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; General Mac; jagaddict; ducktapedmoose; lehcar412
Jtbwriter – Hiya! As always, thanks for the support. All the reviews for last chapter seem to like it, so I'll leave well alone. Hope you like the new chapter and please keep reading!
Froggy0319 – Hope this chapter brings you sweet dreams too. Thanks for the support and please keep reading!Cbw – Not so late as the last chapter, hope you like it! Please keep reading! BTW, feeling much better now, thank you!
BrokenSkye – Hope you found pics of the General. Not such a bad guy, is he? Thanks for the support, and please keep reading!
Jagaddict – Hello! Thanks for your review; you picked up the point I missed about same chain of command. I'm not sure how that works in reality, but in fanfic there's always a way! Hope you like this chapter, and please keep reading!
Nikki – I'm feeling much better now, thank you. This chapter is being posted a lot earlier than the last, so hopefully I'm back in the swing of things! Hope you like the new chapter, and please keep reading! PS – I'd love to be whisked off to the Caribbean on a private jet too! Ah, at least we can dream, eh? :o)
Lehcar412 – Welcome to the story! Thank you for your encouragement, and I hope you like this chapter. Please keep reading!
What could have happened after the end of There Goes The Neighborhood…
Harm's Apartment – North of Union Station
Jennifer was seated at the kitchen island when Mac entered Harm's apartment. Jennifer slid to her feet from the stool, almost coming to attention before Mac waved her hand.
"Don't you dare salute, Jen; I'm off duty, and so are you."
"Yes, ma'am…Mac," Jennifer smiled hesitantly, and waited for Mac to speak again.
"Is Harm back yet?"
"He's at the store. Said he had to run an errand before you came over. I'm just waiting for the carpenter to finish fixing the door to my apartment and then I'm out of your way."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Jen. Harm said he'd given you a key to this place. As long as you feel safe now."
"It's not really about being 'safe', Mac. It's like my privacy has been invaded, you know? The two of them," Mac noticed that Jennifer couldn't bring herself to name her former friend and her ex-boyfriend. Jennifer continued, "…they've spoiled the atmosphere. I was considering advertising for another roommate, but now I just want to move somewhere else, on my own."
"I do understand, Jen. My apartment has been trashed a couple of times through the years, and I've considered moving elsewhere, but if you do that then…they've really succeeded at spoiling your life for you. Won't you reconsider?"
"I can't really afford to stay there on my own, and it's not going to be the same sharing with someone who isn't Mattie."
Mac smiled and nodded. "Have you spoken to Harm about leaving?"
Jennifer nodded and laughed. "Yeah! He said he wouldn't help with the moving!" Mac joined in the laughter, and that's how Harm found the pair of them when he opened the apartment door.
"Hey, have I got the right place? I don't recall having two roommates," he joked, walking over to the kitchen counter and depositing a grocery bag alongside his cover before turning back to face the two women.
"You still don't, Harm. I'll be out of your way shortly. I was just telling Mac…" Jennifer began, and Mac interrupted.
"The carpenter is still going to be a while, Jen. Why don't you eat with us, at least, and by then he should be finished." Mac turned to look at Harm and he nodded without hesitation.
"Sounds good to me. We're just having a takeout, Jen. Please, say 'yes'? You've had a rough day, kiddo, and besides, it'll make me feel better."
"How come?" Jennifer asked, and Harm coughed to hide the lump in his throat.
"Well, at least I've still got you around to watch over for a while longer – it's going to be quiet around here when you've moved out." Harm glanced at Mac and she smiled gently, nodding her head. Before the moment got the better of all three of them, Mac declared a vote on the content of the takeout.
Chinese won out, and Harm placed the order while Mac went into the bedroom area to change. While she was gone, Harm asked Jennifer if she had spoken to Cresswell yet.
"Yes. I apologized for my absence and he said it was accepted. That was it. I expected a chewing-out. What did you say to him, Harm, when you covered for me?"
"I said you had personal business to deal with, and that you would inform him of the matter when you were at your desk in the morning, before he arrived."
"Are you kidding!" Jennifer looked aghast at Harm. It was well known, even in such a short time, that Major General Cresswell was in his office almost before sun-up! Harm grinned unrepentantly at Jennifer's expression, and then he relented.
"Okay, I said you'd brief him as soon as you were at your desk, as usual. So, no delays in the morning. Early night tonight, and no reading under the covers."
"Yes, Dad," Jennifer retorted softly, laughing along with Harm. "Thanks. For everything," she said as she leaned across the island and kissed Harm's cheek, as she had once before. As she pulled back she grinned. "Can they still throw me in the brig for that?" she asked, cheekily, and Harm nodded. "It's still worth it," she murmured, and he grinned in return.
The carpenter came to knock at the door at the same time as their food was delivered, and so Harm walked back into his apartment with a bag of food in one hand and a set of keys in the other. Jennifer held the set of keys in her hand, playing momentarily with the keyring. Mac caught her pensive look as she helped Harm put out the dinner plates.
"Jen? What is it?" she asked, and Harm paused also, waiting for the answer.
"I'm…I think maybe I ought to get the lock changed too, just in case…"
"I'll see to it tomorrow. You'll have a new lock before tomorrow night." Harm was quick to add, "I'll do it myself, Jen." His reward was a grateful smile.
Mac ushered Jennifer into a chair as Harm placed their plates on the dining table. They ate the meal between telling jokes, talking about current issues, and all the time the two senior officers watched their younger companion for any signs of distress. When they found none, they relaxed a little more and ended the impromptu get-together with an escort across the corridor to see Jennifer safely 'home', amidst laughter, and then returned to Harm's apartment to clean up the remains of their meal.
During the night…Mac found Harm seated on the couch, dressed in a sweater and shorts, looking out of the window at the lights below. Dropping into the space between his long legs, Mac nestled comfortably against him, all without saying a word. Eventually Harm spoke.
"I miss Mattie," he murmured softly, and Mac nodded against his chest.
"I know you do, Harm. You've been in each other's lives such a short time in comparison, but you've lived a lifetime together in that time. The good thing is that she's still in your life, just not with you right now."
"It's the same with Jen," Harm continued. "We've known her a little longer than Mattie, but she's still vulnerable, under all that confidence, and cheekiness. I don't have the right to protect her, but I want to. I failed to protect her here though, and she was just down the corridor! What if Mattie had still been here too?"
"Shush, Harm…you can't think that way. Jen would never have put Mattie in that position, you know that. If Mattie had still been here, Jen would have told you about Pia turning up, and you would have been able to determine the safety factor yourself. On her own, as a streetwise young woman, Jen believed herself capable of dealing with her 'visitors' by herself."
Harm dropped a soft kiss on Mac's hair and she felt his lips move in a smile. "You sure you're not taking those psychology classes with Jen, Mac?"
"Pretty good, am I?" she queried, and added cheekily, "Move over Dr Brothers!"
Harm laughed outright at that analogy, and Mac lifted her head to look at him. "What's so funny, Flyboy?"
"Mac, Dr Brothers is a sex therapist!" he murmured, and Mac eyed him with a saucy grin.
"So, you want me to analyze you?" she answered, leaning back on the couch and drawing Harm down with her.
A few minutes later Harm was heard to mutter something, and Mac's response was quite clear.
"It's called the hands-on approach, Harm," she giggled.
As Harm had no verbal response to that, he kept quiet. In fact, nothing more was said until the alarm went off in the morning, and a whispered 'Damn' was heard as both Harm and Mac attempted to turn off the offending object and ended up on the lounge floor. Sheepishly they grinned at each other, realizing that they hadn't made it back to the bedroom, and then sheepish turned to suggestive, and they only just made it into work.
To be continued
