms over the telephone line!" At this comment Mac turned to smile at her 'partner-in-crime' in this venture. "Besides, at the very least I'll get some kind of reaction from Harm!"
"Hopefully, the right one," nodded Harriet, and Mac groaned.
"Harriet, I'm having second thoughts…I mean, I know I've sung a couple of times, but this is something different…in a club!"
"Don't you dare back out on me now, Mac! And besides, it's for the children. You've got a great voice, so let Varese hear it and we'll sort it out from there."
Varese handed Mac a microphone and headed across dance floor, choosing to lean up against the stage rather than climb the steps to stand on it. The consummate professional when it came to entertaining, Varese handed Mac the lyrics and cued in the start of the music using her own inimitable voice.
"I've been there, with my heart out in my hand, but what you must understand, you can't let the chance to love him pass you by…" Mac sang the lyrics that Barbra Streisand had sung, as the older woman giving advice to a younger Celine Dion, on how to love a man. How to tell him.
Varese nodded her head, smiled at Mac, and shook her head at Harriet. "This isn't going to work," she muttered, and looked down at the paper in her own hand. Mac put the microphone down on the stage and smiled at Varese and Harriet.
"It's okay. I knew it was a bad idea anyway," Mac began, but Varese put a hand out to pick up the microphone again.
"Whoa, where do you think you're going? Your singing is great, Mac!"
"I thought…there was a problem?"
"Not with you, just with the words. You'd be better singing the Dion part."
"Oh…I just thought I'd be singing the older woman's part…I mean, I am the older woman here, right?"
"You may be older physically, Mac, but you're the novice when it comes to singing this song to a man. It's perfect for you to sing to Harm, that's why you're going along with this idea!" Harriet was practically buzzing with excitement as she looked at Varese again. "From the top, ladies, and don't forget to sing your little heart out, Mac!"
Mac scowled in mock-threat at Harriet, and then concentrated on the words in front of her. Varese counted the beats in again, and began humming softly. Mac began to sing her part…
I'm scared
So afraid to show I care
Will he think me weak
If I tremble when I speak
What if
There's another one he's thinking of
Maybe he's in love
I'd feel like a foolLife can be so cruel
I don't know what to doVarese kept up with Mac's timing and started on her own verse, looking straight at Mac and encouraging her with a small smile as she sang.
I've been there
With my heart out in my hand
But what you must understand
You can't let the chanceTo love him pass you by
At the right moment Mac joined in with Varese, to sing together, and Harriet clapped her hands in delight. This was so going to blow Harm's socks off! Or something else, Harriet thought wickedly, but kept the thought to herself!
Tell him
Tell him that the sun and moon
Rise in his eyesReach out to him
And whisper
Tender words so soft and sweetMac sang the next line alone
I'll hold him close to feel his heart beat
And Varese sang the following line, alone also.
Love will be the gift you give yourself…
Mac watched as Varese closed her eyes at the end of the line and smiled. Harriet, with her hands clutched together, watched both women.
"Well?" she asked, needing to know for definite that the two of them would go through with the idea.
"It's perfect, Harriet. I think Harm is going to get the message without a doubt! Sturgis thinks it's a great idea!" Varese was enthusiastic.
"You told Sturgis?" Mac paled visibly, and dropped into a nearby chair.
"Mac? Honey, what is it? What's wrong?" Harriet was distraught, and Mac noticed her wobbling lower lip.
"Sorry, Harriet. I didn't mean to spook you. It's just…well, Sturgis is Harm's best friend, and they might…talk, you know?"
"Actually, Sturgis says you are Harm's best friend, and there is absolutely no way he'd rat on you, or me for that matter. All I told Sturgis was that Harriet had suggested you sing this duet with me, it would be a nice surprise for Harm to see you up on stage, and if he chooses to interpret the words correctly, presuming he hears them in the first place, then all the better!"
Mac managed a half-hearted grin. "Oh, he'll hear them. Harm plays the guitar, and he understands music and lyrics very well." Varese laughed.
"Well, then, after our little performance on Saturday night, he's not going to have any excuse but to whisk you off to God-knows-where!"
"Now we know that we can sing together, what practice do you think I need for Saturday? I mean, I put Harm off tonight so I could come here, but he looked so upset with me…"
"Well, today's Wednesday. How about Friday? Sturgis is going to let Harm know about the performance Saturday, just saying that I'm going to be doing Harriet's song, and he'll invite him along. You both enjoyed last night, right?"
Mac nodded, smiling. When Harm had seen her back to her apartment they had shared a warm hug and a chaste kiss, nothing more, but it was a start, albeit a cautious one.
If any one of the three women could have heard Sturgis's conversation with Harm later however, they wouldn't have been so confident.
Wednesday Night – McMurphy's Bar
"What do you mean, 'no'?" asked Sturgis, looking at Harm in shock.
"I'm busy Saturday."
"Doing what?"
"Don't know. I'll think of something," Harm retorted sharply, and turned back to taking a swig of his beer. Sturgis closed his eyes, counted to five, and opened them again. "What was that for?" asked Harm, curious.
"You don't have to think of something. You've already got a commitment, to go to the club on Saturday, bro!"
"No way. Mac's going to be there, right? Well, after today, I'd say we're heading for the cold-shoulder again. So by Saturday, hell, it'll be a frozen shoulder!" Harm laughed at his own lame joke, but Sturgis just watched him carefully.
"What happened?" he asked, and Harm recognized the serious tone in his friend's voice, and the sincerity in the question.
"I asked if we could have a working dinner tonight, to discuss the Bellings case, and she blew me off. Said she was busy tonight."
"So? Maybe she was! Why do you think I'm out with you, pal? Varese kinda gave the me the 'cold-shoulder' too!"
Harm looked up at that, placing his bottle back on the bar. This was something he hadn't thought about – Mac and Varese having a woman-to-woman chat. About him. About him and Sturgis. More to the point, about him and Mac! As the thoughts crossed his mind Sturgis noticed the varying looks on Harm's face, from surprise to thoughtfulness, to worry, and finally to disgust.
"What's wrong now?"
"Did you tell Varese I love Mac?" asked Harm, and Sturgis nodded. Harm groaned.
To be continued