Okay that scene in the Adversaries where Jordan and Carolyn are basically tryna get out of Mac if she slept with Harm always bothered me. I always found it interesting that Harm stayed away that night too. Over by the bar most of the time while the women gabbed. So we expanded on that piece a bit. Never was a fan of Imes, that character wasn't written well on the show. I loved the interactions with her and Mac from time to time - like checking out Harm's six during Wedding Bell Blues. I think they should have written her as a friend for Mac, someone to confide in.

There is another part to this chapter but trying to keep them shorter than my usual efforts while trying to figure out what episodes I'm gonna to pull from. Between Harm meeting Jordie and his imminent departure there's a lot of ground to cover until dorkus realizes what's been in front of him for the last few years. ;)

Chapter 3 - Gossip

"Bourbon, thank you." Harm stood by the bar, dragging himself away from the woman he came with in effort to put some space between them. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly feeling like he could finally breathe despite the throng of patrons filling the bar. The last few weeks had dissolved from a pleasant give and take that he was enjoying to whatever this was.

Things were just working too damned well. Until he divulged the impending TAD to the desert in efforts to rescue Jack Keeter. Insecure droplets of psychobabble began and he wondered, not for the last time why certain women decided to join the military. Jordan was not cut out to wear the uniform although he applauded the strides she made in helping servicemen and women. Mac was made for that line of work, she excelled at physical combat as well as the verbal kind and would put herself in harm's way just to see things through. She could be emotionally driven but that would require certain components that were often cause for arguments between them - even though, in the end, he usually agreed.

Something did happen in that desert. For the first time he felt a pang of emotion he'd never endured over anyone. The damned black jet needed to be flown out of enemy territory and Keeter was much too injured to fly. A CIA pilot should have been collateral enough for the Bedouins but it wasn't and Mac selflessly remained behind. His heart sank to the pit of his stomach and while his head was solely on that mission, the moment he landed the plane on the carrier, it was ruled by visions of Mac.

What if she never made it back? What if she were captured? Thoughts of what was customarily done to women sickened him and although he knew Keeter would protect her with his life, the man was in no shape to fight. Mac would, he knew - She'd fight until the life was taken from her and it saddened him because he wouldn't be there to protect her. When she held out her arms and he stepped into her embrace, he hadn't wanted to let go. What he wanted to do was kiss her.

And because he'd kissed her once before, Harm knew what her lips felt like, what she tasted like. He also knew that these weren't thoughts he shouldn't entertain especially since he was off the market. He had Jordan and despite some flaws, they were good together - sort of. And it wasn't permanent just something to pass the time until he developed feelings he knew may never be there. "Shit." He sighed and tossed back his drink asking for a refill that he intended to nurse for as long as possible.

Harm tried to ignore the eyes he knew were on him and once he peeked over his shoulder he found Carolyn, Jordan and Mac staring his way. He smirked, waved at the trio and quickly returned to his drink only to hear them fall into a flutter of feminine giggling - at his expense of course. For some reason his mind drifted off to his beautiful partner and just how attractive she looked in civvies. A red blouse that hung off her shoulders and skin tight black jeans that curved over all of the right places. Yes, he was keenly aware how attractive Mac was and how much he needed to bury that attraction. He glanced towards the women again, eyes taking on that bedroom smolder which all of the ladies caught.

Once he turned away again, Carolyn fanned herself. "Wow. Oh God, that smolder is gorgeous, isn't it?" Excitedly she nudged Jordan and motioned towards Harm. "You're a lucky gal."

Jordan blew a kiss in his direction. "Yeah it's been… well, he's incredible."

"Wish I had the chance. So how is he… you know? In bed."

Turning away from Harm, Jordan faced the girls with a sly grin. "Oh I don't know. What do you think, Mac?"

The evening had already failed to go as planned. Mac meant to spend twenty minutes tops at Bud's frocking party. She didn't want to see the other couples enjoying their night. She didn't want to see Harm with Jordan or share her foul mood with anyone else. At least with Carolyn the two could chat about girlie nonsense up until Harm seemed to leave Jordan to them and conversation turned from work to men. Imes was dating an undersecretary of someone or another but clearly her eyes had always been set on Harm.

Mac did her best not to roll her eyes or groan deciding that a relationship between Carolyn and Harm would have been disastrous. The woman was hardly the secretive type and their exploits would likely make morning roll calls. She genuinely liked Carolyn but her flirtatious nature left much to be desired.

"I don't kiss and tell." The words came out of her mouth without much thought of repercussion. They were meant to tease but equally meant to annoy the blonde sitting across from her. Mac saw when Jordan's face fell, that smug grin being replaced by a scowl that she hid behind the glass of wine she drank.

The drink seemed to give the other woman a chance to collect herself and casually she licked her lips and placed the goblet back on the table. Jordan studied Mac for a moment, her head tilting sideways in effort to get a read on the Major's eyes. After her scrutiny, she smiled and leaned in conspiringly. "So you and Harm, huh? How many times and don't leave out any of the kinky little details."

"I knew it! I knew it!" Carolyn stated, throwing her arms around Mac and hugging her tightly. "So how is he, really? Give up the goods!"

Mac sighed. As much as she wanted to rile up the other woman this would backfire and the last thing she wanted was to hurt Harm. "Look, I was kidding. We've never…"

"Never?" Jordan smirked and those cool blue eyes locked onto Mac's searching for any validity to her query. "Never ever? Because it's natural to let out a little stress. Sex is a good way to do that. Harm is easy on the eyes." She glanced his way and waggled her fingers at him.

"We haven't. We won't. Some boundaries aren't meant to be crossed."

"Oh, c'mon, Mac! All of those assignments alone with him? Ireland, Russia, the desert? Nothing? Not even a kiss?" Carolyn insisted and seemed utterly disappointed when Mac shook her head in the negative. "Wow."

Mac shrugged. "He isn't my type. That whole dress whites and gold wing deal is terribly overrated."

"You don't find him even slightly sexy?" Jordan probed and that ire seemed to settle when Mac shook her head again.

"Marines and Sailors don't play well together, it's like an unwritten rule that we need to loathe each other." She glanced towards Harm and the bastard had the decency to turn her way as if he knew she'd been watching him. He smiled a little and that spark in his eyes went up in wattage when she returned the smile. "He's a good guy but, we're partners, friends and nothing more….You believe me don't you Jordan?"

"Oh yes, Dear." She laughed and placed a hand over Mac's forearm meant to be reassuring but squeezing a little too hard to be so. "I'll have you know he's great and you know what they say about men with big shoes…" The women erupted in a fit of laughter and Mac joined along all the while wishing an asteroid would slam into the bar and end this conversation.

"Commander, sir. You look sorta lonely over here." Bud hopped onto a stool next to Harm, nearly falling off so that his mentor had to grab his arm and keep him steady. "Thank you, sir. I normally don't drink this much but…" He downed what was left of his beer and raised a finger to order another. "I have a sneaking suspicion the ladies are talking about you." He stated the obvious to find Harriet was also canoodling with the women and also engaged in some flirtatious female laughter.

"I think so too, Bud. Hey, have you uh… talked to Mac lately?"

"About what, sir?"

"Anything… I feel like she's been avoiding me." Ever since he began dating Jordan that divide started to grow more and more. It was already there from the moment of her trial but, after the holidays it only grew and he couldn't figure out how to stop the shift.

"Maybe it's just me...gonna do something about it." He tossed back the rest of his drink and weaved through the crowd not stopping until he reached their table. Harm's hands came to Jordan's shoulders massaging them gingerly while he bent down to whisper in her ear.

She laughed at whatever he said and then pulled him down to kiss slow and deep. Mac expected they would rush off at any moment to either one of their apartments and spend the night in coital bliss. She welcomed it because being grilled by his girlfriend was the last thing she needed. Instead Harm extended a hand to her and, surprisingly, asked her to dance. "Major, it's been a while since we last danced, hasn't it?"

It had and mentally Mac counted down the months, days, minutes, seconds. The Embassy. And they danced for all of four minutes before Webb's wacky plan went into play and all hell broke loose. "It has Commander but I'm not in the mood. Besides I'm heading home soon."

Jordan was eyeing the pair suspiciously, her attention kept mostly on Harm whose flyboy grin turned into a frown. "C'mon Mac, I have to bend your ear about the case."

"Yes, Mac. Dance with the man, warm him up for me." Jordan pulled him down for another kiss that lingered too long, was a little too passionate and left him dazed. "We can dance privately after this is all over."

Harm cleared his throat, it took him a second or two before he shaked himself from that trance and then settled his sights on Mac again. "Um, Major?"

Tentatively she slipped her hand into his ignoring the electricity that crackled like a live wire. She hid the way her breath caught. Pretended that his hand on the small of her back didn't make her shiver as he led her to the cramped dancefloor. Behind them a fit of boisterous conversation erupted and Carolyn leaned to Jordan. "You are a brave woman. If I had a boyfriend that looks like him, I wouldn't let a woman who looks like that anywhere near him."

"They're just friends. Harm swears they've never been together and he doesn't have a reason to lie to me."

"I don't know. If I were to put my money on it, Sarah MacKenzie and Harmon Rabb have done the horizontal mambo more than once." Carolyn turned to Harriet, a sly grin spreading on her face as she regarded the junior officer. "You know them better than I do, Harriet. What do you think? Have they had sex?"

Harriet nearly choked on the soda she drank and needed to grab a napkin to dab at the bit she'd spit out. "What? Harm and Mac? No. Never." She blushed anyway because part of her wondered the same and the other part wished it were so. When they danced together as maid of honor and best man at her wedding, she couldn't help but pray that fates would align for them.

"Never?" Carolyn still prodded rather enjoying the sudden pink tint to Harriet's cheeks. "I defended him last year… or tried to. Mac actually came back from some swanky private law firm to defend him… A few months later they dissapear to Russia, causing quite a stir. I think they were together and something went wrong. More than likely that adultry thing with her."

"Commander! You're gossiping about our friends. Besides They're more like brother and sister." She defended with a chuckle. "Fight like it too. The Major and the COmmander's arguments are legendary at ops...They'd be good together though." At Jordan's shocked expression, Harriet backpedaled her blue eyes widening at her faux pas. "If you weren't with Harm that is. He's completely enamored with you ma'am even has your picture on his desk."

Adultery. The term forced Jordan's eyes off of Harm and back to the two women at her table. "What adultery charge? I can't imagine Mac being involved in something so tawdry." She was entirely too well put together, too perfect, too stoic and, in her opinion, too uptight.

Carolyn pressed a hand to Jordan's forearm. "Let's just say you came on the scene at the perfect time."