Title : Where Do We Go From Here… (at last, Part III of the Trilogy!)
Author : Jaggie 107
Disclaimer : JAG characters belong to DPB, CBS and Paramount. 'Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye' belongs to PAX TV – and 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 : T (I think!)
Thanks for the reviews to : jtbwriter; Radiorox; DD2; Nikki; froggy0319; anna7; Jbird7986; beegirl; JAGFANWI; Abigaile; Judy; roxy; KJFlygirl87; mayaresi; alicia; starryeyes10; skyefire; jnp; JAGJenni; laura carr; AnniGH4ever; Arian04; aserene; rosan; achaon; martini1988; Brittany; Sarah; wheels04; BlueJay; chawkchic; Manda; BrittanyLS
BlueJay – Thanks for your review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Delay this time due to illness (me) and change of venue (computer) but next chapter here now. Hope you enjoy it, and please keep reading!
chawkchic – Thanks for your review. I have so much fun writing Harm and Mac; I can't help it, the touchy/feely stuff comes so easily! ;o) Jen and Bobby have problems soon, and the build up to catching the killer is even making me sit on the edge of my seat! I hope I can convince you of the fear too! Please keep reading!
jtbwriter – Hiya! Thanks for your review as always! Sorry about the delay, as mentioned earlier – ill (me) offline (computer) – but better now. The story is still going strong – I've rewritten lost stuff and tweaked the rest here and there! Hope that something productive came of the 4 job applications. Hope you like this chapter, and please keep reading!
froggy0319 – Thanks for your review. I hope you get the idea of how good the design of the dress is in this chapter – I'm just trying to get across that it feels nice to be dressed up, even when you look like you've swallowed a balloon! I think I've got Harm's reaction okay too. Hope so, and hope you like the chapter. Please keep reading!
Manda – Thanks for your review. I hope you like this chapter, and please keep reading!
BrittanyLS – Hello and welcome to the story! Thank you for your review, and I hope you like the 'dress' when you read about it! Enjoy the chapter, and please keep reading! (PS – If you're the same Brittany as already listed, my apologies.)
starryeyes10 - Thanks for your review. I hope you like this chapter, and please keep reading!
Harm's Apartment – Thursday Evening
"Wow," murmured Harm as Mac came down the steps toward him.
"Cat got your tongue, flyboy?" she asked, smiling, but there was a hint of vulnerability in her voice that Harm picked up on immediately. Stepping forward to take her hands in his, he took in the dark red color and the contours of the off-the-shoulder dress as it clung to Mac's curves, the cut of the gown designed to minimize the growth of her stomach. While Mac was extremely proud of her 'bump', she was secretly pleased that the dress gave her the illusion of slenderness, at least for this night.
"You look stunning," Harm eventually spoke, his voice lowered, and Mac watched his eyes saying so much more before her own eyes closed as he leaned in to kiss her. It was a few dazed moments before Mac realized Harm was speaking again. "Just in case I haven't told you lately, I love you, Sarah."
"I love you too, and you're right; it's been at least…ooh…a half hour since you last told me," Mac returned, and ran her fingers across Harm's cheek. "You look very handsome, too, flyboy. Pity it's not dress whites, but I don't think I'd want all the women swooning over my own personal Top Gun anyway!" Mac ran the same hand down the front of Harm's tux and then paused, giving a big sigh. Harm gave her a puzzled look.
"Problem?" he asked, but Mac shook her head.
"Only if you don't get me out of here, otherwise I might just have to undress you on the spot! Damn these hormones!" Mac moaned, but rather than it be through annoyance it had more to do with the fact that Harm had leaned in to murmur in her ear again.
"Remember, later," he said, and then tucked her hand in the crook of his arm, and walked them out of the apartment.
Jack's Apartment – Same Time"I'm glad we invited Sarah and Harm," murmured Sue, as she watched Jack pull on his tux jacket. Giving her a smile he nodded his head.
"So am I," he agreed, and Sue smiled, before pointing a finger at him. "What?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders as he moved to stand in front of her.
"No talking business tonight, either…" she warned, and Jack took her right hand in his and brought it up to kiss the back of her fingers.
"I promise," he said, and then stepped back to take in the dress she was wearing. A black, floor length halterneck, it was littered with black sequins that picked up the lights in the apartment and glittered as Sue moved. The cut of the garment showed off Sue's slim figure, and to her amusement it also appeared to take Jack's power of speech.
"Jack? Is something wrong?"
"Oh, no…" Jack murmured, and then gave Sue a soft smile. "Everything is perfect. Just perfect."
"We should get moving then," Sue prompted, and Jack nodded, following Sue to the door of his apartment.
Later in the evening – Renaissance (Hotel), Washington DC
"She's amazing, isn't she?" Mac asked the man seated beside her, as she watched her husband move around the dance floor with Sue in his arms. Since the first time Harm had asked how Sue could dance without hearing the music, they had partnered a number of times, and their movements were fluid and graceful, as they had been from that first dance. Mac grinned with amusement as she watched Jack nod his head. There was a slight pause before he turned to smile at Mac.
"We're both very glad you could be here with us tonight, Mac. It means a lot to Sue."
"It means a lot to us, too," Mac responded, putting a hand on Jack's sleeve. "We've come a long way as friends since Sue and I first met in the park, haven't we?"
Jack nodded, smiling a little wider, turning his attention fully on the woman beside him, and noting with a mixture of awe and admiration the picture that she presented.
"You look amazing, Mac. Harm's a very lucky man."
"Thank you, Jack. That's a lovely compliment, and I'm a very lucky woman, too."
Jack leaned in a kissed Mac's cheek. From across the room Sue saw her fiancé kiss Mac, and she smiled up at Harm.
"Do you think we've been hogging the floor too long, Harm? It looks like my fiancé and your wife are getting very cosy." Harm looked across the room at Sue's words, and then grinned down at her.
"I did promise Mac a slow dance – that's more her pace at the moment, so perhaps I could return you to your fiancé after this dance?" Sue nodded her head in agreement.
"I have had a lovely few dances with you, Harm. Thank you for accepting our invitation. I know it's a 'business' party, but we both really wanted you here. Besides, your wife looks gorgeous, and I'm sure you don't like leaving her on her own for too long. Moreso now…" Sue tailed off, but Harm knew she was referring to Mac's advancing pregnancy.
"It's always a pleasure to dance with you, Sue, but you're right…" Harm began, just as the next song opened, and Harm recognised the beginning of a much slower dance beat. "I think that's my cue…" he murmured and Sue nodded without speaking, stepped up to kiss his cheek, and smiled at him before leading the way back to Jack and Mac.
"Not too many toes bruised this time," Sue said, and Harm smiled behind her as he heard her words.
"On the contrary, Miss Thomas, you are an excellent dancer. You'll have to be careful, Jack, or your fiancée is going to be taking to the floor with everyone but you!"
"Then it's time I whisk you away for myself," Jack said directly to Sue, who nodded and smiled as Jack took her hand in his. Turning back briefly to speak to Mac her words were overridden by the raised voices from the table next to theirs. While Sue was unaware of the volume of the voices, she did catch the fact that the attention of the others was diverted away from her.
"Jack?" Sue asked, and he turned to face her. Jack nodded silently at the couple arguing at the next table, and Sue was dismayed to see that the pair were Jennifer and Bobby. There was no need to repeat their words – almost everyone in the room could hear for themselves, and those that couldn't were at least aware of the tone of the conversation. Harm glanced down at Mac, who got to her feet slowly.
"Perhaps we should…" Mac began, intending to try to divert attention from the younger couple, but Jennifer was already moving away from the table, leaving Bobby standing alone, glaring after her. Jack gave a brief nod to Harm and went to draw Bobby away as Sue followed Mac out of the ballroom, heading in the direction they had seen Jennifer take.
When Mac and Sue found Jennifer she was seated in the lobby of the hotel. As she saw the two other women approach she got to her feet.
"Mac…I…Sue, I'm so sorry…"
"Are you okay?" Sue asked, putting her hand out to hold Jennifer's, and the younger woman nodded tearfully.
"I'll be fine. I just…I can't go with Bobby…I'll take a cab…" Jennifer murmured haphazardly, but Mac shook her head.
"You'll do no such thing. The evening is almost over anyway. Harm and I will give you a ride back to the apartment. You don't have to do anything, Jen. I'd say the next move is Mr Manning's, isn't it?"
Jennifer nodded at Mac's words. If there had been any doubt whether other people had heard the content of their argument, Mac's words convinced Jennifer of the obvious. As she pulled her wrap around her, Jennifer saw Harm and Jack walking out of the ballroom, locating the three women in the lobby. Without saying a word, Harm came over to where Mac and Jennifer stood as Jack moved to stand beside Sue and take her hand.
"Jen?" Harm's question was not in the word but in the expression in his eyes. Mac watched Jennifer give him a wobbly smile in response.
"I'm fine. At least I will be…when I get home. Mac said…offered…"
"Of course," Harm acknowledged, turning to give his wife a single, encompassing look which she answered with a smile.
"Let's go home. Jack, Sue, thank you for the evening. We'll talk tomorrow…" Harm spoke briefly, and waited while Mac hugged both Sue and Jack warmly. Sue turned to give Jennifer a hug too, and Jack smiled at her, but didn't say anything about what had occurred in the ballroom. Apart from having seen the look on Bobby Manning's face when he had tried to move him away, Jack hadn't said a word, following Harm out of the ballroom instead. Inside, Bobby had swept a look around the room and then walked out onto the terrace of the hotel and away from the evening that had begun so well, and ended so badly.
Harm's Apartment – Early Morning, Friday
"Harm…what are you doing?" Mac turned as Harm closed the door behind them and put a hand on her arm.
"One thing before we go to bed, sweetheart," he murmured, pulling Mac up against him as he put his arms around her. Mesmerized, Mac realized they were dancing – slowly.
"Harm?" she queried again, and he lifted his head to look at her.
"With all the excitement at the end of this lovely evening I realized that I didn't get a chance to dance with the most beautiful woman there…my wife. I did promise you a slow dance, Mrs Rabb, and so here we are."
Mac giggled. "Harm. There's no music…" she began, but her words were silenced as Harm lowered his head, murmuring to her before he kissed her.
"…make our own music…" came to Mac's ears before she felt the effects of the devastating kiss from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.
To be continued