Title : When You're Ready...
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 (Just in case!)
To all the readers/reviewers shown – thanks for the support, and please keep reading!
cbw; cool cat; froggy0319; Lisa Brown; ryne'smom; anna7; harmsgirl-03; Dana; suz573; Grace; jaggurl; Nikki; Kirsty; kirsten; ss; Arian04; GuitarVixen; iammusic; JennaTripped; JagFan; starryeyes10; Kavi Leighanna; SarahRabb705; BrokenSkye; NavyCB; SailorGirl; moe; katydid13; serendipity112233; Dreamer20715; jtbwriter; joanoa; FoxyWombat; chawkchic; maidenpride21; r; heartandy112
Froggy0319 – Didn't mean to worry you! Hope you like this chapter!
Maidenpride21 – Hiya! I want AJ too, but I gotta admit, I'm really getting to like this guy! Hope you like the latest chapter!
R – Krennick would definitely have been fun – I pictured Mac decking her some day for 'hitting' on Harm! :o) Still, the new guy seems ok! Hope you enjoy the new chapter!
Dana – Ooh! Giddy is good! More of the 'oldies' making out! Hope the latest chapter keeps you giddy!
Heartandy112 (Leslie) – Hope you like the latest chapter!
Jaggurl – Hope you like the latest chapter!
Chawchic – Thanks for giving me the time! Keeps me in line with the series. Hope you like the latest chapter!
What could have happened after the end of This Just In...
Marine Combat HQ, Baghdad, Iraq
Mac followed Harm down the steps, away from the building and the ZNN reporter. As they walked towards the VOQ Mac put her hand out to catch his arm.
"Harm?"
"Mmn?" Harm didn't stop walking, and Mac had to put in an extra step to keep up with him.
"Will you slow down so I can keep up, please?" Mac asked, trying to decipher the look in his eyes as he turned slightly to look at her. Immediately Harm stopped, and then Mac almost bumped into him.
"Mac, sorry. I was just thinking about what happened in there. I know Mallory was found guilty, but I believe he won something too. There's an awful lot that goes on here that the pencil pushers don't get to see, and even if they did see it, they wouldn't understand."
"You think the outcome will really make a difference?"
"Yeah, I do. Mallory's still going to be a part of his unit, a part of this war. Until someone does make a decision on the proposed review, he'll be a constant reminder to people that the idea behind what he did maybe wasn't all that wrong. I don't condone his actions; a man died. But maybe this will go someway to opening eyes on the Hill to what this war really is doing to our troops."
"You know, Sailor, you've convinced me. So, now what do we do?"
"Head back stateside and report to our new Commanding Officer."
"Ugh, don't remind me!" Mac grimaced, and Harm bumped his shoulder against hers. It was the only gesture he could give to offer her some affection as they were both in uniform and on duty.
"We're out of here in a couple of hours, with a stopover in Bahrain before flight back to DC. Can I interest you in dinner, Ms Mackenzie?"
"Just dinner, Mr Rabb?" Mac returned, a smile curving her lips as she looked at him, and Harm nodded, adding softly so no-one around them would hear. "And dessert."
Mac smiled and walked beside him, back to their separate quarters in the VOQ.
Manama, Bahrain
Mac and Harm were seated in a small restaurant near to their hotel, lingering over coffees as they discussed their new Commanding Officer. Harm was aware that Mac was more spooked than ever that she would be transferred from JAG, and Harm, if she were to make the slightest error. Despite his reassurances, Mac was still having a hard time relaxing. Harm leaned over the table and took her hand in his. Mac's initial reaction was to withdraw as they were in public, but Harm held tight and smiled at her hesitation.
"Mac, we're in civilian clothes in a small restaurant. The chances of anyone recognizing us are minimal. Please try to relax, sweetheart."
Mac's eyebrows rose and her mouth opened in a surprised 'o' at his words.
"What?" asked Harm, fully aware of what he had said, and knowing it would provoke a reaction.
"You...you've never called me that...before...I mean, not outside."
Harm smiled and squeezed the hand he still held, and Mac sat back in her seat, a light blush rising in her cheeks. For all the character-hardening Marine training she had received over the years, a single word or a smile from this man could still reduce her to the equivalent of a kid on a first date.
"Then I'll make a point of using it more often. I love seeing you like this."
Mac tried to hide a snort of derision. "What, tongue tied and flustered?"
Harm shook his head, raising the hand he held to his lips as he spoke.
"Not at all. I love seeing you looking feminine and desirable, and wanting."
"Wanting, huh?" Mac smiled, regaining her composure, and her eyes flashed at Harm, sending his pulse rate rocketing. "I just need to use the restroom, and then we can leave, if you're ready."
"Oh, yeah," Harm murmured, just enough for Mac to hear his words. As she left the table she gave him a look over her shoulder that was pure lust, and just for him. Harm watched with a possessive gleam as she walked away, and caught some of the overt stares (and some covert ones!) she received from the other diners, male and female.
Harm's hotel room – somewhere in Bahrain
As Mac sat up in bed, waiting while Harm finished up in the bathroom, she recalled Bud's words from a few days earlier, and a smile lifted her lips. At that moment Harm appeared.
"What're you smiling at, Mac?"
"Oh, just something Bud said. He told me I looked 'well rested' and I told him I'd had my first good night's sleep for a long time. I just realized, since we've been together, I've been sleeping much better."
"Oh, yeah?" Harm grinned, kneeling on the side of the bed and leaning over Mac as she settled back on the pillows.
"Yeah," murmured Mac, looking up at the man who was her best friend, her lover, one day to be the father of her child, or children (if they were to be lucky enough) and someday to be her husband. That thought made her breath catch, and Harm looked oddly at her.
"You okay?"
"Oh, yeah..." Mac's response came at the same time as she tugged on the towel that Harm had fastened around his hips. As the towel slid away Mac moved her body in to cover the same area the towel had. A last thought came to her and she recalled Mattie's phrase when she wanted to hug Harm.
"Reduce altitude, Sailor," said Mac, and Harm obeyed without question.
Next morning
The sunrise filtered through the blinds in the room, resting on the bed and the two figures laying there. Harm opened his eyes first, finding Mac nestled in his arms, her head sharing his pillow.
"You're a pillow hog, Mackenzie," he murmured, adding softly "...but if it means you sleep soundly and wake up next to me, I don't mind." Harm was well aware of Mac's tendency toward insomnia. He brushed a hand down over her body, causing her breath to hitch slightly, and she turned to look at him, opening her eyes drowsily.
Harm continued on his foray down Mac's body, and she shifted restlessly, wanting more from his ministrations. "How long before we have to leave?" he asked, his voice vibrating against her skin, sending shivers through her.
"Erm...I'm not....I think we check out by 1000."
"And what time is it now?" Harm was intrigued by Mac's evasiveness. Usually she had the time to the second.
"I...er...05...35..." Mac mumbled, and gripped the sheets with her fingers as Harm slid lower down her body.
"Wow, Mac, I think I've screwed up your internal clock!"
"Been like that for a while..." Mac managed to answer, and then silence reigned as Harm smiled to himself and moved in on her.
British Airways flight - somewhere over the Atlantic
Mac noticed Harm had averted his eyes from the blind over the window. Even in the dark – especially in the dark – he was aware of the ocean below, and he was aware also that his fear was irrational, but it was still there, even after three years. Silently she took his hand and he paused for a few moments before entwining their fingers and resting their joined hands on his upper thigh. Mac rested her head against the pillow behind her and waited for him to speak.
"It's hard to explain, Mac, but I still...I still think of that night. Being cold, and wet, and unbearably lonely. It seems silly now, but I spoke with Skates after we were back in Bethesda and she said that the one thing that kept her going was knowing her fiancé was waiting for her. All I could think of was you marrying Brumby, and how lonely I was without you." Harm turned his face to hers and Mac could see the sheen of tears held at bay by sheer force of will. Raising her hand to his cheek, she smiled and spoke softly.
"You're never going to be lonely again, Harm. I'm here."
The few words eased his tension, and while they both knew it wasn't a solution to his fears, it was enough to distract him. That and the soft kiss Mac gave him before closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder.
Before giving in to sleep himself, Harm turned back to the window and raised the blind. It was a start.
To be continued
A/N :
I noticed on the opening of TJIFB, the new JAG is actually Major General Cresswell, and not Marine General. Corrections made!
'Souq' market place
How about this for eerie! I loved the scene in TJIFB where Sturgis asked to change offices. Talk about déjà vu! In my story Where The Sea Meets The Sky I have Sturgis asking to change offices too (albeit asking AJ)! Weird, huh???
