Unbeated as these are always spur of the moment stories. No, I am not abandoning these, I just haven't had that many ideas to write about. It was Valentine's day and I had to do something though. Hope you guys like it, or not. ;)

Take care!

Jackie

PART 38 – Lingerie and Dead Roses

It's Valentine's Day and for the first time in like. . .ever, I'm happy, in love and. . .oh, did I mention? ENGAGED! I, Sarah MacKenzie am ENGAGED to Harmon Rabb Junior. I giggle at the thought which has made me continuously giddy.

Thing is. . .well. . .NO ONE KNOWS. I mean, alright, we wanted to keep our engagement to ourselves for a while, but. . .It's almost been TWO months! I want to tell the world and not have to hide the rock, damnit!

Sitting here, in front of my mirror as I prepare for my secret date for Harm, I can't help but have this cheesy grin plastered. Quite the change.

A year ago, I was part of the vast number of individuals who's motto during Valentine's Day was "Love Sucks." I found more interested in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre than the point of the holiday. Before today, I had a set of rules for the occasion a) avoid couples of all kinds especially the nauseating ones that take public display of affection to the raunchy side, b) stock up on food to not have to leave the house and find said couples, c) rent some action movie sans romantic scenes, d) if totally bored, head to the grocery store and watched forgetful individuals try to haggle the floral department into making this super nice arrangement out of one dead rose, baby's breath and three carnations with a deflated balloon.

Yes, I was a sad and lonely individual before Harmon Rabb came into my life. No need to tell him this though, that ego will get stroked and the reservations I made were only for two.

The dress I picked out for the occasion is red, of course. This should be like St. Patrick's day, really, if you don't wear green, you get pinched? I'll one up that, if your lover doesn't wear red on St. Valentine's Day, you get to pinch his. .. or her six. I grin at the thought, knowing Harm's going to get in wearing his Naval blues without a shred of red on them. Oh six pinching I will be.

So this dress, is one of the sexy variety – the saleswoman called it the 'woman on a platter' dress and even suggested this matching lingerie set which, yes, I am wearing underneath.

Though we do have to be at work in the morning (doesn't that suck?) I made a little arrangement at The Willard which included a dinner reservation and if the flyboy doesn't get here in the next forty minutes I will kill him, the receptionist specifically told me not to be late. Getting the reservations was not an easy feat. Despite the fact that Valentine's Day landed on a Tuesday, everything is booked and I do mean EVERYTHING. It wasn't anything that my commanding officer couldn't handle.

Funny how many people are influenced when THE JAG calls in a favor or two. Course, I will be owing Cresswell until the day I die, but hey, it's a small price to pay.

"Babe, I'm here." Quickly and nearly managing to sprain my angle, I shoot up and run towards my bedroom door. Please don't let him walk in! It's all about making an entrance and that is exactly what I want to make. "Mac? Where are. . ."

I step out and lean against the doorframe, grinning at his expression. His mouth is hanging open and, damn him, he's ready, dressed in an all black suit with a red tie that, somehow manages to match the color of my dress. "Damn sailor, looking mighty fine." So much for my six pinching. . .Oh well, I'll do that later, when he's naked.

That look of his goes from awestruck to worry to. . .fear? Alright, what gives? "Damnit Mac. . .Do you have to look so good?"

Hmmm. That's a first, rarely have I ever had a man NOT like it when I look 'good.' "You don't like the dress?"

Harm snorts. "Oh, I love the dress it's hugging every curve and dips just. . ." He stops short of making a fool out of himself, his face turning bright red. "Sorry. . .one track mind."

"Hmm. . .yes." There's one little thing that I find wrong with this picture. . .No, two things. 1) He hasn't kissed me and 2) where's my gift! For the last three weeks he's kept on bragging about this gift he got me. . .I don't see it. Maybe it's on him?

Assassin raises his head off of the doggy bed and stairs at Harm, yawns then lays back down. Yes, they are pal's now. To Assassin, Harm's just like another furniture in the house. That doesn't stop him from howling when we make love, but the stereo helps block those sounds. "Alright." I step towards him and Harm steps backwards, hits his hip on the arm chair and stumbles into it. "Hmm difficulties getting your sea legs?" I tease, helping Harm to his feet, he still doesn't come near me or kiss me or. . .what's going on! Is this some sort of foreplay! "Harm? What's up?"

Dejected, he crosses to the center of my living room and settles on the top of the coffee table. "Your gift. . .I don't have it."

"That's all you're worried about?" Woah! What did he just say? "Wait one cotton picking minute, mister. . .Did you just say you didn't have my gift?"

"Yes." He nods and sighs in dramatic Harm fashion.

"Harmon Rabb who has been teasing me for, about, three weeks about this – and I quote – 'gift you are going to scream over' – doesn't have it?" This has GOT to be some joke. And really, I wouldn't be so perturbed if it wasn't because he built it up so much. No kidding! We spent evenings with him annoying me until I partook in guessing for the gift. Every time I gave an answer, it was wrong. Even last night he was. . .ARGH MEN! "You can just give it to me tomorrow, no biggie."

Harm sighs again. "That would be nice, yes. . . I just never got it." He shrugs. "I kept putting it off and when I went to get it. . .the place was closed."

What! "Okay, let me get this straight. . .You were driving me nuts over a gift you didn't even buy?"

He nods, then stands up. "Pretty much, yup." His arms wrap around me in a bear hug that leaves me without any air in my lungs. "Glad you're so understanding, but I'll make it up to you."

I want to argue, but I've put so much money down on tonight that I don't have the heart or guts for that matter. "Let's go, huh?"

We head off together after I place a bowl of food and water for Assassin. My neighbor, Mrs. Kiore will make sure everything is alright with him while we're away. Stepping into Harm's Vette I find what was probably a lovely bouquet of red roses at one point. I raise up the, now wilted and browning, flowers and raise a brow at my fiancé. "Bad day?" He offers with a shrug. "I was going to surprise you in the office with them, but that client of mine escaped and. . ."

"Let's just get to dinner." I said, hoping to save us a bad moment.

Dinner, surprisingly, was nice and romantic. The restaurant at The Willard had managed to wrangle up some non-alcoholic wine. Everything went well, no ex-girlfriends of any sort. No one that we knew. And we even managed to slip in a dance before dessert. "That was lovely." I say and settle myself across from Harm who's starting to look nervous. "Harm?" I see our night taking a turn for the worst as he stands up and rushes off without explanation. As I stand to run after him, the waiter, Raul, returns with the desserts. "Excuse me." I tell him only to have the man become rather insistent.

"Ma'am, this chocolate mouse is only good if you eat it right away." He tells me, rolling the covered plate towards me.

I stand up again, but Raul comes around the table to block my view. "I'm sure it will be fine, excuse. . ."

Raul settles me back down with a smile. "But, ma'am. . .I couldn't bare it if such a decadent dessert went to waste. . . I implore you, eat it now."

Alright, I've had just about enough of this. "Look Raul. I'll eat the freakin' thing when I am good and ready now get your ass out of my way!" The man refuses and I use my secret weapon. "I'm a Lieutenant Colonel with the Marine Corps and know at least six good ways to kill you with my pinky! Get out of my way." I threaten making Raul's eyes widen with shock. That Marine thing always works. I know I'm making a scene now which only gets worse when I see Harm walking back to the table, an electric guitar strapped to him. "What the?"

Not only is he heading towards me with the guitar, but so is the house band. One of the members hands Harm a microphone and he promptly puts it to good use. "Ladies and Gentlemen, can I have your attention please?" Once the whole, entire, as in everyone in the place, is paying attention to him and me. . .him and me. . .Oh God. "First off, I have an announcement. That woman over there." He says, pointing at me with his free hand. "Well, I asked her to marry me on Christmas and she said yes." The place absolutely erupts in a loud roar of applauses which is making the management slightly peeved. This is an upscale place and things of this nature seldom happen. Course, my "I'm a Marine" speech couldn't help either.

"Second." The expression on Harm's face changes slightly to embarrassment. "I haven't given her a gift tonight." The crowd unanimously boo's at him and I can't help but chuckle when Raul calls Harm an idiot. "Now, now. . .I put it off, so it is my fault. . .See, in my family we have several heirlooms, one of which is this stud earring set that belonged to my great, great grandmother and has been handed on down. . .Sarah, I had grams send them to me, but FedEx closed before I could pick them up. . .That was the slip that you placed on my desk this morning."

My mouth, I know, is forming a perfect 'O.' Not to be nosy, but I was curious as to why he was expecting a package from Pennsylvania and why, for that matter, the package wasn't just delivered. Now I get it and I feel a little bad for doubting him.

He eyes me with this 'please forgive me' look. "I could have picked it up, but I was busy with the guys, chatting in the break room." Harm hands the microphone back to one of the band members who holds it up for him to sing into. "This was a spur of the moment thing.. . .here goes." He slowly strums the guitar as the lyrics of "Groovy Kind Of Love" come to life.

My eyes fill with unshed tears. Damn him, why am I always the only one crying? As I brush aside a single tear, I can tell he's thinking the same thing or at least, remembering the same thing. He ends with a rousing applause, then hands the guitar back to the band. Settling in front of me, Harm takes my hand and kisses my knuckles. "Baby, I'm sorry. . .I hope I didn't ruin Valentine's day?"

I shake my head. Ruin it? You kidding me? "Ruin it. . .No. . .That was lovely." And very embarrassing, but I bet a nice shade of red on my cheeks speaks for itself. "How about we finish dessert so we can start with some real celebrating."

He raises a brow in pure amusement as his eyes cloud over with mischief. "Just what do you have in mind, MacKenzie?" Dessert ignored, he pulls me up with the hand he's still holding.

I tug him behind me. "Oh, nothing really. . .It's red, see through and you can take it off of me with your teeth." I throw over my shoulder only to feel Harm tug me back. "Harm?"

In a swift move he has me in his arms, carrying me towards the elevator. "We have to be at work early for that Whitmore deposition. That means we only have a few hours before we have to get some sleep. . ."

Alright, so I didn't really think about the fact that we have to be in earlier than usual. "Harm? Hurry up!" His reasoning works damn well with me.

Happy Valentine's Day!