Christmas tree
"Eddie, are you sure nobody's gonna see us?"
"Sarah, this farm has, like, a thousand acres of Christmas trees. Nobody's gonna see us back here."
"Well, just to be sure, you better kill the lights."
"All right, all right," Eddie grumbled. He turned off the car and the lights faded into the darkness. "Happy?"
With the car now completely hidden among the low-hanging branches, Sarah snuggled in against Eddie's shoulder and took a sip of her drink. "Yes."
She heard Eddie take a big slug of his own drink. "It's kinda nice out here," he slurred. "Maybe we oughta bring home a Christmas tree."
Sarah giggled. "My dad would probably throw it out the window."
"Oh. Well, I guess we'll just celebrate out here then." Eddie reached for the six-pack in the backseat. "Want another one?"
Sarah nodded and eagerly reached for a can of beer.
She couldn't even smell the sweet, woodsy scent of the Christmas trees anymore. All she wanted to do was drown herself in the strong, overpowering scent of the alcohol.
~*~o~*~
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree...
The chords of the well-known Christmas carol hummed from the stereo as Mac wandered up and down the rows of evergreens at Beallsville's charming little Christmas tree farm. It was also an orchard that sold a variety of jams and jellies, and the fruity scents mixed with the spruce, fir, and pine smelled absolutely delicious.
When she came to the end of one of the rows, Mac gasped in delight. The last tree in the row was tall and sturdy with a thick covering of bright green needles. Mac leaned forward and breathed in the fresh scent of the beautiful evergreen.
"This one, Harm," she declared firmly.
"Harmon Rabb, Junior, is that you I see buying a Christmas tree?"
Harm turned around at the sound of his full name to see a plump, older woman waving at him with a big smile.
"Hi, Mary," he said politely. "Mac, this is Mary, the farm owner. Mary, this is Sarah MacKenzie."
"Your partner at JAG," Mary stated knowingly. "I've heard so much about the two of you. Your grandmother stops by the farm every few weeks, and every time it seems like she has a new story to tell. Two JAG lawyers, fighting for truth and justice in the U.S. military." Mary let out a high-pitched squeal. "Oooh, it all sounds so exciting."
"Well, I don't know how exciting it is when you have a stack of legal briefs and Article 32 hearings piled high on your desk," Mac said reasonably.
"Well, I think it's quite exciting," Mary argued. "All the investigations...the intrigue...the courtroom drama."
Harm laughed. "If you say so."
"So," Mary said, raising her eyebrows suggestively. "Are you two also partners outside the courtroom?"
Harm and Mac looked at each other, their warm glances answering Mary's question more than their words ever could.
"We're working on it."
