Told ya, these I post when I have something to write, this was just... Ugh, I had to. ;)

Hope you like it!
J.

Thanks to: e-dog, Macaroon, BeachChick, Dessler, dansingwolf, Maria, blueangel, Vrbinka, BiteBeccy, SarahRabb, my.evian, anna, Jaggie107, snugglebug, Manda, Lisa, cbw, Xblue, froggy, aserene, crazybum, VrbinkaCZE, sally, trooper, starryeyes, Martini, NavyBabe, jaggurl, Nix, joanoa, jagdreamer, Kinga, JAGChic, Jagfan 724, littlemaccyd, ninjaturtle, blueangel, Kinga, JK, zoomie, myevian, CathyF, CBW, jagdreamer, joanoa, alix33, arian, and mizukimar for the feedback:)

Part7 – Quashing The Scuttlebutt

St. John's Tavern is bustling, as it usually is on Friday nights, and I walk in at a quarter to ten. It being farther away from the office was a good place to meet and not be seen. Mac and I hadn't really discussed us coming out into the open and it was better not to chance things so early in the relationship. There is the usual gang shooting darts and playing pool. A small group of couples are dancing to some whinny, annoying country song about love. Something about a man and a cow or something stupid like that. I am tempted to head over to the jukebox and put something better, but I hesitate and opt to wait for Mac to join me. For the last week I've been aboard a carrier, going over some of the dumbest cases of my JAG career, but, they needed me as their JAG requested leave so he could be home for some family something or other. Through e-mails Mac and I stayed in contact, and apparently, we have a new guy aboard, a Lieutenant. I told her that it's nice to have new blood onboard, but Mac believed otherwise. Makes me wander if he did anything to piss of my Marine.

I hop up onto a barstool and work on lighting my cigar. Yep, I've taken to smoking again and all over the span of one week. Keeter and I managed to meet up on the carrier and as a gift he handed over a box of Monte Cristos. I was tempted to toss them out, but when the sweet aroma filled my nostrils, I was hooked again. Luckily for me, I never tossed out the humidifier nor any of my cigar smoking accoutrements. All along, I think I knew I'd eventually fall back into my little addiction, but, I am sure that when Mac sees me smoking, the only addiction I'll have is her. I am not sure what bothered her more – the fact that I was addicted or the smell.

With a stupid grin, I think back to the conversation we had over IN. IM? IS? ABC, 123? What is that thing called? Where you type and talk. . . Oh, yea! IM – Instant Messager. Whatever, but Bud set it up on my laptop and it's been a godsend. That was until Mac decided to uh get a bit uh. . .uh, provocative over chat. I mean, we were in different time zones, it was night time at her place and. . okay, it was MY idea to have a little. . .fun. We were adults, consenting adults, right? It's perfectly normal for a sailor to want to chat about. ..fun things to his totally hot girlfriend, right? Well, so we started and Mac was EXTREMELY willing to go along. It felt stupid at first, I mean typing the whole 'What are you wearing?' thing. Somehow I felt like an Internet pervert. Which would be why the first ten minutes was nothing but me chuckling at the screen. For God sakes, Mac was probably wearing those cowboy pajamas and I am here trying to envision her in something lacy and racy. – Her words not mine! Boy did I blush. . I felt like a teenager on his first time with a girl.

So, yea we managed to get through the whole. . ugh, thing and towards the end someone's banging on my door. It was the Skipper with some pertinent information for my case and I was left, sitting in my chair in nothing but boxers and with obvious evidence that I wasn't doing anything that officerly or gentlemanly. Snapping the laptop shut, I hop into my cot and call him in, pretending to have a touch of the stomach bug. And it worked! Well, it worked until my laptop decided to chime. See, I have a moody laptop and since the time I closed it and it decided never to come out of hibernation, I decided to change the settings so that it would remain on, even if I closed it. Bad idea.

The skipper saunters over to it, flips it open and turns bright red. "Uh, carry on, Commander. . . Meet with me in five. . ." He says, then scans the laptop once more. "Uh, make that twenty." Thankfully, he didn't really touch upon that subject again until my departure where he simply said, with a grin. "I bet you have someone happily waiting for you at home." Then he smacked me on the shoulder and ushered me off in a 'Way to go, Harm!' sorta way.

Chuckling to myself, I look around the bar wondering if the object of my affections has arrived. Nope, not at all. Besides, I would know if she were there, Mac and I have always had this cosmic charge, an electric pull. I sigh sappily again – pathetic and in love – and wonderfully happy about it. I've been smiling so much it hurts. As I turn to look up at the screens, there is some TV show on about military lawyers and such called JAG. Wow, someone actually cares about what we do? I read the close captioning deducing that the male and female protagonists must be in love with each other, but dancing around their relationship. I snort at the thought. "Good luck, buddy." If the woman the male lead was perusing is anything like Mac, he's going to have to be a little more willing to fight fire with fire.

Turning to the side, I find a man, probably in his early thirties of dark hair and light eyes, grinning at me. He eyes me with this look that, I guess can be considered. .. uh, lust? I cringe inwardly, tempted to tell him that I am not interested and am certainly not his type, when he points at the cigar. "Monte Cristo's, huh? Not a bad choice."

Okay, so is he flirting with me or not? Please, let it be a not. "Yea, a friend sent a box over for Christmas." I lied, not eager to start a conversation about me being on a carrier. Most people want to know about the life and if you don't end the conversation quickly, you'll spend the whole night on your life's story followed by trying to evade the answer to the million dollar question – Have you killed anyone? - So, instead I charter out of those waters, besides it's not only military folk that head into St. John's Tavern. "I quit a while back, but, they are difficult to give up."

"I quit about six months ago, myself. . .but still, I miss it." Waving the bartender over, the guy orders a shot of tequila and a pint of stout.

The bartender, a cute, blond girl looks me up and down and leans indecently over the bar. "Hi there, handsome. . .Wanna wet your whistle?"

I smile at her and order a "Bourbon, thanks."

She glances at me and then to the guy next to me and then glances back at me and winks. "Right away, sugar." Ah, nothing like good service.

The guy next to me watches her walk away, practically drooling at the blonde's six. "You're a lucky guy, she didn't even notice me." I want to laugh out loud, but bite my inner cheek instead. Behave, Hammer, behave! He glances up at the TV show, which has just come back from commercial and whistles when the female lead shows up in nothing but a fuzzy pink towel. "Damn, she's fine." He states with interest and I wonder if his eyes are about to fall out of his head yet. Okay, so he was definitely not hitting on me, thank God!

I raise my eyebrow with interest. "Yep, she is." Though, my brain immediately conjures up the recurring dream I have of Mac stepping out of my shower in nothing but a very small blue towel. That fantasy hasn't been explored yet. Hmmm… I believe I am going to have to ask her to stay over at my place more often and make sure I have plenty of small blue towels. I grin evilly to myself. Then again, maybe I could just ask Mac if she wanted to live out a fantasy. I am sure she wouldn't say no, especially after letting me know that Cybersex had been one of her fantasies. I chuckle openly, and my drinking buddy just eyes me like I've lost my mind. "Sorry, just have a lot on my mind." Well more like a certain person on my mind. The barkeep comes back with a sexy smile as she places the drinks on the bar and gazes lovingly at me. I smile back politely and have this morbid curiosity to what Mac would think of this.

The guy nods, downs his tequila before starting to nurse his beer. "Yea, I know what that's like. . .This week I find out that I have to work under a woman. . .A woman, can you believe that?"

I shrug. "That's not so bad." I am about to go off in a tangent about how working with women can be fun and stimulating (not that way!). How some are even better than the men, when visions of Alison Krennick pass fleetingly through my mind. "Well, okay, it can sometimes suck, but for the most part, working with women has been a pleasure."

My new buddy nudges me in one of those 'way to go!' type of gestures. "I've had those types of pleasure myself. . .Never works out in the end though."

I groan audibly. "I didn't mean it that way. . .For instance, my partner is a woman and she does her job better than any man can." And since we've been together romantically, it hasn't upset the balance of work. Miraculously, we managed to put work and our private life aside. Hell, if Bud and Harriet can do it, so could we!

The guy scoffs at my comment and his eyes travel back to the TV and the now, fully clothed actress. "Well, I just started being trained by a woman who has got to be the biggest ball buster on this planet. . .I do one little thing against her wishes and she's suddenly threatening to tell the higher ups."

I chuckle slightly. "Some advice, don't do anything behind her back. Be upfront, it usually works better." When he goes back to staring at my cigar, I roll my eyes and reach in to grab another. "Here, consider it a consolation gift." The guy eagerly takes it and a few seconds later he's puffing away. "My name's Harm, by the way." I reach out and take his hand which he shakes.

"Gregory Vukovic, you can call me Vic." Happily, Vic took a swig of his beer then nodded towards the TV. "Military shows are so full of crap, that whole dating thing never works."

Months earlier I would have conceded to that, but things changed. Also, I honestly believe that if Mac and I worked at the post office we'd still have gone through years of status quo. I think it's our personalities, the fact that we tend to argue so much over things instead of giving in. At least, we're trying to work on that. "Sometimes it's like the fates are intent in screwing the relationship up."

Vic nods. "Yep, then you got all of those regs to worry about. . . You piss off the wrong CO and next thing you know, you're on a ship to the Aleutians."

We both chuckle at that, and I am reminded of Mac and how apprehensive she was at having Creswell around, how she was worried he'd separate us. Though, looking at our new JAG, I wouldn't be too sure about him separating us. I think, if we kept our noses clean, he really wouldn't mind. Well, I hope. He didn't really say anything about us being stuck in the closet. Maybe he is waiting for us to attack each other in the office before calling us to his realm. "Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!" I curse, then smack my forehead against the bar. I was supposed to call her tonight when I got home. I mean we made it a date to meet at St. John's Tavern but that was over two days ago. Did she forget? Maybe, which would by why she left me a message on my e-mail: 'Flyboy, just want to know if you are okay. Call me when you get in tomorrow. – Love, Mac.'

Turning to look at Vic he has this look like I've completely lost it. Well, I have. "You alright there, Harm?"

"Thinking about a girl." I confess without preamble. Not like it matters, I doubt I'll see Vic around much after tonight. Besides, sometimes it's good to let things out. "There's a girl. . .well, a woman I've had feelings for. . .it's been. . .Jesus, nine years and we finally just connected."

His eyes widen, I am sure it's the fact that a man can last nine years with a woman that has him shocked. "You waited that long for a girl? What are you? A priest?"

I chuckle slightly "Nope. . .we've always been close, best friends. . .but it just wasn't the right time, I guess. . .And it's not for lack of trying. ..when she was ready, I wasn't. When I was ready, she wasn't . . but now it's working out nicely."

"So what is it about this woman that has you so into her?" He yells over the now, pop-rock music blaring over the damned speakers. "You can't be hung up over just some girl."

I strain to hear, but pick up on what he is saying. "Well, she's isn't just some girl. She's a Marine."

He moves back a bit, looking shocked. "A Marine? As in US Marine Corps?"

"Know any other type of Marine?" I grin, thinking of Mac in her Marine Greens. I swear those uniforms were designed with her in mind. I've never seen a woman in uniform look so good. All I can say is 'semper fi!'

"Okay so tell me more." He urges, taking a long pull from his beer, then ordering another shot of tequila.

"Well," I begin, pausing slightly to gather in thoughts of Sarah MacKenzie. "She's tough, sexy, sweet, makes me think, keeps me on my toes. . .Her laughter is like music, her smile breaks down all of those walls you try to bring around you. . .and her eyes. . .Jesus, her eyes are like. . .chocolate. Molten chocolate and when she looks at you the way she does me. ..you feel invincible." And in that moment, after all of the adjectives and phrases I used to describe Mac, I remember just what it is that I feel for her. "I love her. . .I'm in love with her."

Vic nods ruefully. "I felt something like that for a girl once, but we split up . . big difference of opinion. . .and now, I'm stuck working with her. . .She thinks I am slime though."

I'm about to interject something when I see her walk in through the door. My smile immediately goes up in wattage. "Mac!" I yell, then stand to make my way over to her. Once we meet, my lips immediately fuse onto hers. She kisses me as if it had been years, not days, since we last saw each other. Then, for good measure, she kisses me again, deeply. Somewhere around that time I realize we are making a spectacle when a group of twentysomethings start 'ooohing and ahhing.'

Grinning, I take Mac by the hand and lead her to where my stool is. She glances down at the cigar and frowns. "I knew you and Keeter shouldn't hang out together anymore."

"It's just one, I promise I won't smoke them all the time."

She grins slightly. "I'm holding you to that."

Behind her I notice Vic looking at her up and down, doing what I call 'the elevator.' Now, I know you are wondering: what is the 'the elevator?' Simple, really. It's when a guy checks a woman out, ogling her up and down. Well, it's just not a guy checking a woman out, it can work for any coupling. But you get the idea, the up and down ogling is the elevator effect. Hence, 'the elevator.' I got the whole term from Mattie who told me once that a guy had 'elervated' her. I wasn't sure what she meant and was tempted to kill the kid until she explained. After that, I just wanted to maim the kid. Well, sue me, I was, technically, like her father. I have a right to worry!

So, back to Vic, he's sitting behind Mac, elervating her and suddenly this primal, barbaric thing courses through me. I want to throttle him, but before I get a chance to say much, the slimeball decides to speak up. "Colonel, surprised to see you here." Oh, so this jerk knows her? Greaaat!

Mac's jaw tightens as she turns around to glance at Vic. "Lieutenant, fancy meeting you here."

"Pleasure's all mine, Ma'am and I didn't know you were with someone." He says and I suddenly get it. Vic's the guy Mac's been training and by the way he was ogling her, I understand her. . .hesitation to enjoy his company. He's not a bad looking kid, I notice, but, apparently, he missed the OCS memo on how to behave in front of a senior officer. "Harm and I were chatting it up."

Mac turns to me and glares which makes me believe I am in trouble. I'm tempted to ask 'what did I do?' When she turns fully to Vic. "Commander Harmon Rabb Junior, this is Lt. Vukovic, the new guy."

Vic's face is suddenly pale white. "Oh. . Uh, s-sir. . ." I bet he's re-thinking all of the little comments he made about his female trainer. God, this is suddenly amusing, even the bartender girl is laughing at him. "Nice to meet you."

"So, we going to dance, flyboy?" Mac says, turning back to me. She puts her hands in my pockets, searching around for some change then pulls out a few quarters. "Ah, cool! I'll go put something good on." Leaning in, she kisses me on the lips, winks and then heads off to the general vicinity of the jukebox. God, I love that woman.

I smile at Vic who can't seem to sit still anymore. Hmmm… fun, he's perturbed. I like this. "Some kinda ball buster, isn't she?" I say, not even able to conceal my smirk.

"Sir, I apologize about what I said. . ."

I wave off any attempts of his and remind myself to keep an eye on Lieutenant Sleaze. "Don't worry about it, Lieutenant." I hear this slow, sultry, instrumental number over the speakers, followed by Mac's voice beckoning me to join her. I put a ten on the bar for my drink, leave whatever is left of the cigar and make to head her way. Hmm. . .but that's a little too easy and this is my girl we're talking about, the one that took me so long to get to. Stopping abruptly, I turn back to Vic and move in close enough. "Incidentally, if I ever so much as hear about you disrespecting the Colonel again, you'll be facing charges, Lieutenant." I pat him on the shoulder and grin. "By the way, keep all scuttlebutt about the Colonel and I to yourself." Patting him again, I noticed I used a bit too much force, well at least that is what his groan tells me. "Have a good one."

I head across the tavern and slip into Mac's waiting arms. "So, what were you talking about?"

I glance over at Vic, noting that he's way too enthused with the commercials on TV. I bet he's thinking a few things over, like what I'd do to him if he disrespects Mac again. "Oh, nothing much really. . .But I believe the Lieutenant has a new respect for senior officers."

...To Be Continued…

NK – Anything is better than their status quo LOL!

Arian – Thak you for the three in a row. :) E-mail me about the jagnick board, I usually post only in three places for my sanity but I can post over there – radiorox(at)bellsouth(dot)net

Xblue – Did Calix let you out yet? BTW – Love ya, too!

BeachChick – It's fun to dance, sexy as hell and occasionally depressing – Which cracks me up – You'll see people smiling away and dancing and the lyrics are like the 'get the razor blade and kill yerself' type. Hehehe.

Alix – No, what I meant to say that he looks like someone stuck a frog down his pants when he dances to 'American' music, like techno and stuff. Trust me, it is possible! Painfully possible. :grumbles something about a certain male in Miami: - But no, the Salsa dancing:thud: Harm would be very good at. ;)