This part amused the hell out of me, but, then again, I am easily amused. ;)

Hope you guys dig it. :)

Jackie

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, Lurkz, LiseGirardi, Beach chickJASSNL, Tracy, Lisa, roz, Peggy, Elizabeth Ayers, Disaster Child, trooper, LtCmdrFlygirl, Roz, Peggy, and mizukimar for the feedback:)

Part 14 – Roses and Spectacles

This morning, before we headed on over, I walk into my office to find, literally a jungle of roses. Red roses, yellow roses, pink roses, white roses, and even some rather odd mixture of roses adorned every inch of my office. I walked in timidly, expecting my handsome flyboy to jump out from behind the baby's-breath, but, instead, he stumbled in behind me with a look on his face that could kill. "I hope you like the flowers Miss MacKenzie." He said, his voice clearly sounded like he was seething and I couldn't gauge why. I mean, if he was pissed about spending money on the roses, he knew he didn't have to do that. One bouquet would have been just fine.

"They are beautiful, I wonder who sent them." I said, loud enough for anyone to hear, since no one knows about us and, apparently, we both want to keep it that way.

But, Harm wasn't playing, he literally was seething. Shutting the door behind us, he stands directly in front of me, as if he were about to give me an order. I raise my eyebrow in confusion. "This got me in some huge trouble."

"This?" Okay, how the hell would this get him in trouble? I am assuming, of course, since I have a wonderfully smart and talented boyfriend that he took the liberty of making sure no one knew where they came from. "Whyyy?"

Harm crosses his arms in front of him and glares me down. "The General was here earlier than usual and questioning the guys who I bought the roses from. They told him that it was paid for by me."

"Oh shit." What the hell is going wrong with this country! Don't people know about client privacy!

Nodding, he agrees with me. "Oh shit is right, Mac." But, he's still glaring at me as if this is, somehow, my fault.

"Why are you looking at me that way?" Asking, but not too sure I want to know, I mean, he does look rather pissed off.

Harm shakes his head and sighs. "This is your fault, you know? If you never would have gotten pissed off with me over some stupid mistake, I wouldn't have had to send the flowers, the General wouldn't have found out and chewed my six out for not letting him know."

"Not letting him know?" Like it matters if he knows or not? As long as we are the same rank and not married, there really isn't a problem with us two dating. Not to mention, we've kept it, all of it, out of the office thus far. "What does he want? A detailed timeline as to how it happened?"

"This isn't funny! For one reason or another, he is pissed off, Mac." He crosses his arms across his chest and leans up against my desk. "Talk to him, he likes you. You're like his. . .his. . .sidekick!"

I stand there with my mouth wide open. "Sidekick?" He thinks I'm the General's sidekick? "Harm, if it wasn't because of my upbringing and how much I don't want to be like my father, I would smack you right now." If he thinks I was pissed last night, well, this just elevated the whole thing up several notches. I open the door angrily, causing the blinds to slam against the window. It's a miracle the damned things haven't broken off yet with the tantrums I've thrown throughout the years. "I'll go to the General, Harmon and let him know what is going on and that it won't disrupt the office. Now, please get the hell out of my office. I shall meet you in an hour and twenty minutes downstairs to grab one of the fleet cars."

"Mac, look. . .I."

I shoot him my death glare and with a lowered head, he relents and heads out of my office. I was tempted to slam the door behind him, but I caught Creswell walking through the bullpen. This wouldn't be the right time to make a scene. "Good morning, Colonel. . .with me." He said pointing ahead of me. Just what has my flyboy gotten us into?

Standing at attention in Creswell's office, I find myself starting to freak out, something I don't do easily. But when your CO spends a good three minutes just letting you stand there while he goes through files on your desk, well, that's never a good sign. "How are you and the Commander getting along?"

I would grimace if I could. "Sir, the Colonel and the Commander have an excellent rapport."

Creswell snorts. I am thinking he doesn't believe that? Harm and I do have our moments, but, we've both learned to leave them in the courtroom. At least, I hope we have. "An excellent rapport?" Shaking his head, he grins and then points to the seat behind me. "At ease, Colonel, take a seat."

"Thank you, sir." I sit down, oddly finding myself sitting at attention for some odd reason. Damn Harm and his flowers. Okay, I don't mean that, it was sweet, but, who would have thought that flowers would have Creswell looking at me like this! "Have the Commander or myself done anything to offend you?"

Ah, and that glare of his just gets worse. I am suddenly thinking that he would make good on his Aleutians promise. "Not exactly, but it does. . .perturb me that neither you nor the Commander saw it fit to inform me that you've chosen to change of status to your relationship." I swear, only he or Chegwidden could make something as simple as 'I hear you two are dating.' sound professional and lawyerly. "And, I've been in enough commands to know that certain status changes can destroy the fragile sensibilities of any chain of command." I really, really, really, did I mention really? – hope that he is not thinking about that. . .thingy – ok, fine – affair with John Farrow.

Right now, though, the only thing that comes to mind are all of the warm clothing I am going to have to start packing because I am going to freeze my ass off in the Aleutians. I guess it is best to fess up and pray or pray and fess up? "General, there has been a change in status in our relationship. . .It is something that both the Commander and I have chosen to embark upon." Wow, this sounds like I'm giving some sort of speech. Did I just use the word embark? Oh, how poetic, rather – pathetic. Anyway, "I realize that we have not notified you of, said, change in status. . .The Commander and I have mutually consented to keeping the status of said relationship undisclosed to any of our colleagues and our commanding officer." Oh, yea, that glare, getting worse. Maybe I should just go home and pack, for that matter, so should Harm, though I imagine that Creswell wouldn't have the good graces to pack us both off together. "Our relationship does not and will not go against the balance of this chain of command, we are seeing to that."

Creswell raises an eyebrow, both actually, and I sit here trying to catch my breath. "Then why the hell does your office look like a jungle?"

"May I speak freely, sir?" No holes barred! Once he nods, I shoot straight from the hip. "Sir, that is non of your business."

Is that a smile I suddenly see sneaking out? "I could order you."

"And I still wouldn't tell you, sir. . . Suffice to say, we had a disagreement and the Commander feels he needs to extravagantly make it up to me." I try to say that without smiling, but Creswell's sudden laughter is contagious.

Clearing his throat, he settles into his chair. "I have to apologize if I made things worse between the two of you, but I do like to keep you two stewing for the bit."

"Apology accepted, sir. . ." Whew!

Standing, he comes around and hands me a folder. "That's the last information that came in on the investigation you and Commander Rabb are going on. I expect the two of you to keep that excellent rapport on it's track."

"We will, sir." Though, right now, we definitely need to stay in two different hotel rooms. Ah, well, he does need to stew doesn't he? "I am curious, General, what did you tell the Commander? He seems. . .upset."

Creswell leans up against his desk and grins. "I told him to keep it out of my office and threatened with having him grounded if he didn't. . .I also told him that if he does anything to hurt you, he'd have to face me and Admiral Chegwidden who warned me to keep an eye on the two of you."

Well, as usual, the flyboy has the way of taking certain things out of context and warping them in his nutty, sexy, little mind. Gotta love that man, though. I am so smitten, we really have to make up now. "I am just happy you aren't shipping us off to the Aleutians."

"If either of you try a stunt like Rabb pulled today, consider yourself packed and on the next flight over. . .dismissed." He was smiling when he said that. But, it wasn't a nice, warm or fuzzy smile. He was being serious.

I snap to attention and bark out an, "Aye aye, air." Before heading off to find my partner.

Hours later, I settle myself into the nice, comfy bed that the Days Inn has provided courtesy of the Navy. The VOGs, DVQs, VAQs and any other Qs you can think of, are all full. Apparently there is some convention of sorts down here in Norfolk and some of us officers are being shipped to hotels. Not that I mind, but it's a pain not to be close to the base. Anyway, we'll make due.

I glance over to the door and, no doubt, my boyfriend, who is now angry with me is probably lying in bed, thinking the same things. I've tried to get the man talking to me, but, apparently, he didn't think much of my discussing our relationship with the General. According to Harm, he kept his mouth shut the entire time in there. Ah, no wonder Creswell was ticked off. I tried to smooth things on the ride over, but he kept his eyes to the road and his mouth closed, save for the rather heated argument about my want to keep our relationship to myself vs. my decision to blab it to our CO. Somewhere in the middle of it all, as he would shoot me a dirty look, I decided to stay ticked off at him. And now, as I lay alone in my bed, I start to realize how much I need him here. Not physically, I mean, that is nice and all. Okay, it's not just nice, it's mind blowing, exhilarating and passionate – the word, 'rapture' comes to mind. I never, in my wildest, would have thought being intimate with a man could be that good. Either that or I am entirely biased when it comes to Harm, which is not a bad thing.

"YOU'RE NOT MAC!" Sitting up in bed, it takes my brain just a second or two to realize that's Harm's voice. Getting out of bed, I head over to the door and poke my head out.

There is now another person yelling, a female. "You sicko! Pervert! I am going to call security!"

"Woah! Hey, lady! I'm sorry, I thought you were my girlfriend." Oh dear, Jesus. He's standing in the hallway, buck naked save for the pillow he's holding in front of his unmentionables as someone from inside the room is flinging clothing at him. "Ma'am please don't throw the. . ." Ouch, it hits the top of his head. "Shoe." How do we get ourselves into these things? "Thank you." He says as she slams the door with a few choice words thrown at him for good measure.

I race into the hallway, careful not to crack up, but the expression on his face is just killer. "You alright there, flyboy?" I say between chuckles. Bending down, I start to pick up the clothing that was pooled around him. Some of the other patrons have also come out to see what the ruckus was about.

I figured this would probably embarrass Harm, but instead, he uses his free hand to rip the clothes from my grasp. "Excuse me, Colonel. . I am going to my room." I know better than to argue, I mean, we'll both eventually be laughing over this. I'll probably be laughing more than he will, but. . .oh well. Now, the moment he tries to get inside his room, I hear him groan loudly and shoot off a nice collection of profanities. "Damned door!" It's locked.

"Harm." I say, carefully grabbing his arm. "Come into my room. If you really want to spend the night across the hall from me, I'll call up the front desk and ask them to come open your door."

He concedes basically because it's either that or sleep in the hallway. Gingerly, I pull him into my room and watch as he slips into the bathroom. It takes him a minute to come out dressed. "Did you call the front desk?" He asks and I shake my head 'no' as an answer. "I'll call then."

As he tries to reach for the phone, I place my hand over it and glance up at him. "Can we talk?"

"I don't want to talk." Argh, men, stubborn.

I stand up and give him that Marine death glare and I swear, he's suddenly relenting. "Sit down. .. please."

With a sigh, one of those typical, male, 'I am trying to stay pissed off at you but it's just not working' type of sighs, he plops himself on the bed and looks at me. "Okay, what is it."

"What happened from yesterday to today? I mean, yes, I was upset, you said a few stupid comments, but today, at the office and the ride over here, you were impossible."

"Me!" He yells and I shh's him. We've already had one spectacle, I am not in the mood to make it two. "You're the one that goes in there and blabs to the Genera about our love life!"

He's talking as if I gave the man some sort of intimate detail, like the fact that he gets goose bumps if you rub the back of his knee. "All I told him was that yes, we were together and we would behave. That's it. . .he practically gave us approval and told me that he told you that if you hurt me, he'll shoot you." Well, that wasn't it exactly, but Creswell looks the type to hunt down men for mistreating women. "Harm, I love you and I want this to work and for it to work, we need to come out and tell people what's going on."

Harm knows I'm right, I can see it in his eyes. With another sigh, his shoulders slouch and he gets this slight frown. "I know we couldn't keep this hidden forever, but I wanted time with you. Time alone without people knowing. I wanted you to myself."

I sit next to him and run my hand up and down his back. He tenses at first, then relaxes as I work my fingers on a knot I've found on his shoulder blade. "Baby, I know. But, it's not like you are going to share me with anyone. . .I'm a one man type of girl." I say with a slight grin and a bat of my eyelashes which has him chuckling. "I love you. . .and come hell or high water, this is going to work, because I can't see myself with anyone but you. My heart belongs to you." I pull out the charm he gave me a few weeks ago and dangle it in front of him.

"You wore it?" He takes the charm in his hand, careful not to pull too much on it.

Leaning in, I kiss him on his cheek and wrap my arms around his shoulders. "I never take it off." And I do mean never, like, not even when I shower.

Looking into my eyes, I can see that mischievous glint there that takes my breath away. So much for getting two hotel rooms, I have a feeling he'll be spending the night here. "Oh yea, I remember walking into your room the night I gave it to you." I remember too, especially the look of shock on his face. "You were stunning, wearing only this."

"I can give you a replay if you like." Man, I am so smitten it's pathetic.

Harm grins. "Only if we agree to get past this little tiff."

"I agree." With several kisses, and a nice, long night of love making, our first, real argument, came to an end.

TO BE CONTINUED. . .