A/N: Two months since the last update? Oops. But real life got in the way, with no way bypassing it. And to top it all, my beta's computer crashed eliminating all betaed chapters. (So anybody interested in doing her job for a while?)

Thanks for all your reviews encouraging me to go on. Hope you still enjoy this story.

So here it goes…

Recap from chapter 4:

"Harm, take the chance," I advise him when we shake hands at his car. "You both deserve it."

"I'll try."

"Let me know tomorrow how it went."

"Tomorrow? We won't be seeing us before Monday, and that's the day after."

"I just decided to invite the both of you for a little BBQ. How about 1600 tomorrow?"

"We'll be there." With that he enters his car.

Rolling down his window he adds, "But I can't promise anything."

"Do it. That's an order."

His voice is repeating my joking tone when he answers, "Aye, aye sir," and salutes me.

Maybe something good came of the day after all.


-The Simple Things You Do To Me (Part 1)-

We both spent last night in our own beds, but I carefully saw to it that neither of the doors between us was closed. So now that I have woken, I'm able to watch Harm sleep in the other room.

Careful not to wake him, I get up, for a moment lingering in front of my bed while I lightly lean against the wall to take in the peaceful sight. Drawing my gaze away I walk to my bathroom to get ready for our day off. We've not yet planed to do anything, but it's a beautiful spring day with the sun already shining brightly.

When I return my eyes divert into Harm's room automatically. What I discover takes my breath away for a split second. He's now lying on his side facing my room. His head is propped up on his hand. He hasn't bothered to draw his blanket back up, so I see the waistband of his boxers. He must have waited for my return. His eyes are shining bright and are focused totally at me. Paralyzed I watch him get out of bed before I can even find my voice to say anything.

When he starts coming towards me I finally manage "Morning Harm."

He doesn't answer but crosses the remaining distance between us with four easy strides. And without so much as a warning his mouth is suddenly firmly pressed on mine. To my surprise I find myself responding to his kiss.

My mind starts to drift. We must be an odd sight. Still standing a foot apart, arms dangling by our sides and only our mouths connected in a sweet kiss. It lingers no longer than a few seconds before Harm withdraws his lips from mine. I immediately snap back to reality and watch him take a step back, eying me cautiously for my reaction. He is giving me a way out.

Do I want a way out? How should I react? My head is spinning with emotions, with possibilities, with consequences. It's spinning from a fear that's gripping my heart. But the fear that a relationship would affect our work is the least of my worries right now. Neither is it the fear of anybody finding out about us, we would work through this. What I fear most is the fact that being with Harm, taking this one step now – or ever – would mean that I would have to tear down all of my so carefully built walls. I would have to allow myself to become vulnerable, a thing a Marine isn't. I would have to be willing to risk my feelings.

But haven't I done this for years, ever since I met him? Day by day, year by year I've been giving away parts of me to him. And am I not holding pieces of him in my heart already, even though we aren't lovers yet?

When I still haven't said or done anything after what seems an eternity to me he softly says, "Good Morning, Mac."

I all but waited for him to call me Sarah. I had the feeling that he was about to say it – that he should have? But if he had, I would have immediately melted into his arms, damn all the consequences. My name from his lips can do that to me – if only he knew.

Taking a breath I finally force my mind to formulate an answer, a reaction. "You've never greeted me like this before."

"But I could get used to it." His voice is just a little on the husky side and his smile just slightly seductive. He is holding his ground and not backing off. His stance is firm and he holds his body straight. There is no hint that he might be uncomfortable facing me in his boxers when I'm fully dressed. He doesn't seem to mind. Only his eyes give away the slight insecurity that's probably resulting more from waiting for my response than anything else.

I could get used to it myself. I still feel the texture of his lips on mine. "It'll look rather strange in the middle of the bullpen back at JAG." I can't concentrate properly with my eyes wandering off to his chest and the soft black hair covering it.

"Maybe the bullpen shouldn't be the first place for us to meet in the mornings then." I could get used to this tone of his voice as well. It makes my body tremble.

"What are you trying to say?" I have to ask. I need to hear it even though there is no way of misinterpreting his last statement.

"Let's try." He takes the step that separates us and places his hand on my cheek. His touch is as soft as our kiss has been. His eyes search out mine, bore into my soul. They radiate the answer to my next question before I can even voice it.

"Try what?"

"Us." There is a certainty in his tone that lets me think I don't have a choice about it. And frankly, right now I don't want one.

But still I wonder what made him take this step. "You just wake up one morning and –" I snap my fingers to emphasize my next words, "- out of the blue decide we should give it a try?"

His hand drops from my face and at once I long for his touch to return. Instead he takes both my hands in his, tenderly running his thumbs over the back of my hands.

"You know I've wanted it for a while. But you weren't ready, I accepted that, gave you the time you wanted."

"But now you think the time is up? That you can't wait any longer," I interrupt.

"I'd wait forever if I could get you in the end Mac." He squeezes my hands to make sure I believe in his words. I do believe. I ache to believe in what he said. All my future happiness depends on me believing in his words.

"But I realized one thing last night. That we are both too afraid of what might go wrong to believe in what would be right, what would feel right. So, one of us has to take the first step. I believe we can take the chance Mac, but only if we trust in us."

Mav's words come drifting back into my mind. 'Just trust in him, trust in yourself, but most of all trust in you as a couple.'

I need to ask, "What made you realize that?"'

"Actually talking to Mav did. He'd finally put my head straight."

I realize the change in Harm's reference to Mav. Never before had he call him Maverick, let alone Mav. So the Captain must have made a deep impact on Harm. He sure had on me.

"So what do you say?" Anticipating my answer once more Harm lifts up both our hands and places them against his chest. His bare chest.

"Okay."

"That's all you can say?"

"What do you want me to say sailor." My voice just dropped a few levels.

He shrugs his shoulders, a sheepish grin appearing on his lips. There is nothing more he'll hear for an answer.

My voice is nothing more than a whisper when I say, "Maybe I shouldn't say anything then," right before I reach for his head and softly pull it down towards me.

"I like this answer even more." I feel his smile against my lips seconds before they meet his. This time in a kiss, one that not only our mouths but all of our bodies partake in.

My hands start roaming over his upper body, trailing his sides with my fingers. Harm's hands aren't doing much else. They soothingly stroke my back. Make me relax and keep me firmly pressed against him. When we finally have to part for air his one hand is gently resting on the small of my back while the other rests against my side, his thumb brushing against the underside of my breast. The touch is barely there, his movements slowed down a hundred times. But the pricking of my skin and the novelty and pleasantry of his touch tell me that it is. And though Harm's new explored freedom is occupying most of my brain cells there is still enough room to make my own explorations of his body. Both my index fingers are hooked under the waistband of his boxers, moving in lazy patterns. It is highly electrifying finally doing something that has been forbidden for so long. The rest of my fingers linger on his bare back still feeling the play of his muscles whenever he moves the tiniest bit.

A single thought shoots through my mind. If I weren't already hopelessly in love with the man, I would fall for him instantaneously, if only to feel what I feel now. I've known before how it feels to be in his arms, how it felt to feel his chest rising beneath my cheek. I know every insignificant change in the way it felt over the years, from the stone hard six-pack it was when he was tense, to the soft but strong way when he was holding me for comfort. I always felt safe there. But now it is different. Now that I allow myself to run my hands everywhere I want without lying to myself about the reason why. Having leaned back slightly we now rest our foreheads together, eyes locking underneath.

"Wow," we speak in perfect unison before we both start to grin broadly. If this kiss and our past is any indication our relationship will be a wild ride.

"What do you wanna do today?" He rubs his nose against mine like the Eskimos do.

"Stay here?" I answer placing a tender kiss on his nose before he can draw it away.

"All day?"

"Mhmm." It feels much too good to move, not now, not ever.

"We can't."

"We can't?"

"No. We've got a date at 1600." I must be looking at him totally confused. "Mav invited us for a BBQ. You won't decline a juicy steak, would you Marine?"

Puh, hard question. Right now I would say I could be living on love and air alone. But obviously my stomach thinks differently as it produces an audible growl.

"Guess not," I give in at last. "And you better get ready for breakfast, flyboy."

"You'll have to let go of me first," he answers but doesn't loose his hold on me either.

Instead of a reply he gets a second growl.

"Alright. I'll hurry." He drops a quick kiss on my lips before he turns back for his own room.

Once his form vanishes into his bathroom I take a step backward and drop down on my bed, an idyllic smile spread on my lips. I pull my knees up on the bed and against my chest hugging my arms around me, imagine it were Harm's. My mind is still not functioning, I'm only sitting there staring at the door waiting for his return.

-T-O-P-

-G-U-N-

The sun is already shining brightly onto the earth, leveling the temperature above the usual 57 degrees. My hands rest atop the steering wheel, my fingers drum the steady rhythm of the music that wavers through the car. Mac must have turned the radio on while I was at the supermarket buying our lunch. Grinning, I remember her disappointed face when I asked her to wait for me in the car. I didn't want to spoil the surprise, but she has always been a little impatient. Her face lit up when I told her that she could request for one item that I would bring back.

'Chocolate cookies' was her answer.

I happily bought two packs of them.

I try to concentrate on the street ahead but my mind always wanders off to the woman next to me. Eyes fixed on the gray of the asphalt I listen to her whistling softly to the song. With the song and her whistling invading my ears and proceeding to my heart, I can say that I truly feel at peace right now. When I can't reframe myself any longer I start watching Mac from the corner of my eye.

She leans back in her seat looking totally relaxed. Her right arm rests at the door pressed against the window. Her fingers are drumming the beat of the music along with mine. Her nails make a soft clicking sound against the glass. Her other hand is tucked under her right thigh. My gaze is drawn to her delicate neckline. I can see the muscles play under her olive skin whenever she moves her head only slightly to let her eyes follow something she saw passing by. Her head is turned towards the window but I can still see the smile that lingers on her lips. My eyes travel over the rest of her body, along her arm that is covered with the light black jacket she choose, over the small spot of red that is revealed of her shirt just above her hip where her arm passes by only to vanish under her thigh. I continue down her legs, clad in light blue jeans. She wears her jogging shoes, the only ones she brought that are proper for where we're headed.

I see all these little things in the few seconds my gaze diverts from the street to her. I wonder how it would feel if I just drop my hand and let it rest on her thigh. I'm now allowed to show these little signs of affection, aren't I? So I do just that and fixing my eyes on the dusty street I lay my hand on her leg – in the middle between her knee and the place where it joins her hip. She doesn't twitch from my touch. From the corner of my eye I see her turn her head slowly towards me, the smile still in place. Diverting my eyes from the currently empty street to her I answer with a smile of my own. Not a word has been spoken. The only sound now is the music and the roaring of the wheels competing with the steady rhythm of my heartbeat.

After a moment I let my glance switch back to the street. That's when her hand comes to rest on mine, still warm from its secured place.

"What did you buy?" It's the first time she asked, obviously trying to be patient but losing the battle with herself.

"You'll see." I try to stay concentrated on the street ahead.

She starts to trace my fingers with her smaller ones, places them atop of mine, then slips them between them and withdraws her hand to start the routine from the beginning. She sends sensations up my arm with each of her touches.

Then she asks another question, "Where are you taking me?"

Still not turning my head I take a hold of her hand and softly squeeze it. "I'm not gonna tell."

"Please."

This time I make the mistake and cast a quick glance at her. And immediately the look on her face draws me in and won't let me loose. Her lower lip is slightly pushed forward. She bats her eyelashes rapidly at me. I can lose myself in this glance, and she knows it. We're together for what – two hours – and she already has me wrapped around her little finger.

"One hour thirty-three minutes." Alright, one hour thirty-three minutes, but that doesn't help me any. I'm only falling deeper for her, and quickly so.

Gently pulling my hand away from her hold to steer us trough the next bend I let her wait for another moment already knowing I would give in.

"Berlin- ESH-thee-oh-soar State Park"

"Where?"

I repeat, again struggling with the damn dinosaur's name. Why do they always have to use Greek or Latin words for them? Can't they come up with something English?

Mac is still lost as to where we're headed. But this very moment we pass a sign indicating our turn and I motion for her to look. 'Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park'. Thank heaven for signs.

"Oh," she tries to stifle the bubble of laughter that's rising in her throat, but it comes out anyway. "You mean Berlin-ICK-thee-oh-soar State Park."

"Hey, not everybody is a pro like you."

Mac now turns in her seat so her shoulder leans against the back and she is facing me. "How much longer?" she asks, while her hand copies my earlier motion and comes to rest on my thigh softly pressing it.

"Uh – some forty minutes," I answer, desperate to not get too lost in her touch.

-J-A-G-

-J-A-G-

"Mac over here. I've found another of the dinosaurs," Harm calls from about 30 feet ahead of me. He must have wandered off while I still examined the last fossil we came across.

This park is paradise for me. The State Park hosts some of the largest specimens anywhere on the world – at least that's what it said on the sign at the entrance. I never even knew this place existed, but trust Harm to know about it.

I hurry to catch up with him and arrive just in time to hear a young boy of about 12 years launch into a lecture on the fossils.

"Actually Sir, the Ichthyosaur wasn't a dinosaur. It was a reptile. It was specialized for the life in the ocean and build for speed. Do you see these paddles…" The boy points them out for Harm and me to see. But right now neither Harm nor me are watching. Harm looks straight at the boy a totally dumbfounded expression on his face. I guess he can't believe that he was just lectured by a little boy. I can't help but snigger on his expression. He just looks too cute.

Hearing me snort, Harm turns to face me. "You knew that, didn't you?" he says and I literally hear his silent addition, 'And you still let me make myself a fool.'

"Yeah, I knew." I'm still giggling over his face, which has taken on the hurt expression of a little boy. "But never mind, for me it's not important if you can tell them apart." What is important to me is that he came here with me because he knows I'd love it. I give him my most thankful smile and am graced with his lips forming into a smile as well.

From a distance the boy's words begin invading my mind.

"Ichthyosaur means fish lizard. Their shape is like those of modern 'high speed' fishes like tunas. They normally ate any fish they found or squid-like creatures."

With my last sniggering only just subsided I burst into another fit of laughter.

"What now?"

I try to calm down for a second to answer him but barely manage. So my words are coming out in short intervals mixed with laughter. "You realize that the boy just said that the Ichthyosaur ate ancestral squids for breakfast, didn't you?" Another series of laughter ripples through me.

"So?" He turns around and stalks away playing the peeved little boy. I have to say that he's pretty good at that. "I'd better go back to the hotel and wait for 1600 to arrive. Guess I'm not needed here."

I sober up immediately and start to dash after him. When I finally pass him and come to stand in front of him, I put my hand on his chest to stop him.

"Please don't go. I'm sorry." I'm totally sincere now.

"I thought it would be fun – for both of us – to come here."

"Harm, I'm really enjoying this, but only as long as I'm with you." I place a sweet kiss on his lips. Oh how I love that we are now able to share these in public; that I no longer need to mask my feelings. Alright, maybe not in the general public, but at least here and when we're out of uniform.

"Okay, then let's continue. There are still numerous fossils and the old ghost town to explore." Harm takes my hand that is still resting against his chest. Breathing a sigh of relief I let him drag me along behind him, leaving the boy alone with the fossil. He doesn't seem to mind.

One and a half hours later we stand at another of the stony remains. I explain bits and pieces of what I know and what we see.

"The ichthyosaur gave birth to live, well-developed young. It is thought they never left the water. Yet still they breathed air and lacked gills, kind of like modern whales and dolphins – to which they are not related."

My hand still rests in Harm's. This way I'm making sure he's not going to leave me. I drag him around the fossil to have a look from another perspective.

"See the paddles with which they swam." I kneel down to place my hand on one of the forefins. I feel him lowering down beside me. "They have the same basic plan as your hand and arm," I spread my fingers, placing them next to the visible bones of an animal died millions of years ago. "But the arm bones are very short while the fingers are much longer because they have developed more bones than the three you and I have in our fingers."

"Mhmm."

"Are you still with me Harm? Or is this boring you to death." I tilt my head to the side to have a better look at him.

For a moment he seems to ponder his answer before he shrugs his shoulders, "I like when you are enjoying yourself and I'm getting into it. But it would help to know where the back and front of these things are." A sheepish grin lingers on his face now.

"Oh."

For the first time I look at the fossil in front of us the way Harm must be seeing it. For someone not accustomed to paleontology it could be a little difficult to tell the tail from the head

"That's the tail." I stand up, forcing him to do the same and walk over to the long tail. "See, the spine runs along it nearly all the way to its end. And over there's the head. The big donut there, that's the eye."

"That's quite a big one."

"They've found Ichthyosaurs with eyes that were between 200 to 250mm in diameter as far as I know."

After taking my time to study the structure of the bones I pull Harm on to the next. Silently he walks beside me.

"Penny for your thoughts." I stop and he nearly bumps into me.

"Ah – I was thinking about Red Rock Mesa and the prints you and your uncle showed me. It was the first time I ever saw something like that."

"Did I ever thank you for helping Uncle Matt?" I inch a little closer remembering our first case like it was yesterday.

"About a hundred times right there and occasionally after the trial," Harm answers smiling.

"So one more time would do no harm."

"Guess not."

And with that I close my lips on his. This time the kiss is much more passionate than our first public one. It's a good thing there aren't that many people around right now.

-T-O-P-

-G-U-N-

"Let me see what you got." Mac settles down on the blanket we spread on the edge of the picnic ground where the clearing meets the trees. Her legs are tucked beneath her, her eyes on the backpack that lies to my right.

Slowly opening the bag and starting to fish through it, I say "Alright," stretching the word as much as possible to prolong the moment.

I pull out a package of bagels first. All of them are already made with diverse spreads and green salad. Next are four small bottles of water, followed by one package of Mac's cookies. My eyes switch to her when I present the sweets and just as I expected, her eyes shine a little brighter. Good to know with what I can please my Marine. Chocolates and dinosaurs.

After a while our buffet is complete with a huge ensemble of fruits. We have almost every fruit I found in the supermarket. With the upcoming barbeque tonight I wanted this lunch to be light and maybe my healthy side took reign a tad too much while shopping. But I don't think Mac does mind.

"This looks absolutely delicious Harm." No she doesn't mind.

"Help yourself," I say indicating that the buffet is now open.

But instead of reaching for any of the things spread out in front of her, Mac wraps her arms around her body and starts rubbing her arms lightly.

"Are you cold?"

"It's a bit chilly."

She is right, while it's warmer than usual in the sun, the shadows still hold on to the last chills of the night. I slip over to lean against the tree whose branches are hollowing over us.

"Come here." I pat the blanket between my legs.

For a moment I see uncertainty in Mac's eyes before she makes up her mind and comes crawling over. Her back fits against my chest as if it's made to always be there. I wrap my arms around her. Mac pulls her arms free from beneath my hold and places them on my knees which I pulled up to shade her from the cold a little more. For a few moments we revel in the situation. I feel absolutely comfy in this place, could sit here for hours to come.

"Better now?"

"A lot. Thanks for bringing me here Harm, I love this." Her head moves slightly on my shoulder. She tries to take in as much of the scenery as she could.

"What?"

"You know, the landscape, the view and…" she hesitates for a second then continues. "And the way your arms feel around me."

"Same here." I place a kiss on her hair that brushes against my cheek. "Now let's eat, before the ants start to dine on our lunch."

Mac slaps my knee for that, "You're such a romantic. But you're right. So what do you want?"

"For a start the water would be fine." Reluctantly I loosen my hold on her so she can lean forward and get the wanted item.

When she does I can't help but run my hand down her back. The moment my hand makes contact she arches her back against my hand and I swear I can hear a soft kitten sound coming from her. I have to remember that. I make my way down so my hand now rests on her hip Mac leans back again; one hand wrapped around my water bottle while the other holds a bagel.

"Thanks."

We continue lunch in an enjoyable silence.

After we're done and only a small amount of fruit is left of our lunch Mac suddenly asks, "Did you start smoking again?"

"No, why?"

"I smell tobacco."

"Must be the new aftershave." Her head moves somewhat as I shrug my shoulders. "Do you like it?"

Her voice sounds as if she's lost deep in her thoughts. "Mhmm."

And then she does something no woman has ever done to me before. She kisses the underside of my chin, right there on the soft flesh where my neck meets the chin. The feeling is so unexpected I gasp for air. Her lips feel warm on my skin. When she withdraws her mouth – much to my dismay – her nose brushes against the same spot her lips were moments before. The breath escaping through her nostrils makes me shiver. It feels cold against the still wet spot of skin.

Mac settles her head back against my shoulder while I wait for the sensational feeling to subside and my senses to concentrate back on the present. Finally I decide to lean down to tease her with a kiss of my own. But midway I realize that while the time passed, Mac closed her eyes and her breaths are now coming slow and even. Fossil hunting must have tired her out. So instead of the passionate kiss I planned, I place a light one on the corner of her mouth before I rest my head back against the tree.

I stare off into the distance not really seeing anything when happy children's laughter captures my attention. I divert my eyes to two blonde kids – a boy and a girl. They are about AJ's age, maybe a little older. I picture myself as the proud father of two of them. I long to have a family and I want it with Mac. I've known it for a while – been sure about it ever since Mattie asked me if I love Mac. But only Mav made me realize that I should take the step or else nothing might change. I'll have to remember to thank him tonight. And it doesn't really matter how we're going to have this family, I'd happily raise any kid with Mac.

My eyes follow the young boy who's on the way to his parents. That's where both kids got their looks from – their father. The woman sitting at the table and now engulfing the boy in her embrace has brown hair, a lighter shade than Mac's. However, the man sports the same light blonde hair his kids have. And this moment I find myself thinking that I would love to have the promised child from five and a half years back. A boy with Mac's looks and my brains or a girl with my looks and her brains. I know that this might never happen but still, a child inheriting Mac's genes – and mine – would be just a tiny bit more special. Instinctively I rub my hand up and down Mac's arm. We're going to try as long as there's still a chance. I've yet to break a promise and this one's far too precious to be the first. The more so as I know that Mac wants this as well.

The kids stared to roam the picnic ground anew. I realize they are coming my way.

"Hi," the girl says when she and her brother come to stand before me.

"Hi," I reply my voice quiet not to wake Mac but holding a smile for the children. "Are you twins?"

"Yeah, we're six," the boy answers proudly.

"Friends of mine are going to have twins soon."

Their mother chooses this moment to join us. "I'm sorry. I wasn't watching for a second and off they were." An apologetic smile forms on her lips.

I return her smile. "I know how these things can happen."

"You've got kids yourself?"

"Not yet." A picture of a brown haired blue eyed baby rises in my mind. "Only two godsons," I say returning to reality.

"We'd better get going." The woman places a hand on each of her children starting to turn them around.

"Ma'am, would you and your family like some of the fruit? We won't eat it anyway and it would be a pity to throw them away."

"That's very kind of you." Then she encourages her kids to take whatever they like before she kneels down to pick some fruit for her husband and herself.

"What do you say?" she asks her children and I'm rewarded by a chorused "Thank you."

This moment Mac stirs and opens her eyes.

"Sorry for waking you. And thanks again." With that she finally turns around and the family heads back to their table.

"Hi sleepyhead."

"I fell asleep on you, didn't I?"

"Yeah," I grin. I loved having her sleep in my arms. I always have.

"How long?"

I check my watch. "Twenty minutes maybe." It didn't feel like twenty minutes to me. Time felt as though it was speeding up and slowing down simultaneously. It felt like hours passed while we sat here and I listened to her steady breathing and the birds chirping above. And in the mean time I always feared everything would be gone all too soon. That short moments like these were all I would get. That Mac and I couldn't last. That I was holding onto a thing that's due to pass any moment now. A thing I can't keep no matter how desperately I wanted to.

"Do we have to go soon?"

"We can stay a little if you like."

"I'd like that."

-J-A-G-

-J-A-G-

"I think I'm going to take a bath, get rid of this dust," I tell Harm once we enter my room. "Just make yourself at home," I add when I watch him settle down on my bed, propping the pillow up to the wall.

"Just going to wait till you return. Can't wait to see you in the little blue towel." A strange grin spreads on his lips. Just what is he talking about?

"Heh?"

"Oh nothing. Just go ahead. I'll still be here when you come back." He waves me off with his hand and leans back against the pillow closing his eyes. That grin still playing around his lips.

So the first thing I do, even before turning the water on, is to check on the towels. They are white and huge. I could wrap them around my body twice if I wanted to. So how the heck did he come up with a little blue one?

Still shaking my head I finally turn the hot water on and settle on the edge of the tube. It has been the most wonderful day in a long while. Thinking back to this morning I pull off my shoes, absentmindedly rubbing my aching feet. This can't be really happening, can it? It still feels like a dream. On impulse I open the bathroom door slightly and call, "You still there?"

"Mhmm," comes the sleepy reply.

Good. I close the door again, for a moment reveling in the light fog that began to build from the hot water. Time to cut back the temperature a little.

At last I slip into the warm water, letting the soft bubbles play around my body. A sigh escapes my lips. Leaning my head back against the tube I close my eyes and start to relax. For about twenty minutes I just lie there, my body soaking in the warm water, my nostrils filled with the light rose scent of the bubble bath and my mind bare from any worrying thoughts. I slip in a tad deeper, the water now playing around my chin and rising up to my ears when I move slightly. I could stay like this for hours.

When I open my eyes I find something I didn't quite expect.

Just above my head, where my eyes meet the ceiling hovers a spider. It just sits there and doesn't move. I try closing my eyes again, to sink back into my own little world where no spiders exist. But it is no good. My eyes snap back open after not even a minute and search out the spider. It still hasn't moved. I don't have a thing against spiders. I'm normally the one who captures them and sets them free somewhere else, or just lets them be. I'm willing to do that now as well. Silently I whisper, "I don't attack if you don't attack first." That settled I sink a little deeper into the water. But suddenly the spider starts moving. It takes one step towards me. I wonder if it is possible for one to think in terms of 'one step' when it uses four legs to take it. Oh perfect, now it's lowering itself from the ceiling. Carefully, I watch its every move. For a moment we both remain dead calm, neither of us moving. Then the spider comes down a little further.

Okay that's it. I'm going to get out. There is just no fun in sharing a bubble bath with a spider.

"You've won," I tell the spider while I wrap myself into the fluffy towel.

I lean down to pull the plug. "But if I can't have it, neither can you."

Head held high I walk out of the bathroom, leaving the spider for the cleaning personnel in the morning. I don't care.

"Hey, that was pretty fast," Harm says, once I stand next to him. He gives me a once over. "Cute."

"Gee, thanks. And it just wasn't as good as at home. Besides, thanks to you it's already late anyway."

"Thanks to me?" He clasps his hand against his chest not believing it is his fault that it's already well past three and we still need to get dressed – and he showered for that matter.

"YES. We already discussed that back at the State Park, it was your fault we lost the track."

"Harm, do you know where we are?" I asked when we stopped in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. We had walked up and down little slopes for nearly forty minutes now.

"Yeah sure. The way's over there." He scanned our surroundings and finally pointed in a direction that was almost the same as the one we came from.

"How can you get lost in a Park where there's a sign on each and every track?"

"I didn't get lost. You get us lost," he said now pointing his finger towards me.

I playfully whipped down his hand. "How has this become my fault?"

"Do you remember telling me that the Navy's only purpose is getting the Marines to wherever they wanna be? I got you to this park. Now it's your turn, you're the landing party." He grinned, confident he made his point and I've had no choice but to admit it.

But damn it, I wasn't the one who wanted to leave the track because he wanted to show me how beautiful the plain looked from a little hill. Though I had to admit it was an awesome sight.

"Alright, but you have to keep up with me first." With that I pulled my hand free from his and started to run off in a randomly chosen direction. I didn't know where we are anymore than he did.

"Mac!"

I speed up and ran through a cluster of young trees, further on towards the bigger ones.

I could feel him come nearer. His hand already touched my back. Then he got me trapped against a tree.

"Gotcha, Marine." Both his hands were firmly placed against the trunk of the tree next to my shoulders. A huge smile lingered on his features. He had as much fun as I had.

"No you don't," I laughed, ducking under his arms. I hurried out of his reach but not without lightly slapping his six. I'd wanted to do that for quite awhile.

Looking back during my run I saw him standing there a little perplex before he composed himself and set after me.

Not long after he had me trapped again. This time he was smarter, he had taken a hold of my shoulders now, softly pressing them against the tree. I could feel the bark through my jacket and shirt.

"This time you can't get away."

"What if I don't want to?" I answered my voice dropped to a whisper.

"You don't want to?" He leaned closer, his mouth now almost touching my ear.

"No."

Harm started nibbling at my ear, while his hands moved down my shoulders and traveled along my arms until they took a hold of my hands. I began kissing his cheek, his jaw line, plainly everything within my reach. My hands reached up to his chest, his still clinging onto them. So when we finally turned our heads and our mouths came to touch, both our hands rested between his chest and mine.

Children's laughter broke our passionate kiss. Shyly I turned my head and one glance told me we've found the way. Feeling the blood rise into my cheek I hurried to burry my face against Harm's chest. A whole group of girl scouts stood watching the two of us, giggling uncontrollably. How much more embarrassing could it get?

"You two should head further into the wood for that," their adult leader finally said before she herded the group further down the track.

When they were gone, vanished around a bend, Harm started to laugh irrepressibly as well. After a second I joined him. You just have to laugh about this.

"At least we found the way," he said after managing to calm down a little.

"I did actually."

"Alright, you did."

"Yeah and you lost the way."

"Whatever you say. Come on lets get going." He placed a quick kiss on my lips before he pulled me back on track.

"So, you agreed that it was your fault."

"I can't be held accountable for that. I couldn't think straight."

"Oh, and why was that?" I ask even though I could have said the same for myself.

"Someone was distracting my mind."

"Never knew you'd be the type to fall for girl scouts."

"I'm full of surprises." His eyes are sparkling full power now.

I take a step closer to the bed and hold my hand out for him. He takes it and lets me pull him from the bed into a standing position in front of me.

"You better get going now, so this girl can get dressed." I softly push him in the direction of the door.

"You gonna wear the girl scout uniform?" he asks like a little boy asking for another ice cream.

"You'll see." With that I shove him through the door and close it behind him. What I wear will be a surprise.

-T-O-P-

-G-U-N-