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, bluejay742, starryeyes10, EyeCandy and Becki for such wonderful reviews, and so here is the third part. I hope it meets expectations!
Wednesday Night - McMurphy's Bar

Sturgis grinned, slapping Harm on the back. "Don't sweat it, bro'! I told Varese, sure, but she isn't going to tell Mac."

"Why did you tell her at all, Sturg?"

"Because Varese can be persuasive," hedged Sturgis.

"How persuasive?"

"Very," Sturgis glanced away, and Harm pounced.

"She blackmailed you, didn't she? What with?" At least Harm had recovered his sense of humor a little, reasoned Sturgis, even as he felt miserable being hounded. "C'mon, Sturgis! What did Varese blackmail you with?"

"It wasn't blackmail…" Sturgis defended himself, and Harm laughed, understanding now.

"No night time songs, huh?"

"You're so wrong, Harm."

"Oh yeah? Don't forget how long I've known you, Sturgis Turner. Added to the fact that you still have that goofy grin whenever nocturnal activities of the human kind are mentioned! Ha, gotcha!" Harm pointed an accusing finger at Sturgis, who had the good sense to admit defeat.

"Okay, yes. Varese blackmailed me. But I swear on my honor, and hers, that she won't tell Mac anything."

"You'd better be right, Sturgis."

"I am. I trust Varese the same as you trust Mac."

Harm was about to protest, but then he backed down, and nodded.

"I guess that's good enough for me."

"Time to go home, buddy?"

"Yeah. I think it's time to go home."

Both men downed the last of their drinks and pulled on their jackets, with Harm dropping some bills on the counter for the barman as they walked away to the exit.

As Harm hailed a cab for the two of them Sturgis turned to look at him.

"So, we see you on Saturday at the club?"

"It's all for a good cause I guess, so yeah, I'll be there."

Thursday Morning – JAG Headquarters

Mac waited for Harm to come into work. Through the night she had worried about his attitude after she had told him she couldn't make a working dinner with him. It was her hope that she could offer him lunch by means of apology, but that hope was dashed when, late as always, Harm only just made it into the staff meeting in the conference room, and then took the case that would mean him travelling to Norfolk, and probably staying there overnight, if not longer…

The idea of singing in the club, even for charity, was fast losing its appeal.

Mac was talking to Bud in the bullpen when Harm came out of his office, buried under his briefcase, laptop, and an armful of files.

"Harm…" Mac began.

"Sorry, Mac. Gotta go!"

"At least let me open the door for you? You seem to be a bit overwhelmed there."

Harm stopped briefly, and then nodded as he noticed that the double glass doors were closing rapidly behind the last person who had gone through them. Mac excused herself from Bud and fell into step beside Harm, pushing the door open for him and then following him out to the elevators.

"I guess you'd better get that for me too," Harm murmured, and the hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Mac nodded in assent, waiting with him until the elevator doors opened. Mac held them aside with her hand while Harm stepped inside, and then reached in to press the button for 'Ground'. Before the doors could close, however, Mac placed her hand in front of the sensor to hold them open.

"Could we do dinner tomorrow?"

"It'll probably be late, Mac…I might get held up in Norfolk," Harm hedged, not quite looking at her, but Mac was determined to get back the man who had kissed her, albeit chastely, on Tuesday night, however un-Marine-like her behavior might seem.

"Then make it a supper…I'll do vegetarian," she wheedled, and Harm couldn't help the grin on his face.

"You're cooking?"

"I could be offended, flyboy, but I'll let it pass. Just make sure you give me a call whenever you get back."

"That's not going to give you much time to prepare, if it is tomorrow. I'll call you from Norfolk, when I'm on the road."

"Much better," murmured Mac softly, and then let her hand drop from the elevator door. Their last view of each other was of a face wreathed in uncertainty.

Thursday evening – Mac's Apartment

The telephone rang and Mac reached across the arm of the couch to pick up the cordless handset.

"Mackenzie," she answered.

"Mac? It's…H…arm…" The static broke up the clarity of the call, and Mac could hardly make out Harm's voice over the line.

"I can hardly hear you, Harm. Are you okay?"

"F…ine…Just setting…off to…" Again the static broke up the line, and it eventually went dead. No sound at all. Mac stared at the handset in disgust and then reached for her cell phone on the end table. That was the same though – no sound whatsoever when she punched in Harm's speed dial number. Looking at both handsets, she scowled, not sure whether Harm was setting off back to Washington so late at night, or if he was telling her he was staying over in Norfolk, the case not yet closed. Neither the telephone nor the cell phone rang again, and she thought of staying up later in the night than she had planned. What voice she had would sound horrible at rehearsal though, she knew, and so a little sleep was in order. It surprised her to find her eyes closing almost as soon as she lay back against the couch and so she got up and walked through to her bedroom, deciding it would be better to wake up in there than scrunched up and aching on the couch.

Thursday evening – Norfolk NAS Officer's Quarters

Harm scowled at his cell phone, and the unwavering 'No Signal' indicator on the screen.

"Damn!" He had really wanted to hear Mac's voice. In fact, if he was honest, he needed to hear her. Now he would have to wait until the next day. Tossing the useless cell phone in his briefcase he moved off the bed and into the bathroom. Might as well get an early night, he mused. An early night would mean an early start in the morning, and then he'd be back at JAG that much sooner. Back with Mac. With a sudden smile on his face he undressed and climbed into the shower, his thoughts of Mac easing his tension along with the warmth of the spray.

Friday morning – JAG Headquarters

Mac had just entered the bullpen when Jennifer Coates came across to her.

"Ma'am, there's a telephone call, from Norfolk. It's Commander Rabb."

Mac looked a little puzzled, and Jennifer clarified.

"I was just about to take a message, ma'am, when I saw you enter the room."

"Oh, okay…" Mac nodded distractedly, and pushed open her office door. "Which line?"

"Two, ma'am. The General is on one, with the SecNav."

"Thanks." Mac closed her door behind her and dropped her briefcase and purse into one of the visitors' chairs before reaching across her desk for the handset. Managing to press the second button on the keypad she smiled when she heard Harm's voice.

"Mac?"

"I'm here," she acknowledged.

"You sound out of breath. Been running this morning?"

"Nah, just busy." Mac took a deep breath and calmed herself, her voice near normal when she spoke again. "Your call broke up last night. What were you trying to tell me? Where are you?"

"Still in Norfolk. I was hoping to be on the road early this morning, but the defendant decided to go UA. He was picked up by the police in the early hours breaking into a local foodstore, and they won't hand him over until he's been arraigned in local court. I have to get down there this morning and wait for his civilian charges before I can bring him back to Norfolk and throw more military charges at him."

"Oh…okay…" Mac's image of them sharing dinner after her rehearsal was now gone. Replacing it was another image of her eating alone, again. "Well, keep me posted…" Mac tailed off her conversation, and Harm stepped into the silence.

"Sarah? I really wanted to be there with you tonight…there's still a chance I could make it."

Mac felt her eyes tear up at his words. If he'd just said them, without using her given name, she could have brushed them off as just another excuse. But he had called her 'Sarah', and that was enough for her to know how much he meant what he said. When she spoke again, her voice was thick with emotion.

"Harm…" Mac began, but he cut across her hesitation.

"I'll see you as soon as I can," he murmured, and Mac nodded her head, then realized he couldn't see her action. "I've got to go, Mac. I'll keep in touch."

The line was cut, and Mac stood with the receiver in her hand long after Harm had hung up. It wasn't until Jennifer knocked on her office door that she replaced the handset.

"Ma'am, the General's asking to see you."

"Thanks. On my way." Mac took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and left her office. It was going to be a long day. And an even longer night.

To be continued