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! It's nice to see from the reviews given that the 'format' for the story is still working out!
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; laura carr; bluejay742; dansingwolf; Tina Frank; snugglebug; Jackia; The Fiction Spider; Maria; Lisa; aserene; JAGJenni; martini1988
Apologies to JAGJenni – I didn't realize I hadn't added your name to the list before now!
Nikki – Thanks for your review. I like to imagine that is what they would be like at home (at least, that's how I'd like to be with Harm at home! P)! Hope you like this chapter, and please keep reading! aserene – Thanks for your review. The one thing I really like about writing fanfic is that I get to 'see' exactly what I want! ;) Hope you like this chapter, and please keep reading! JAGJenni – Thank you for your review. Hope you like this chapter, and please keep reading! jtbwriter – Hiya! Thanks for your review! Nothing more has been said about Jen moving on/out of Harm's building, so I choose to keep it ambiguous too. I think, like with Mattie, whatever Jen does she'll have Harm and Mac watching out for her – at least in my JAG world! Hope you like this next chapter, and please keep reading! PS – How's work these days? froggy0319 – Thank you for your review. I hope you like the next chapter, and sweet dreams! Please keep reading, too! cbw – Thanks for your review. It's such fun being able to write the endings I like, and your words show me that I seem to be able to pass those images on to others! Hope you like this chapter, and please keep reading! martini1988 – Hello, and welcome to the story! Thank you for your review. Hope you like this chapter, and please keep reading! Snugglebug – Thanks for your review. I enjoy writing Harm and Mac together, and I seem to be able to pass the images through the writing, so thank you again for your words. Hope you like this chapter, and please keep reading! Best wishes! chawchic – Thanks for your review. It's words like yours that make it all worthwhile. Hope you like this chapter, and please keep reading! starryeyes10 – Thanks for your review. I hope you like this chapter, and please keep reading!
What could have happened after the end of Heart Of Darkness…
Charikar, Afghanistan
"Paleontology," said Mac.
"Paleontology?" echoed Harm, lifting his head from looking at his laptop and settling his gaze on her.
"Yes. Wahid told me about some caves near here. We've got time to go have a look."
"Wahid? Remember the bags over our heads? The mujahideen?"
"The caves are not in hostile territory, Harm," Mac replied, smiling at his skeptical look. "Okay, maybe a little hostile, but Wahid said we'd be all right out there, and we've got the sat-phone."
"Oh…" Harm caught up with Mac's train of thought. "Okay. We'll need to borrow a Humvee."
"Nah, we need to go on horseback again."
"You do realize we're in a war-zone out here, Mac," Harm felt that he had to point that little fact out, but Mac waved her hand airily in dismissal.
"You're safe with me, flyboy. Remember I got you out of the minefield last time."
"Oh, yeah!" Harm pretended to strike his head in forgetfulness. "How could I forget? You saw it in a movie, right?"
Mac just grinned, leaned over, and in lieu of a kiss ruffled his hair with her hand. Harm grinned in return, and went back to working on his laptop.
"When do you want to leave?"
"How soon can you finish your report?"
Harm hit the 'close' icon on the screen and started the process of shutting down.
"Done."
Safed Koh Mountains, Afghanistan – sometime later
"This looks like a good place to camp," Mac looked across at Harm as they both pulled on the reins to stop their horses. Standing up in her saddle, Mac glanced all around, and then settled back down again. There was open ground in front of them on three sides, and the caves to the back of them. It was supposedly neutral territory, but if there was any trouble they could hide out in and around the caves, and use the sat-phone.
Harm agreed, lifted his leg over the saddle and slid to the ground. They had a bedroll each, some MRI's and enough water for an overnight camp-out strapped to each saddle. Harm looked for a suitable area to fasten up the horses, and found some small rocks to use as stakes for the tethering ropes. Using those, he tethered the horses and removed the saddles while Mac set up a small camp.
When they were done she stood up and looked across at Harm, and gave him a knowing smile. Harm cocked an eyebrow and waited for her next move. It wasn't long in coming. Walking across the space between them she lifted her arms and put them around his neck.
"I thought we were here to check out old bones."
"I am checking out old bones…" responded Mac, looking up at him from under her lashes. "Yours."
"Hey! Less of the…" Harm began to protest but Mac silenced him with her kiss. At least it started out as her kiss, but somewhere in the midst of their lips moving together, Harm took over. Not that Mac was complaining!
As they broke for air, foreheads touching, Harm managed to find his breath enough to speak.
"You got me here under false pretences, Colonel," he admonished gently.
"Guilty as charged," responded Mac. "I've been going crazy being so close and not being able to touch you."
"Same here," Harm murmured, rubbing his nose gently against Mac's. "So, what do we do now?"
"Really check out old bones?" Mac said, smiling up at him. "We've got some daylight left…"
"So you're going to leave me for some old fossil, huh?"
"Nope, I'm taking you with me," Mac laughed, and linked her hand in Harm's before setting off toward the nearest of the caves. With an indulgent grin he followed her, not relinquishing her hold on him.
Safed Koh Mountains, Afghanistan – after sunset
Mac sat, her back against Harm's chest, as she pored over the piece of rock in her hand.
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure, looks like a claw mark…" Mac was distracted, rubbing the smoothness with the pad of her thumb.
"No. I mean what are you thinking?"
Mac turned in his arms to look at Harm, a question in her expression, so Harm explained himself.
"You know your stuff about paleontology, Mac, and you've been staring at that stone for far too long, which means you have something else on your mind."
"How did you get so smart, squid?"
"I told you I love you," replied Harm, and dropped a kiss on Mac's lips. "Now. What is it that's bothering you?"
Mac shuffled round so that she was sat face to face with Harm.
"When Ramsey was taken away, and I said you wanted to join him, you didn't really answer me. Would you give up the Navy and join him?"
Harm shook his head, and Mac let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. With a small acknowledgement of her reaction, he spoke again.
"I couldn't handle the subterfuge. Hell, that's what got me kicked out of the CIA, remember!" Harm closed his eyes, as though recalling his brief period of employment as a 'spook'. "A lot changed with 9/11, Mac, we all know that. Some got caught up in the aftermath more than others. Ramsey, for example. What I could do for his cause is provide legal assistance. Vigilante justice isn't right, legally, but there are loopholes."
"You'd condone using those loopholes?"
"No. But I could find legal alternatives. Solutions that could be reached, and preferably without bloodshed."
"Death is always a factor, Harm."
"I know. We've both killed, Mac, because it was life or death. Them or us. But it doesn't always have to be that way."
"So, you'd go into private practice and help Ramsey that way?"
"Where I could, yes."
"Want some company?" Mac's question was said in a whisper, and Harm had to pause before he answered. He had given some thought to Ramsey's idea, hence his words to Mac, but he had never dreamed that she would give up the military for him.
"Always," he responded softly, and suddenly the world went away.
There was only the two of them. In the middle of nowhere, their cries of surrender and release drifted away on the wind, and afterwards they lay together, under the blankets, and the heavy wool of their cloaks.
A/N – A lot of artistic licence in this chapter…just read and enjoy! (Hopefully!)
